My All Time Favorite Picture Books (1-25)

'Tis the season for gift-giving and what better gift than a book.  To help you find the perfect book for any child on your list I am sharing with you my 50 favorite picture books for reading aloud (they are good for reading quietly too!)  I will share the 1-25 today and 26-50 on December 15.

1) Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The classic story of a boy who receives the first gift of Christmas.  A must read for all who truly believe.

2) Time for Bed by Mem Fox

Time For Bed

A sweet rhyming bedtime story that puts all the baby animals gently to sleep.

3) There is a Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
In this silly story Grover does not want you to get to the monster at the end of the book and tries everything to stop you.  You will never guess who the monster at the end of the book is!

Where's Spot?

4) Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Spot is hiding from his mom and she looks all of the house trying to find him so he can eat his dinner.  A great lift-the-flap board book for babies.

5) Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
This is also a great lift-the-flap book for babies.  A child wants the zoo to send them a pet.  The zoo sends lions, giraffes, snakes and much more.  Each animal is not right for different reasons, until they send a puppy.

6) Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
The day is over and it is time for all of the construction trucks to go to bed.  This sweet rhyming story is perfect for any child who loves trucks!

7) The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Have you ever wondered what is important about a spoon or the wind.  This charming book uses repetition and a circular text to tell us what is important about several everyday items.

8) Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends

A perfect poem collection.  This book includes poems about EVERYTHING. Silverstein has a great way of writing silly poems to make you laugh.

9) The Pigeon Books (all of them!) by Mo Willems
I couldn't pick just one pigeon book because they are all so good.  The pigeon is a character with attitude and charm that you just have to meet for yourself!

10) The Elephant and Piggie Books (all of them!) by Mo Willems
If you like the pigeon you will love Piggie and Gerald.  These two best friends have so many adventures.  Piggie and Gerald are sure to make you and your child chuckle!

Fireflies

11) Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe
If you remember summer nights chasing fireflies and capturing them in jars with your friends, you will love the nostalgic feel this book creates.  Brinkloe uses descriptive language to really paint a picture of the perfect summer night.

12) Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum

It is easy to relate to and fall in love with Chrysanthemum the mouse.  She is carefree and loves her name until she starts school.  There she realizes that sometimes people are not always nice.  Chrysanthemum as to learn how to deal with bullies and love herself no matter what.

13) Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

Every child loves the repeated pattern in Bill Martin Jr. uses in this book.  Not to mention a book about animals AND colors should be in everyone's library!

14) Mr. Brown Can Moo by Dr. Seuss
It is hard to pick just one Dr. Seuss book but my son wanted this one read over and over again.  Mr. Brown makes all the silliest noises, even the sound of a hippopotamus chewing gum.

No David

15) Freight Train by Donald Crews
A simple book that uses the different train cars to teach colors.  Young children will like the simplicity of the text.

16) No David by David Shannon
Every parent and child can relate to David.  He is always causing trouble and constantly hearing his mother say, "NO DAVID!"  In the end, no matter how many times he messed up his mother reminds him that she still loves him.

17) Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden
A small board book that plays on the favorite rhyme of every child, peek-a-boo.  The pages are cut out so you can see a peek of what will be next.

Peek-a-Who?

18) Llama, Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Any book that can teach a lesson to a child is a plus for me.  In this book Llama Llama has his first day of school and really misses his mom.  He learns through the rhyming text that he can have fun at school and at home!

19) The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
This interactive book will have children saying the lines with you as well as clapping, stomping, shaking a wiggling.  A little old lady, who has no fears, goes out for a walk in the woods.  She encounters many strange objects but is determined to not be afraid... until something yells BOO!

20) We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
A fun book about a family going on a bear hunt and the obstacles they face.  They come to a dark cave and tiptoe in only to find a... BEAR!

21) Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
This book with few words is a perfect bedtime book for babies.  The zoo keeper is putting each animal to sleep, but the gorilla is letting them out.  All the animals end up sleeping with the zoo keeper, until his wife wakes up!

Actual Size

22) Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
In this informational book you get to see just how big a shark's tooth is and a gorillas hand or what it is like to look into a giant squid's eye.

23) Reading Makes Me Feel Good  by Todd Parr
This book uses simple phrases and fun pictures to describe the joys of reading.  A must have for any book lover!

24) Enemy Pie by Eric Munson
If you need to learn how to deal with your enemies this book is for you.  Luckily for this little boy his dad knows a thing or two about dealing with enemies and it all has to do with pie, and spending a little bit of time with your enemy while it cooks.

25) Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
Every child's emotions are all over the place.  This boy uses animals to describe how he is feeling.  The illustrations make the book even more memorable.


So what do you think?  Did I miss any?  What are your all time favorite books to read aloud?  Maybe they will show up on the second part of my list.

Happy Reading!
Laura