There is much learning children can do in school. Some can be found in books. Some can be found in the adventures beyond the page. Some can be found with one another. It’s also important that kids feel good about themselves. These picture books encourage all these aspects and are best suited for ages four through eight unless otherwise indicated.
The ingenious “A Dictionary Story” invites young readers on a creative journey where a dictionary dreams of telling its own story, blending words and illustrations in a unique adventure.
A Dictionary Story, ingeniously illustrated and written by both Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston, is a most clever and creative story about a dictionary who desires to be more than just a dictionary. She wants to tell a story like other books. With the entanglement of an alligator, a donut, a ghost, and more this story is unlike any a child will read. Along the way, hidden messages are found at the bottom of each page revealing the dictionary. The illustrations were done in watercolor, pencil, and digital collage. This inventive book, from beginning to end, will astound all who pick it up!
Worries Big and Small: A Child’s Guide to Talking About Feelings, by Hannah Wilson and brightly illustrated by Samara Hardy, a comforting book that is helpful for children as they deal with new classrooms, teachers and friends. There are short questions and answers directed to lower grade students which in turn open up discussions to help with anxiety and more. What if I make a mistake in front of the whole class? What if I don’t like my school lunch? These are just a few of the questions for parents to help prepare their children.
I want to Read ALL the Books, by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, has a young girl who desires to answer all questions possible. So, she decides she must read every single book. But eventually she realizes she can’t read all of them to find all the answers. However, she comes upon a great idea of what she can do. This brightly illustrated book, done in Adobe Photoshop using scanned hand-drawn textures, is a celebration of information found in books.
“Big” by Vashti Harrison teaches children the importance of inner beauty and confidence, delivering a powerful message through its story and illustrations.
Big, by Vashti Harrison, is a wonderfully told story about believing in the attractiveness of a child’s inside and outward beauty. The structure of this story resounds in the most important lessons: words can hurt and words can have different meanings and impact children. This youngster had a great self-image until she takes dance and begins to question her size. The ending has a powerful lesson for all! Big won this year’s Caldecott Medal.
The Ship in the Window, by Travis Jonker and beautifully drawn in hues of browns and blues that hail back to wood etchings by Matthew Cordell, begins with a few wordless pages as you see a father building a small model ship as his son watches on. The rest of this delightful story is told through a small mouse who has the greatest desire to sail the model boat. The building to the climax and resolution, with father and son, makes for a perfect example of wonderful storytelling!
The Door that had Never Been Open Before, by Mr. And Mrs. MacLeod, is an adventure where the Grunion children are about to open a magical door. They don’t know what is behind it and the buildup is exciting and will hold the reader’s attention. What they find behind the door is a big surprise! The extraordinary and fabulous art is made with dipped pen and ink with cut-out paper.
* Join Addie Ant in her exciting journey through nature, as she meets new friends and discovers the world around her in this charmingly illustrated adventure.
Addie Ant Goes on an Adventure, by Maren Morris and Karina Argrow and beautifully illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton, showcases a tiny ant who decides to go on an adventure for the first time and becomes lost. With the help of some nice bug friends, named with alliteration like the protagonist, Beatrice Butterfly and Lewis Ladybug, she is able to experience garden vegetables, flowers and gorgeous nature at every turn. Just pouring over each colorful page is enough for this book to be reread many times!
Fail-A-Bration: You Tried. You Missed. You’re Invited, by Brad and Kristi Montague, is an affirming book to help children when they mess up and make mistakes. If they’re hard on themselves, then this is the book for them. (Actually, we all make mistakes, so this book is good for all.) This book shows that making mistakes is part of life and we learn from these mistakes which help us get better. Be sure to check out the clever end-pages. The bright illustrations were done with hand sketches, collages of different types of elements and acrylic paint.
The Shade Tree, by Suzy Lee, is a smart fable good for all ages about a rich, stingy man who doesn’t desire to share anything he owns. The villagers around him enjoyed resting from heat of the day in the shade of an old tree. A traveler desires to linger and cool off as well in this shade when the rich man, in a tirade, tells all to leave since he owns the land and therefore also owns the shade. The traveler outwits this selfish man and makes a deal that helps the villagers and ultimately thwarts the rich man. The Illustrations are simple and elegant. And the story is a powerful one with a lesson that won’t soon be forgotten!
The Boy and the Elephant” is a wordless picture book that beautifully captures a boy’s special bond with an elephant, illustrated in soothing earth tones.
The Boy and the Elephant, by Freya Blackwood, is a gorgeous wordless book that easily tells this richly layered story. Wordless books are a wonderful way to encourage children to retell a story. This helps with sequencing and memory. This magical story has a young boy who lives in the heart of a big city. But he has a secret no one knows. The story shifts to a climax when the empty lot next door is sold where the boy’s secret is located. This beautiful story is illustrated using pencil and oil on watercolor paper.
