Great Illustrated Books

 

A Visitor for Bear
by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Though the sign on his front door says "No Visitors Allowed," Bear hears a knock and opens the door only to find a mouse, "small and gray and bright-eyed." "Go away," Bear says firmly, but that little mouse keeps showing up everywhere: in the cupboard ("Perhaps we could just have... Read More

Bats at the Library
by Brian Lies

The same bats that cavorted in Bats at the Beach are back for another nocturnal adventure on an otherwise dull night. "We've feasted, fluttered, swooped, and soared, / And yet, we're still a little bored." So when "word spreads quickly from afar" that a window has been left... Read More

Don't Let The Peas Touch!: And Other Stories
by Deborah Blumenthal

There are three endearing and hilarious sister stories in this large and expressive picture book. In the title story, big sister, Annie, is taking a cooking class, and she is preparing the family's meals this weekend. Picky little sister Sophie inspects everything, screening raisins from her cereal, looking for fat... Read More

Grace for President
by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Meet a spunky and determined African American schoolkid, Grace Campbell, who, upon inspecting her teacher's big poster of the presidents, exclaims in outrage, “Where are the GIRLS?” Mrs. Barrington explains, “The truth is, our country has never had a woman president.” Grace announces, “I've been thinking it over, and I'd... Read More

Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson

Harold decided to take a walk in the moonlight. So he drew a moon, and then a path to follow it. He decided to take a short cut, and veered off the path that he originally drew to keep him from getting lost. "The short cut led right to where... Read More

I'm Bad!
by Kate Mcmullan

Glaring straight at you from the cover and from the first double-page spread is a big, bad, gleaming blue and green Tyrannosaurus Rex, with fearsome claws and huge white choppers, exuding a light blue stream of bad breath. "Are you BAD?" he growls ferociously. The first time I shared this... Read More

Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans

Pen and ink renditions of French, stickmen-drawn girls give way to lush watercolor drawings of 1930's Parisian streets, allowing this classic picture book to withstand the test of time. The girls' teacher Ms. Clavel leads Madeline and her peers in two straight lines through the famous streets of Paris. The... Read More

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

This frantic, insanely funny send-up of fairy tales presents nine little comic masterpieces, with a cast that includes "The Princess and the Bowling Ball," "The Other Frog Prince," "Little Red Running Shorts," and the malodorous title character, with a head made from a thick wheel of cheese, with bacon for... Read More

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
by Jon Scieszka

"Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story." That's Alexander T. Wolf talking, and he'd like... Read More

Wabi Sabi
by Mark Reibstein

Wabi Sabi, a plain brown cat from Kyoto, Japan, is curious when she overhears a visitor ask the meaning of her name, and her master says only, "That's hard to explain." "It had never occurred to her before that wabi sabi was anything more than her name." So the cat... Read More

Bandit
by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

"Something's fishy around here," mutters orange and yellow cat, Bandit, standing amid stacks of boxes and watching "his" couch being carried out of the house by a hairy-legged guy. His person, Michelle, scoops him up—"Squeeze a hairball out of me, why don't you!" he gasps—and puts him in his cat... Read More

Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates
by Patrick OBrien and Kevin OMalley, Illustrated by Patrick OBrien

The dinosaur citizens of Jurassica are in a panic when a mob of misshapen mutants and reptilian cyborgs from the pirate ship Blackrot rampages through the Imperial Palace, making off with the famous Jewels of Jurassica. The President calls in Captain Raptor to pursue the evildoers. Raptor and his fearless... Read More

The Cheese
by Margie Palatini, Illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson

"What a waste of a chunk of cheddar," the rat grumbles, gazing at the huge wedge of cheese down in the dell. It looks so yellow, so mellow, and so tasty. Defying the posted rules and regulations, which state, "The cheese stands alone," the rat grabs a napkin and heads... Read More

The Dog Who Cried Wolf
by Keiko Kasza

For Moka, a personable brown and white dog, life is perfect until Michelle, his little girl, reads him a book about wolves, which makes him reevaluate his whole existence. No longer content with his life as a house pet, especially when Michelle makes him dress up for tea parties, Moka... Read More

How I Became a Pirate
by Melinda Long, Illustrated by David Shannon

Building a sand castle at the beach one day, young Jeremy Jacobs encounters Brain Beard and his motley pirate crew. He joins them aboard ship as their official digger and off they sail to find a safe place to bury their treasure chest of gold and jewels. Jeremy learns pirate... Read More

I Stink!
by Kate McMullan, Illustrated by Jim McMullan

A no-nonsense, tough-talking New York City garbage truck explains how he scarfs down your bags of trash each night while you sleep. “See those bags? I smell BREAKFAST!” That truck's got a mug on him, by turns grinning, scowling, and looking tough. Thick, black-outlined watercolors against dark charcoal backgrounds lit... Read More

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
by Mo Willems

Leaving the Laundromat with her daddy, toddler Trixie realizes she’s missing her constant and beloved companion, Knuffle Bunny. (Listeners will notice the face of the stuffed rabbit that Dad has just inadvertently loaded into the washing machine.) Unfortunately, Daddy can't seem to comprehend Trixie’s baby talk—“Aggle flaggle klabble!"—when she tries... Read More

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything
by Elise Broach, Illustrated by David Small

On an otherwise boring errand day with his mother, a boy notes an interesting sign at the bakery: "BUY A DOZEN, GET A DINOSAUR." Sure enough, as they walk out with their box of doughnuts, the lady behind the counter brings out a free dinosaur—a prodigious green triceratops that follows... Read More

Wolf's Coming!
by Joe Kulka

All of the forest animals are in a rush to hide when they see Wolf approaching, looking dapper and dangerous in his blue suit and tie, his yellow eyes gleaming, and fangs drooling. As the sun sets and shadows lengthen, the rabbits, raccoons, and pigs race inside a house built... Read More

Additional United Through Reading Recommendations

Goodnight Sweet Butterflies
The Going to Bed Book
by Sandra Boynton

 

One Fish, Two Fish
by Dr. Seuss

 

Goodnight, My Duckling
by Nancy Tafuri

 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

 

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
by Simms Taback