Posts Tagged ‘picture books’

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Favorite Holiday Picture Books

Saturday, December 22nd, 2012

We asked our readers to share some of their all-time favorite picture books to read during the holiday season and loved reading all their responses. We thought you might like to see the list too. There are some I remember fondly from my childhood as well as some I don’t think I’ve ever seen!

Nothing gets me quite in the holiday spirit than snuggling up and sharing festive picture books with my family. Take a look at this wonderful list and let us know your own favorites in the comments below. Happy Holidays to all!

Becky’s Christmas by Tasha Tudor (1961, Viking Press)

 

Christmas Magic by Michael Garland (2001, Dutton Children’s Books)

 

The Clown of God by Tomi dePaola (1978, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)

 

Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo, illustrations by Jane Manning (2001, HarperCollins)


December by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz (1997, Harcourt Brace)

Dream Snow by Eric Carle (2000, Philomel Books)

 

The Finest Christmas Tree by John and Ann Hassett (2005, Houghton Mifflin)

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett (1999, G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

 

Hershel & the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by John Ed. Mayer and Trina Schart Hyman (1989, Holiday House)

Judy Moody and Stink: The Holly Joliday by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (2007, Candlewick Press)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (1957, Random House)

The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaola (1980, Harcourt Children’s Books)

The Legend of Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola (1997, Puffin)

Little Tree poem by E.E. Cummings, story and paintings by Chris Raschka  (2001, Hyperion Books For Children)

 

The Mitten by Jan Brett (1989, Putnam)

 

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Jan Brett (2008, Putnam)

 

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Will Moses (2006, Philomel)

 

 

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated in papercut by Niroot Puttinapats (2007, Candlewick )

 

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson (2006, HarperCollins)

 

The Nutcracker Doll by Mary Newell DePalma (2007, Arthur A. Levine Books )

 

Olive the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh, illustrated by J.Otto Seibold (1997, Chronicle Books

 

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985,  Houghton Mifflin)

 

Robert’s Snow by Grace Lin (2004, Viking)

 

 Rocking Horse Christmas by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Ned Bittinger (1997, Scholastic)

 

Tomie’s Little Christmas Pageant by Tomie dePaola (2002, Putnam)

 

When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke, translated by Oliver G. Latsch, illustrated by Paul Howard (2006, Scholastic)

 


Santa Calls by William Joyce (1993, Harper Collins)

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett (1990, Putnam)

Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner, pictures by Mark Buehner (2005, Dial Books)

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962, Viking)

The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Jon J. Muth (2009, Scholastic)

Santa Claus: The World’s Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee (2005, Harcourt)

Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren and Ilon Wikland (1963, Viking, reprinted in 1981)

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg (2001, Little, Brown)

The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger (2004, North-South Books)

Tell us your favorite holiday picture books!

 

 

 

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Posted in Book Round-Up, Recommended Books | 1 Comment »

Top of the Shelf: Bear Has a Story to Tell

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

Bear Has a Story to Tell

by Phillip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead  (Roaring Brook Press)

This big-bellied bear with fur that’s many shades of brown won me over from the first two pages. He is sleepy, but sets out, for he has a story to tell. This desire leads him to Mouse, who has seeds to gather. Duck is getting ready to fly south. Frog must find a warm place to sleep, and Mole is already sleeping. Bear helps them all, before watching snow fall in a sky painted in marvelous shades of blue, green, and violet. He sleeps, then rolls around to celebrate spring and his chance to tell his story to friends who seem even closer after their time apart. Readers will learn about friendship and the cycles of seasons, in a book whose last page sends them back to the first.

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Posted in Books Ages 0-3, Books Ages 3-6, Recommended Books, Top of the Shelf | No Comments »

Top of the Shelf: Faster! Faster!

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Faster! Faster! by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick Press)

The author-illustrator of the lovely Higher! Higher! offers more bright colors, simple text, and a tribute to imagination. A family is having fun, with a girl on dad’s back, mom carrying a baby, and a dog chasing a ball, but by the second spread, the girl is riding that dog instead of dad. Subsequent pages show her urging, “Faster! Faster!” while she rides a bunny, ostrich, horse, cheetah, bird, dolphin, and exhausted turtle, who turns into dad in the final page turns. Tired and happy. The brilliant colors and energy in the book will make readers want to take this ride again.

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Posted in Books Ages 0-3, Books Ages 3-6, Recommended Books, Top of the Shelf | No Comments »

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers and grandmothers out there!

Do you have a special book that you remember your mother reading to you? That special book for me and my mother is Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney.

You can read about my special bond with my mother over this beautiful picture book here.

Share with us your memories about special picture books to you and your mother. Happy Mother’s Day!

 

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Picture Book Puzzler: A Week with Willi Worm

Monday, March 19th, 2012

Sometimes an author’s manuscript has to go through a whole lot of changes before an editor agrees to publish the book. Main characters may change or even be removed completely! Do you know what bestselling picture book was originally titled “A Week with Willi Worm” when the author initially submitted it to his/her editor? Put your guesses in the comments below and I’ll be back at the end of the week with the answer!

 

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Picture Book Puzzler: Over the Rainbow

Monday, March 12th, 2012

In March we start looking for early signs of spring. The first flowers in the garden, green buds on trees, the return of songbirds and, of course, rainy days. Grey, rainy days can still bring the chance for bursts of bright color — seen in children’s raincoats and galoshes, cheerful umbrellas, and if you’re lucky, a rainbow in the sky. This week’s puzzler is filled with images from picture books of rainbows. Can you name each book? Put your guesses in the comments below and I’ll be back at the end of the week with the answers.

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Posted in Just for Fun, Picture Book Puzzlers | 2 Comments »

Top of the Shelf: Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Scott Magoon (A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press, 2012)

As Mr. Prickles tries to find a friend, a raccoon, a chipmunk, and skunk, tell him that he’s not cute, cuddly, and playful, like them. Mr. Prickles believes he is adorable on the inside, but as he’s kept from joining in, he does feel prickly on the inside, too. Fortunately he meets Miss Pointypants, who understands him, plays with him, eats with him, and shows him that “porcupines do hug, very carefully.” This is a quick book to read, filled with love, humor, a bit of prickliness, wordplay, and food for thought. Pick up a copy of Mr. Prickles.

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Want more recommendations from The Carle Bookshop? Click here to read for Top of the Shelf book reviews.

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Picture Book Puzzler: March Comes in Like a Lion…

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Happy March! After a pretty mild winter here in New England, March came in with a delightful snowstorm. Mother Nature’s way of reminding us that winter isn’t over until she says it’s over! There’s a common saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, so for this week’s puzzler, we have images of lions and lambs. Can you name each picture book correctly? Put your guesses in the comments below and I’ll be back at the end of the week with the answers.

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Posted in Just for Fun, Picture Book Puzzlers | 5 Comments »

Top of the Shelf: and then it’s spring

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

and then it’s spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2012)

The colors in the letters of the title move from brown to green, and it’s not too much of a surprise that the book’s general colors follow likewise. Like the little boy, dog, and turtle at the center of the book, readers have to wait through a lot of brown ground to see more colors. But Erin Stead’s woodblock and pencil illustrations always convey warmth, and the robin’s egg blue back pages are sometimes seen in the varied sky. The boy who begins bundled up in hat, muffler, and mittens ends up barefoot and swinging from a tire over grass and the beginnings of flowers and vegetables he planted, with a delight we feel he well deserves. A perfect book for those of us who wait and watch for winter’s end!

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Want more recommendations from The Carle Bookshop? Click here to read for Top of the Shelf book reviews.

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Picture Book Puzzler: It Ain’t Easy Being Green

Monday, February 27th, 2012

We’re close to spring. I can feel it. This may very well be the most mild winter I’ve ever experienced. It’s not even March and already I can see little bits of green poking up in my flower gardens as my daffodils and tulips emerge. This has put me in a mood for the color green! So, for this week’s puzzler, I’ve collected ten green covers of popular picture books. Can you name each book from the small glimpse of its cover? Put your guesses in the comments below and I’ll be back at the end of the week with the answers. Think spring!

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What color puts you in the mood for spring?

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Posted in Picture Book Puzzlers | 5 Comments »

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