MORE 'TOP-100-PICTURE-BOOKS-POLL' POSTS
#8 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz (1972) 120 points We all have bad days—even in Australia. – Heather Christensen Of all the books out there that deal with schadenfreude, none do it quite so well as Alexander. Now there’s a kid who just […]
#9 Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999) 113 points This is the very first book I ever read at story time, and it has since become my secret weapon. It never fails to get a laugh, and I love the anticipation I feel as the surprise ending approaches especially when I know there are kids […]
#10 The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Mike Smollin (1971) For the pure joy of watching your audience’s faces as you read this aloud. – DaNae Leu I had to look up the author – don’t think I ever read his name! I just thought of it as […]
#11 Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996) 89 points I could make a top 10 list of Kevin Henkes titles. Love everything he does. But Lilly is one of the most unforgettable characters in children’s literature. And I believe many young girls may have been named after her. 🙂 – DeAnn Okamura It’s […]
#12 Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (1960) 86 points Because, “Try them, you may like them,” are words to live by. – DaNae Leu One of the great questions of childhood is: What’s with parents putting bizarre items on your plate and expecting you to eat them? Dr. Seuss’s answer to the question […]
#13 Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1982) 79 points This is such a great lesson book without being preachy. I remember my 20 year old son coming home and telling me all about this book after his teacher read it in class. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I knew all about […]
#14 Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947) 78 points What I REALLY love about this book is that it is possibly the most fun book to read aloud to a kid (or many kids) ever. I can’t separate my feelings for the book itself from the experience of reading it interactively. What kid doesn’t […]
#15 Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel (1970) 74 points I put a lot of thought into which Frog and Toad book to put on here. They are all brilliant, but I find Frog and Toad Together a bit trippy with Toad’s crazy dream sequence and the seriously snake in “Dragons and Giants.” […]
#16 Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955) 73 points It’s like the best kind of dream! It’s surreal and meta and mindbending! And also funny! I found it haunting when I was a kid, reality being created as you go; now that surrealism is one of my favorite things about it. I […]
#17 The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson (1936) 73 points I remember liking this as a child, but I love it even more as a parent, when my children love to listen to it. It’s a gentle story, and can sometimes be calming at bedtime, but they also love to […]