The Velveteen Rabbit is longer, but I love that story. Where the Wild Things Are is also great.
Any other suggestions?
[This message has been edited by Grayson Morris (edited March 09, 2011).]
I have a book that recommends the best children's picture books, but I am finding myself continually disappointed with the stories. I will be checking out hopefully all of these suggestions from the library and then eventually buy their (okay, I mean my) favorites.
Some of our all-time favs that haven't already been mentioned:
Knuffle Bunny series by Mo Willems (same guy as above pigeon series)
The Dot, Ish, and everything else by Peter Reynolds. Hands down, the Dot is the most influential picture book I've ever read, I read it to every child I can get to sit still long enough to listen. "Make your mark. See where it leads you."
The War Between the Vowels and the Consonants - don't know author, excellent and fun book.
John, Paul, George and Ben - forget the author, I think it's illustrated by Lane Smith, though. Hilarious history - kids love it
Scrambled States of America series (there are 2 titles currently) - silly business. We're big into silly business.
My Friend Rabbit - Eric Rohrman - we're big into books that have very few words, too (or none, like Zoom, and The Red Book.)
Sir Cumference and the Knights of the Round Table - maybe for older, but fun and interesting.
Parts (there's also More Parts, and something else) - great take on the human body.
Oh gosh, there are more. There's literally a pile of picture books next to my son's bed. My son who is 9 and can read anything in the world that he wishes, literally, and is currently reading novels like The Magic Thief and Fablehaven and Harry Potter 2 and I Am Number Four and Wizard Heir and all sorts of things, chooses to read picture books at night a lot. It's adorable, and something I think we've enabled by surrounding the kids with books and making reading books together and alone part of our regular routines (and part of the fun of being in our family.)
I hope this gives you some ideas! I'll come back after I get another glance at their bookshelves.
Oh - Sandra Boynton's board books are REALLY fun to read, ones you don't mind accidentally memorizing because you've read them eleventy billion times. "A hog and a frog do a dance in a bog...but not the hippopotamus."
The Going to Bed Book
Pajama Time
Moo, Baa, La La La (my favorite)
Jamberry by Bruce Degen is also a cute little book.
Those books were fabulous! I definitely want to get more by those authors and I absolutely love Reynold's illustrations. How he can depict character's ethnicities and emotions with so few pen strokes is beyond me.
I need to check out Mo Willems -- there were a few at the library, but they weren't the pigeon or bunny ones. I guess it probably doesn't matter which ones I get.
Thanks for the feedback! If any more come to mind, let me know.
Peter Reynolds, I mean seriously - this guy is amazing. I agree on the inclusiveness of his illustrations, but then layer in the MESSAGE. You have to find the dot (buy it, it's totally worth it.) Any child you've ever met who has ever said "I can't" needs to read The Dot, or have an adult read The Dot to them.
Willems has some easy readers with an elephant and pig but they aren't nearly as funny as the Pigeon ones ("Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! - Come on, I'll be your best friend!. My Uncle used to drive a bus every day, true story!") or as poignant as Knuffle Bunny (or as hilariously interleaved illustrations on top of black and white photographs.)
Seuss is highly variable - My favorite is The Lorax, but also The Sneetches (Oh the star bellied sneetches had bellies with stars and the plain bellied sneetches had none upon thars...), and What Was I Scared Of? (the pale green pants with nobody inside them.) For repetitious ones, fox in socks has some really amusing things about tweedle beetle battles...and there's a wocket in my pocket is pretty cute for all the rhymes. If your child's little and has a shorter attention span, many of those seuss ones come in board book versions which are abridged and a bit of a relief to brain-dead parents.
Harold and the Purple Crayon are still lovely stories, as are board books of The Little Prince. Curious George was a bit hit with my kids (not my favorite but my husband liked to read them - win!)
I'm set for a while now. I just put like 15 picture books on hold (basically every one on the list). I'm sure the librarians are gonna love me.
I didn't remember Curious George all that well until I picked it up again a few weeks ago. I think I am all set with Curious George -- I found the story of a man who takes a monkey from the jungle and puts him in the zoo to live happily ever after a little less than inspiring I know there are others with probably better plot lines, though.
And yes, I did just BUMP the picture book thread. Sorry.