New York Times Bestseller List: Children's Picture Books

January-August  2016

Here is a list of picture books your child and you won't want to miss! These are great read-aloud stories to share together.

Rosie Revere, Engineer

Beaty, A. ( 2013). Rosie Revere, Engineer. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Rosie Revere is a shy girl that dreams of being a great engineer.  She secretly creates all sorts of inventions late at night in her attic.  One day her great-great-aunt Rose comes for a visit. She shares with Rosie that her dream is to fly. Rosie then sets off to create a flying machine for her aunt.  When she tests her invention, it flies briefly, but then crashes to the ground. Her aunt Rose inspires her to not give up, but to keep on trying.  Together they work until at last they are successful.

Here is a book that tells children to never give up on their dreams.  The wisdom that great-great-aunt Rose gives to Rosie to keep trying and "at first you don't succeed, but try and try again" is a message all children need to hear. It also references Rosie the Riveter and includes an illustration and facts of great women aviators from the past.  Here is a book that teaches to never give up, but to keep trying in life.

Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Carle, E. (2015). Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York,  NY: Grosset & Dunlap

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is back again! This time, as he eats and creeps his way through the book, he tells his feelings for the object of his affection with common sayings such as "the bee's knees" and "the apple of my eye". The illustrations are classic Eric Carle collage pictures and simple text.  

This is a great book to share with a child to tell them just how special and loved they are.   His art work of bright colors and simple words will have your child asking for this book to be read again and again. I would recommend it to any Eric Carle fan from 1-100!

The Day the Crayons Quit

Daywalt, Drew. ( 2013). The Day the Crayons Quit. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Duncan's crayons decide they have had it and write him letters describing what has made them quit!  Red is worn out, black has had it with being an outline for other colors, yellow and orange disagree on who the true color of the sun is, and peach is naked!    Each color writes their own letter of woe to Duncan.  The crayons have spoken and each has a request for poor old Duncan.  Duncan reads their letters and comes up with a solution at the end to appease each crayon. 

Here is a great book to highlight point of view.  Readers will enjoy hearing each crayon's letter and request to Duncan.  The illustrations look like a real child colored them and adds to the  humor of the story.  Kids will love the human emotions and expressions of each crayon as they share their struggle.  Creative and fun-loving for the entire family!

Waiting

Henkes, K.(2015).Waiting. New York,  NY: Greenwillow Books.

Five friends are waiting on a windowsill looking out the window for something to happen.  The owl was waiting for the moon, the pig was waiting for the rain, the bear was waiting for the wind, the puppy was waiting for the snow, and the rabbit just liked to wait.  As they waited, they saw many things through the window that made them happy. The seasons came and went as they waited together. Then one day, a new friend comes to join them and brings her own set of friends. 

This is a Caldecott and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book with beautiful illustrations by beloved children's author Kevin Henkes.    The story line is the simple message of waiting patiently as the time, weather, and seasons change.  Children can relate to the concept of anticipating something new to happen day after day.  The illustrations are soft,  muted colors with wonderful details.  This would be a great bedtime story to read with your child.

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

Martin, E. ( 2015). The Wonderful Things You Will Be. New York, NY: Random House.

This beautifully illustrated story shares the love that parents have for their children.  Parents hope and wonder what their child will be as they grow from infant into childhood and beyond.  The rhyming words and simple text shares  a message with young children that you can be anything you want to be.

This is a read aloud that will appeal to parents with it's simple message of love. Young children will enjoy the rhyming text and beautiful pictures.  This is a wonderful bedtime story for young children and parents to share together.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

Mattick, L. ( 2015). Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear. New York,  NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Author Lindsay Mattick shares her great-grandfather's true story of the famous bear that became the inspiration for the beloved stories of Winnie-the-Pooh.  Harry Colebourne, a veterinarian from Winnipeg, Canada, is on his way to help the war efforts.   When his train stops at a train station, he spots a trapper with a baby bear.  He purchases the bear, names her Winnipeg, or Winnie for short, which soon becomes the soldier's mascot.  When it was time to fight, Harry knows that he can no longer keep Winnie safe.  He donates her to the London Zoo, where Christopher Robin Milne soon befriends her.  Christopher's father, Alan Alexander Milne, then writes books about the two, which becomes the famous stories of Winnie-the-Pooh.

This is a story that will soon become a family favorite!  Ms. Mattick not only shares this wonderful story about her great-grandfather and his famous bear Winnie, but also includes a family tree at the end of the story, historical photos of her great-grandfather, his diary, photos of Winnie, and other historical memorabilia surrounding this famous bear. Children and adults will enjoy learning the inspiration for the beloved children's stories of Winnie-the-Pooh and the history surrounding the stories.

The Book With No Pictures

Novak, B.J. (2014). The Book With No Pictures. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

A picture book with no pictures?  Yes, that is exactly what this book is.  But the author, B.J. Novak makes up for it with genius writing.  At the beginning of the story, the reader has to promise to read every word aloud, no matter how zany or silly.  The reader will be reading words and phrases such as  "Blork", "Bluurf", and "Boo Boo Butt".  Kids are in control of the reader, and that is what makes it even funnier. There are a variety of fonts and colors that add to the playfulness of the story line as well. 

Young children will love the whimsical silliness of this book.  They will ask for it to be read again and again. Novak's use of word play in this book is genius.  He gets to the heart of young children's desire to be silly and playful with words.  Get ready for laughter and fun with this book!

I Wish You More

Rosenthal, A. ( 2015). I Wish You More. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Here is a book that wishes the reader the very best that life has to offer.  A life full of hugs, treasures, adventure, and more.  It is written like a letter to the reader that inspires hopes and dreams for a wonderful future.  The authors words are simple, yet poetic.  The illustrations are  colorful, playful, and animated.   Here is a read-aloud that expresses the love of a parent to their child.

This is a read-aloud to share with you child to let them just how special they are.  This would also make a great present to any aged child from a parent.  It is filled with all of the hopes and aspirations parents long for as their child grows older.  It would make a wonderful graduation present.   

Dragons Love Tacos

Rubin, A. ( 2012). Dragons Love Tacos. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Did you know that dragons love tacos?  Who knew!  But, they do! They love tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.  They love parties with music, dancing, and charades. This hilarious picture book tells everything you need to know to have a successful taco party for dragons.  But beware, don't serve spicy salsa! Because if you do, be prepared for a dragon disaster.  

This zany book will become one of your child's favorites. Kids will love the hilarious pictures of various dragons eating tacos by the boatload, having parties, and  breathing fire.  If you child is a fan of dragons or tacos, they will soon become a fan of Dragons Love Tacos.

Press Here

Tullet, H. ( 2010). Press Here.  San Francisco, CA: Handprint Books.

This simple book is composed of circles of colors and directions for children to follow and interact with.  It starts with one yellow dot with the simple instruction of "press here and turn the page".   Then more dots appear, more instructions, and so on as the book unfolds.  The interactive book will hold your child's interest, as the dots change, multiply, and new colors appear.  The author's use of simple primary colors is appealing to the eye as well. 

Children and adults will enjoy interacting with this book.  It's a great book for toddlers to interact with, but don't be surprised if your school-aged child loves it too!  The author's simple directions and colorful illustrations make it a fun book to read.  This is also a great book to teach directions to younger children.