Classic Picture Books
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Last Updated November 1, 2007
- +E ALBOR - Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough
When a small boy named Eddie goes searching for his lost teddy in the dark woods, he comes across a gigantic bear with a similar problem.
Also Available In: - +E ALLAR - Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard
The kids in Room 207 take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute.
- +E AYLES - Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
Rhyming text and illustrations follow a mischievous old black fly through the alphabet as he has a very busy bad day landing where he should not be. - +E BANG - Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
Numbers from ten to one are part of this lullaby which observes the room of a little girl going to bed.
Also Available In: - +E BARRE - Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers--until the weather takes a turn for the worse.
- +E BARTO - The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton
The little red hen finds none of her lazy friends willing to help her plant, harvest, or grind wheat into flour, but all are eager to eat the bread she makes from it.
Also Available In: - +E BEMEL - Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline, smallest and naughtiest of the twelve little charges of Miss Clavel, wakes up one night with an attack of appendicitis.
- +398 B - The Mitten by Jan Brett
Several animals sleep snugly in Nicki's lost mitten until the bear sneezes.
Also Available In: - +E BRIDW - Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
Emily Elizabeth describes the activities she enjoys with her very big, very red dog and how they take care of each other.
Also Available In: - +E BROWN - Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
As a little bunny says goodnight to each of the objects in the great green room, the illustrations grow progressively darker.
- +E BURNI - Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham
Mr. Gumpy's human and animal friends squash into his old car and go for a drive -- until it starts to rain. - +E BURTO - The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
A country house is unhappy when the city, with all its buildings and traffic, grows up around her.
Also Available In: - +E CANNO - Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.
- +E CARLE - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Follows the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep.
- +E CHRIS - Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
A counting book in which one by one the little monkeys jump on the bed only to fall off and bump their heads. - +E CREWS - Freight Train by Donald Crews
Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a colorful train as it goes through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles.
Also Available In: - +E DEPAO - Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
When Strega Nona leaves Big Anthony alone with her magic pasta pot, he is determined to show the townspeople how it works.
- +E DORRO - Abuela by Arthur Dorros
While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City.
- +E EHLER - Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
A mother and child plant a rainbow of flowers in the family garden. - +E EMBER - Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters. - +E FALCO - Olivia by Ian Falconer
Whether at home getting ready for the day, enjoying the beach, or at bedtime, Olivia is a feisty pig who has too much energy for her own good.
Also Available In: - +E FLEMI - Lunch by Denise Fleming
A very hungry mouse eats a large lunch comprised of colorful foods. - +E FREEM - Corduroy by Don Freeman
A toy bear in a department store wants a number of things, but when a little girl finally buys him he finds what he has always wanted most of all.
- +E THREE - The Three Bears by Paul Galdone
Three bears return from a walk and find a little girl asleep in baby bear's bed.
- +E GIBBO - The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
As the seasons pass, Arnold enjoys a variety of activities as a result of his apple tree. Includes a recipe for apple pie and a description of how an apple cider press works. - +E GOBLE - The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
Though she is fond of her people, a girl prefers to live among the wild horses where she is truly happy and free.
- +E GUARI - Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
A young llama asks his friends if their mamas are llamas and finds out, in rhyme, that their mothers are other types of animals.
Also Available In: - +E HENKE - Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes
Lilly is convinced that the arrival of her new baby brother is the worst thing that has happened in their house, until Cousin Garland comes to visit.
Also Available In: - +E HILL - Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
A mother dog finds eight other animals hiding around the house before finding her lost puppy. Flaps conceal the animals.
- +E HOBAN - Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban
Frances finds it difficult to go to sleep with the strange noises and menacing shapes that seem to fill her room after dark.
Also Available In: - +E HOFFM - Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Although a classmate says that she cannot play Peter Pan in the school play because she is African-American, Grace discovers that she can do anything she sets her mind to do.
- +E HOUST - My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston
An Appalachian girl, Arizona Houston Hughes, grows up to become a teacher who influences generations of school children. - +E HUTCH - The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Each time the doorbell rings, there are more people who have come to share Ma's wonderful cookies.
- +E HYMAN - Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman
On her way to deliver a basket of food to her sick grandmother, Elisabeth encounters a sly wolf. - +E ISAAC - Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
Along with other amazing feats, Angelica Longrider, also known as Swamp Angel, wrestles a huge bear, known as Thundering Tarnation, to save the winter supplies of the settlers in Tennessee.
Also Available In: - +E JOHNS - Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Harold uses his fantastic purple crayon to draw himself some wonderful adventures.
Also Available In: - +E JONAS - Splash! by Ann Jonas
A little girl's turtle, fish, frogs, dog, and cat jump in and out of a backyard pond, constantly changing the answer to the question "How many are in my pond?" - +E KEATS - Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
A young boy tries to learn how to whistle, so that he can call his dog like all the bigger boys do.
- +E KELLO - Paul Bunyan: A Tall Tale by Steven Kellogg
Recounts the life of the extraordinary lumberjack whose unusual size and strength brought him many fantastic adventures.
- +E KIMME - I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A. Kimmel
A young girl brings her pets to the library--with predictably disastrous results. - +E KIMME - Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel
Anansi the Spider uses a strange moss-covered rock in the forest to trick all the other animals, until Little Bush Deer decides he needs to learn a lesson.
- +E KIRK - Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk
When lonely Miss Spider tries to host a tea party, the other bugs refuse to come for fear of being eaten! - +E KRAUS - Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
Leo, a young tiger, finally blooms under the anxious eyes of his parents.
- +E LEAF - The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Ferdinand likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers, but one day he gets stung by a bee and his snorting and stomping convince everyone that he is the fiercest of bulls.
- +E LESTE - Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions, but his odd behavior comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps.
- +E LIONN - Frederick by Leo Lionni
Frederick, the poet mouse, stores up something special for the long, cold winter.
Also Available In: - +E MARSH - George and Martha by James Marshall
Relates several episodes in the friendship of two hippopotamuses.
Also Available In: - +E MARTI - Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color, and a teacher looking at them.
Also Available In: - +E MARTI - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
An alphabet rhyme/chant that relates what happens when the whole alphabet tries to climb a coconut tree.
- +E MAYER - There's an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer
The alligator under his bed makes a boy's bedtime a hazardous operation, until he lures it out of the house and into the garage.
Also Available In: - +E MCBRA - Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
During a bedtime game, every time Little Nutbrown Hare demonstrates how much he loves his father, Big Nutbrown Hare gently shows him that the love is returned even more.
Also Available In: - +E MCCLO - Blueberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey
Little Sal and Little Bear both lose their mothers while eating blueberries and almost end up with the other's mother.
- +E MCDER - Coyote: A Trickster Tale From the American Southwest by Gerald McDermott
Coyote, who has a nose for trouble, insists that the blackbirds teach him how to fly, but the experience ends in disaster for him.
Also Available In: - +E MCMIL - Growing Colors by Bruce McMillan
Photographs of green peas, yellow corn, red potatoes, purple beans, and other fruits and vegetables illustrate the many colors of nature. - +E MCNAU - Suddenly! by Colin McNaughton
Time after time, Preston the pig unknowingly outwits a hungry wolf that is trying to catch and eat him. - +E MCPHA - Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! by David McPhail
A story in rhyme about some pigs who invade a house and have a wonderful party.
Also Available In: - +E MEDDA - Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
Problems arise when Martha, the family dog, learns to speak after eating alphabet soup.
- +E MITCH - Uncle Jed's Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell
Despite serious obstacles and setbacks, Sarah Jean's Uncle Jed, the only black barber in the county, pursues his dream of saving enough money to open his own barbershop.
Also Available In: - +E NUMER - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Relating the cycle of requests a mouse is likely to make after you give him a cookie takes the reader through a young child's day.
Also Available In: - +E PALAT - Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini
Gritch the witch flies to Old MacDonald's farm for some pigs to make a piggie pie, but when she arrives she can't find a single porker.
Also Available In: - +E PEET - Chester the Worldly Pig by Bill Peet
A disgruntled pig sets his sights on being more than something to eat.
Also Available In: - +E PILKE - Dog Breath! The Horrible Trouble With Halley Tosis by Dav Pilkey
Hally, the Tosis family dog, has such bad breath that Mr. and Mrs. Tosis plan to give her away, until she proves to be an invaluable watchdog.
Also Available In: - +E POLAC - Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
Chronicles the frienship of Pink, a fifteen-year-old African-American Union soldier, and Say, his poor white comrade, as one nurses the other back to health from a battle wound and the two of them are imprisoned at Andersonville. Based on a true story.
- +E POTTE - The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother by going into Mr. McGregor's garden and comes very close to getting caught.
- +E REY - Curious George by H.A. Rey
The curiosity of a newly-captured monkey gets him into continuous trouble, but he is saved by his friend, the man in the yellow hat.
- +E RINGG - Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
A young girl dreams of flying above her Harlem home, claiming all she sees for herself and her family. Based on the author's quilt painting of the same name.
Also Available In: - +E ROSEN - We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Brave bear hunters go through grass, a river, mud, and other obstacles before the inevitable encounter with the bear forces a headlong retreat.
Also Available In: - +E SANSO - The Faithful Friend by Robert D. San Souci
A retelling of the traditional tale from the French West Indies in which two friends, Clement and Hippolyte, encounter love, zombies, and danger on the island of Martinique. - +E SAY - Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
A Japanese-American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America, which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries. - +E SCIES - Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
When the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student acquires a math anxiety which becomes a real curse.
Also Available In: - +E SCIES - The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
Madcap revisions of familiar fairy tales. - +E SCIES - The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka
The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.
Also Available In: - +E SENDA - In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
A little boy's dream-fantasy in which he helps three fat bakers get milk for their cake batter.
- +E SENDA - Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak
After he is sent to bed without supper for behaving like a wild thing, Max dreams of a voyage to the island where the wild things are.
- +E SEUSS - And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
A boy imagines a series of incredible sights on his way home from school so that he will have an interesting report to give his father.
- +E SEUSS - Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
When a lazy bird hatching an egg wants a vacation, she asks Horton, the elephant, to sit on her egg--which he does through all sorts of hazards until he is rewarded for doing what he said he would.
- +E SEUSS - The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Two children sitting at home on a rainy day are visited by the Cat in the Hat who shows them some tricks and games.
- +E SHAW - It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Illustrations show that a cloud may look like spilt milk, an ice cream cone, a tree, a mitten, a rabbit, or many other objects.
Also Available In: - +E SILVE - A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein
Cumulative rhymed text explains what might happen if you had a giraffe that stretched another half, put on a hat in which lived a rat that looked cute in a suit, and so on. - +E SILVE - The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
A young boy grows to manhood and old age experiencing the love and generosity of a tree which gives to him without thought of return.
Also Available In: - +E SLOBO - Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree.
- +E STEIG - Doctor De Soto by William Steig
Dr. De Soto, a mouse dentist, copes with the toothaches of various animals except those with a taste for mice, until the day a fox comes to him in great pain.
Also Available In: - +E STEIG - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Sylvester Duncan, a donkey, in a moment of panic, wishes he were a rock and his wish is granted. It's hard being a rock he discovers, but it's even harder for his distraught parents.
- +E STEPT - Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king, who is choosing a wife.
- +E STEVE - Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
Hare turns his bad luck around by striking a clever deal with the rich and lazy bear down the road. - +E TAFUR - This is the Farmer by Nancy Tafuri
A farmer's kiss causes an amusing chain of events on the farm. - +E TEAGU - Pigsty by Mark Teague
When Wendell doesn't clean up his room, a whole herd of pigs comes to live with him. - +E VANAL - The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus.
- +E VIORS - Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
On a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too.
- +E WABER - Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
Lyle is perfectly happy living with the Primms on East 88th St. until irritable Mr. Grumps next door changes all that.
- +E WALSH - Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Ten mice outsmart a hungry snake.
Also Available In: - +E WELLS - Max's Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells
On a shopping trip to the department store, Max's determination to get a dragon shirt leads him away from his distracted sister and into trouble.
Also Available In: - +E WIESN - June 29th, 1999 by David Wiesner
While her third-grade classmates are sprouting seeds in paper cups, Holly has a more ambitious, innovative science project in mind.
Also Available In: - +E WIESN - Tuesday by David Wiesner
Frogs rise on their lily pads, float through the air, and explore the nearby houses while their inhabitants sleep. - +E WILLI - More, More, More, Said the Baby: Three Love Stories by Vera B. Williams
Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving attention by a father, grandmother, and mother. - +E WOOD - King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
Despite pleas from his court, a fun-loving king refuses to get out of his bathtub to rule his kingdom. - +E WOOD - The Napping House by Audrey Wood
In this cumulative tale, a wakeful flea atop a number of sleeping creatures causes a commotion, with just one bite.
Also Available In: - +E WOOD - The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
Little Mouse worries that the big, hungry bear will take his freshly picked, ripe, red strawberry for himself.
Also Available In: - +398 Y - Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story From China by Ed Young
Three sisters staying home alone are endangered by a hungry wolf who is disguised as their grandmother.
Also Available In: - +E ZION - Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
When a white dog with black spots runs away from home, he gets so dirty his family doesn't recognize him as a black dog with white spots.
