Picture Books: Extraordinary Art, Conveniently Portable

Picture books are often children's first exposure to art. As galleries of artists' work—all within the pages of books—they reflect the vast variety of art mediums we find in museums. Some artists create with real-world materials like paint and pencils; others make collage or etchings. Some even work in virtual media like computer graphics, and, of course, some use a combination of tools and methods.

When my children were younger, I would check out piles of picture books to read with them—and for the pleasure of viewing the artwork. And even though my children have moved beyond picture books, I still enjoy opening these miniature exhibitions, browsing through old favorites or finding new artists.

In honor of National Picture Book Month this November, I recommend these resources:

Submitted by Paula G.O. on Wed, 2017-11-01 11:38
This Little Chick
Create
Picture Book
Reviews
Think Library

Who Run the World? Girls: Picture Book Biographies on Noteworthy Women

Take a journey back through time this March to celebrate the extraordinary lives of eight trailblazing women. These picture book biographies blend enticing storytelling and eye-popping visual arts to tell the true stories of some of the most remarkable women in science, arts, and activism.

Submitted by Alejandria G. on Thu, 2017-03-23 10:53
Ada's Ideas: The Story of Ada Lovelace, the World's First Computer Programmer
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
Caroline's Comets: A True Story
Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers
Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe
Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee
Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees
African American
Biography & Memoir
History
Native American
Picture Book
Kids

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke is a funny fantasy story that flips the classic hero dynamic on its head. Hatke tells the story of a goblin in a dungeon who enjoys a pleasant life counting treasure and spending time with the Skeleton King, when a band of ‘heroes’ barge into the dungeon, pillage his treasure and take his friend. This event sparks the goblin’s odyssey as he leaves the comfort of his dungeon to search for his friend, braving danger and fleeing pitchfork wielding farmers at every step.

Submitted by Sam O. on Wed, 2016-12-14 15:01
Nobody Likes a Goblin
Adventure
Fantasy
Picture Book
Kids

The Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin

Everyone knows that monsters are scary, but what scares a monster? Bubbles that’s what! Rubin’s picture book humorously depicts monsters dealing with their own problems when the bubbles invade. One monster, after a bad bubble experience, is convinced all bubbles are scary and out to get all monsters. This monster creates a panic in the monster world, which will be unendingly funny to young readers, as these big monsters run, hide, cower, and otherwise embarrass themselves trying to flee the bubbles.

Submitted by Sam O. on Wed, 2016-12-14 14:55
Big Bad Bubble
Horror
Picture Book
Kids

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

The Journey by Francesca Sanna is the culmination of interviews the author collected at a refugee camp and is their combined story. This beautifully illustrated book tells the tale of one family as they are forced to flee their home and travel through forests, wade rivers, clamber over walls, and sail across the sea to find a safe place to live. The illustrations are surreal and mysterious, balancing the reader between both the real and the fantastic.

Submitted by Sam O. on Tue, 2016-12-13 09:09
The Journey
Picture Book
Kids

Saying Goodbye to Dear Friends

For weeks now, I have been carrying around two new picturebooks about friendship. The stories serve as bookends - one describing a burgeoning friendship; the second depicting not an ending of a friendship, but a realization that the friendship will change when one friend moves away. Of all the many picturebooks about friendship that landed on our shelves in 2014, these are two to remember:

Submitted by Lisa C. on Wed, 2015-01-07 00:24
Two Speckled Eggs
The Good-Pie Party
Picture Book
Kids

Things That Go

I anticipated needing to learn many new things as a new parent, but when the time came, I was wholly unprepared to engage in “truck talk” with my toddler. Whether my inadequacy was due to having grown up in an area that did not have combines rolling down the highway, slowing traffic for miles, or the fact that my own interest in vehicles has never expanded much beyond whether it’s green or blue – I needed to get up to speed fast to help satisfy my son’s thirst for knowledge on all “things that go.”

Fortunately, MCPL Children’s Services offers a wonderful variety of books and DVDs to meet the demand for information on this topic. We can help you find the right nonfiction book the next time you need help distinguishing a bulldozer from a compactor (See Cool Construction Vehicles by Bobby Kalman), or want to satisfy curiosity about what's inside a fire truck. In the meantime, here are a few new picturebooks to share with your young fans of cars and trucks...

And The Cars Go

TootToot

Go, Go, Go, Stop!

Night Light

 Alphabet Trucks

Submitted by Lisa C. on Thu, 2014-03-27 16:15
Everything Goes on Land
Nonfiction
Picture Book
Kids

Show Me a Story! (Why Picture Books Matter)

“Before they read words, children are reading pictures. In picture books, the illustrations work in concert with the text in a way that is unique among art forms.”

In the forward to Show Me a Story! Why Picture Books Matter: Conversations with 21 of the World’s Most Celebrated Illustrators, award-winning author and illustrator David Wiesner explains why we celebrate National Picture Book Month in November (actually, MCPL Children’s Services Librarians celebrate them year-round! Here’s more from Wiesner about why we love picturebooks…):

Submitted by Lisa C. on Mon, 2013-11-25 23:17
Show Me a story! Why Picture Books Matter: Conversations With 21 of the World's Most Celebrated Illustrators
Award Winner
Picture Book
Kids

Learning Right From Wrong with the Brief Thief

We often get requests for books that help teach children about proper rules of behavior – everything from sharing to telling the truth. While we frequently turn to our nonfiction collection for titles designed to teach children about specific subjects or topics, often picture books more powerfully portray the importance of doing the right thing.

The use of humor is one reason the messages in picture books can have a greater impact with children. And you can’t get much funnier with preschoolers (or even the K-2 crowd) than the word underpants – not to mention the word poo. (Please, don’t mention it!) The picturebook Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier uses both words in a span of a few pages while reminding readers that it’s not right to take things that don’t belong to you.

You see, poor Leon the Lizard finds himself without a necessary item after relieving himself. He notices an old pair of underpants hanging from a nearby tree branch and uses them to “finish his business.” As he discards the underpants behind a bush, a voice calls to him. It claims to be Leon’s conscience: “The little voice you hear inside your head whenever you get up to something naughty.” The voice continues: “… Since when are we allowed to touch other people’s things? What do they teach you in school, anyway?”

Leon never learns the real identity of his conscience, but readers will be amused to learn that the voice belongs to a rabbit who had been using the underpants to complete his superhero costume. We don’t learn his superhero name, but I’m guessing that it’s Superego.

Recommended for ages 3-8.

 

Submitted by Lisa C. on Sat, 2013-08-03 15:35
Brief Thief
Picture Book
Kids

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