Montclair Kimberley Academy

A picture story book has both text and illustrations. The degree to which the text is developed varies considerably with each book. These books reflect the culture from which they come as family relationships, everyday life experiences, school stories, friendships, and general themes that are interesting to children are developed. The story may be realistic, informational, fanciful, action packed or humorous. The important consideration of a picture story book however is the degree to which the text and illustrations are developed in support of each other. (Zena Sutherland, Children and Books)

Ackerman, K. Song and Dance Man Grandpa, an old vaudeville dancer gives a magical performance for his grandchildren.

Asch, F. The Earth and I A child explains how he and the Earth dance and sing together and take turns listening to each other.

Aliki. At Mary Bloom’s The birth of baby mice is the focal point of this story as a young child shares her news with an older neighbor who introduces her to her own entertaining menagerie.

Allard, H. Miss Nelson Has a Field Day Miss Nelson disguises herself as dreadful Viola Swamp to spur the Horace B. Smedley School football team to victory.

Bang, M. The Paper Crane Paper cutouts illustrate the story of a paper crane that comes to life as a reward for a poor restaurant owner’s generosity to a weary traveler.

Bartone, E. Peppe The Lamplighter Peppe becomes a lamplighter to help support his immigrant family in turn-of-the-century New York City, despite his papa's disapproval. But when Peppe's job helps save his little sister, he earns the respect of his entire family.

Baylor, B. Everybody Needs a Rock Everybody needs a rock, at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own rules for finding just the right rock for you.

Blake, Q. The Story of the Dancing Frog A preposterous story with lively actions and pictures.

Bloom, B. Wolf! A wolf learns to read in order to impress a group of farmyard animals he has met.

 Brown, M. Stone Soup This old French tale is about soldiers who trick villagers into making them a feast .

Burton, V. The Little House The little house first stood in the country, but gradually the city moved closer and closer.

Burton, V. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, are told that their services are no longer needed.

Cheng, A. Grandfather Counts When her maternal grandfather comes from China, Helen, who is biracial, develops a special bond with him despite their age and language differences.

Clifton, L. My Friend Jacob A touching story about a friendship between a small African American boy and his white adolescent neighbor who is white and mentally challenged.

Cohen, M. When Will I Read? Multiethnic classroom, a loving teacher and a child who yearns to read. Great dialogue and amusing antics help make this story a keeper.

Cooney, B. Miss Rumphius Seeking adventure in faraway places, Miss Rumphius fulfills her dream and then sets out to make the world more beautiful.

Daly, N. Not So Fast Songololo A touching of a South African child’s trip to town with his grandmother to buy a pair of sneakers.

Deedy, C. The Library Dragon Miss Lotta Scales is a dragon who believes her job is to protect the school's library books from the children, but when she finally realizes that books are meant to be read, the dragon turns into Miss Lotty, librarian and storyteller.

DePaola, T. The Art Lesson A young first grade artist goes on strike when his art teacher instructs him to copy a drawing from the board.

Ets, M. Gilberto and the Wind Gilberto is a little boy experiencing and playing with the wind.

Feng, S. Mama Bear A small girl in Boston’s Chinatown longs to have an expensive stuffed bear she has seen in a toy shop window.

Flournoy, V. The Patchwork Quilt Using scraps cut from the family's old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family's life.

Fox, M. Whoever You Are Despite the differences between people around the world, there are similarities that join us together, such as pain, joy, and love.

Galdone, P. The Gingerbread Boy In this modern retelling of a nursery classic, Caldecott-winning illustrator Richard Egielski adds an urban twist to a well-loved tale.

Gerstein, M. The Mountains of Tibet After dying, a Tibetan woodcutter is given the choice of going to heaven or living another life anywhere in the universe.

Handforth, T. Mei Li After spending an eventful day at the fair held on New Year's Eve, Mei Li arrives home just in time to greet the Kitchen God.

Henkes, K. The Biggest Boy Billy wants to have greater skills and to be bigger than all the advanced stages his parents predict. Oversized pages and paintings with large type help expand this story to tall-tale proportions.

Hoban, R. Bedtime for Frances In this first Frances book, the little badger delays her bedtime with requests for kisses and milk, and concerns over tigers and giants and things going bump in the night. Long a favorite for the gentle humor of its familiar going to bed ritual.

Hong, L. Two of Everything A poor old Chinese farmer finds a magic brass pot that doubles or duplicates whatever is placed inside it, but his efforts to make himself wealthy lead to unexpected complications.

Johnson, A. Shoes Like Miss Alice A simple and engaging turnaround story about a young girl who is not happy when her mother leaves her with a babysitter but who finds a much different experience than she anticipated.

Keats, E. The Snowy Day The magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall as it reveals a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.

Munro, L. The Story of Ferdinand The Story of Ferdinand is one of the bestselling children's books of all time, and the bull who preferred sitting under the cork tree and smelling flowers to fighting has become a hero to generations of children.

Lin, G. Dim Sum for Everyone! A child describes the various little dishes of dim sum that she and her family enjoy on a visit to a restaurant in Chinatown.

Lionni, L. Frederick Frederick, the poet mouse, stores up something special for the long, cold winter.

Maloney, P. Belly Button Boy Having allowed his belly button to fill up with dirt, Billy is unhappy when he finds a bush growing there.

McCloskey, R. Make Way for Ducklings Mr. and Mrs. Mallard proudly return to their home in the Boston Public Garden with their eight offspring.

McCully, E. Beautiful Warrior Tells the story of two unlikely Kung Fu masters and how their skill in martial arts saves them both.

Monk, I. Hope During a visit with her great-aunt, a young girl learns the story behind her name and learns to feel proud of her biracial heritage.

Morimoto, J. The Two Bullies Two bullies, one from China and one from Japan, inadvertently intimidate one another before meeting face to face, and never fight as a result.

McKissack, P. Mirandy and Brother Wind Mirandy is sure she'll win the cake walk if she can catch Brother Wind for her partner, but he eludes all the tricks her friends advise.

Milne, A.A. When We Were Very Young When We Were Very Young, the first of A. A. Milne’s four world-famous books for children, introduced Christopher Robin.

Mosel, A. The Funny Little Woman While chasing a dumpling, a little lady is captured by wicked creatures from whom she escapes with the means of becoming the richest woman in Japan.

Narahashi, K. I Have a Friend A small boy tells about his friend who lives with him, who follows him, who sometimes is very tall, but who disappears when the sun goes down...his shadow.

Payne, E. Katy No-Pocket A kangaroo has no pocket in which to carry her son. After asking the other animals how they carry their children she goes to the city to find a pocket of her own.

Pinkney, G. The Sunday Outing A pleasant story about a visit Ernestine and her African American family have made to see their Southern kin.

Plourde, L. School Picture Day Josephina likes to fiddle and fidget with things to figure out how they work. On school picture day, her curiosity backfires as her classmates get splattered with oil, drenched with water and covered with soot. Will the class photo ever get taken?

Polacco, P. Chicken Sunday A brightly illustrated story of interracial friendship based on the author’s childhood experiences.

Rylant, C. All I See A summertime friendship with an artist named Gregory helps Charlie, a shy and quiet boy, gain confidence.

Rylant, C. The Relatives Came Story about a gathering of relatives. Richly illustrated with color pencil drawings.

Schotter, R. Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street When Eva sits on her stoop trying to complete a school assignment by writing about what happens in her neighborhood, she gets a great deal of advice and action.

Scieszka, J. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales Parody, hilarious tale, brilliantly conceived with innovative illustrations and text.

Soto, G. Too Many Tamales Believing she has lost her diamond ring in the tamales she helped make, Maria enlists the help of her cousins to find the ring by eating their way through the batch.

Steig, W. Brave Irene Little Irene courageously sets out in a blizzard to deliver a ball gown made by her mother to the duchess.

Stewart, S. The Library Elizabeth Brown loves to read more than anything else, but when her collection of books grows and grows, she must make a change in her life.

Tan, A. The Chinese Siamese Cat Ming Miao tells her kittens about the antics of one of their ancestors, Sagwa of China.

Tan, A. The Moon Lady Nai-nai tells her granddaughters the story of her outing to see the Moon Lady and be granted a secret wish.

Uchida, Y. The Birthday Visitor Emi is convinced that her seventh birthday will be spoiled by yet another of her parent's visitors from Japan.

Van Allsburg, C. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi Allan agrees to take care of the bad-mannered dog, Fritz, who loves to eat hats and tear up the furniture. When he runs off into the garden of retired magician, Mr. Gasazi, Allan is sure Fritz will be lost forever.

Wong,J. Apple Pie Fourth of July A Chinese American child fears that the food her parents are preparing to sell on the Fourth of July will not be eaten.

Yashima, T. Umbrella Momo eagerly waits for a rainy day so she can use the red boots and umbrella she received on her third birthday.

Alphabet books are generally designed for younger children and while they are useful for teaching the alphabet, they are also important in helping children become more visually aware. Children learn to identify objects as they are introduced to information and concepts as well as the letters A-Z. Clarity is of utmost importance in selecting these books so that the objects are easily identified and supported by illustrations that are consistent with the featured objects and the overall theme of the book. The typeface should be visually simple so children can easily identify the letters. Although we primarily think of picture books for younger children, many are a visual feast for older children and even adults. (Zena Sutherland, Children and Books)

Anno, M. Anno's Alphabet An Adventure in Imagination.

Anno, M. Anno’s Magical ABC An Anamorphic Alphabet.

Azarian, M. A Gardener's Alphabet An alphabet book featuring words associated with gardening, including bulbs, compost, digging, insects, and weeds.

Burningham, A. John Burningham’s ABC Including upper and lower case letters, tender illustrations, vigorous colors and robust forms.

Chandra, D. A is for Amos A rider on Amos goes around the farm and back home to the barn finding all the letters of the alphabet.

Crane, W. An Alphabet of Old Friends and the Absurd ABC A reprinting of two humorous alphabet books originally published in 1874 by one of the first great illustrators of children’s books.

Feelings, M.  Jambo Means Hello Swahili Alphabet Book, words and definitions for each letter in the Swahili alphabet present a vivid impression of East African life.

Gag, W. The ABC Bunny Whimsical word combinations and expressive black-and-white illustrations tell the story of a little bunny as it scampers through the alphabet.

Hausman, B. A to Z, Do You Ever Feel Like Me? A group of first graders present different emotions using the letters of the alphabet.

Hoban, T. 26 Letters and 99 Cents If you know the 26 letters of the alphabet, can count to 99, and understand that there is more than one way to make 25 cents out of coins, you have obviously just finished reading Tana Hoban's brilliant 26 Letters and 99 Cents.

E Hobbie, H. Toot and Puddle Puddle teaches his friend Otto the letters of the alphabet so that Otto can write his name.

Isadora, R. City Seen From A to Z Twenty-six striking black-and-white drawings of scenes of city life suggest words beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Skyscrapers, subways, park benches, beach chairs, adults and children playing, laughing, working, and living together in the city.

Johnson, S. Alphabet City A Caldecott Honor book illustrated with photo-realistic pastel and watercolor drawings, this wordless ABC invites children to inspect tiny details within everyday objects to find letters.

Kitchen, B. Animal Alphabet The wordless text features full-page illustrations of letters of the alphabet, with beautifully executed paintings of corresponding animals. The reader is invited to guess the identity of twenty-six unusual animals illustrating the letter of the alphabet.

Leonard, B. Hosie’s Alphabet A full-page illustration of a creature for each letter of the alphabet, including a bumptious baboon, furious fly, ghastly garrulous gargoyle, and quintessential quail.

Lobel, A. Alison’s Zinnia Flowers and girls who give and receive them take readers through the alphabet in full bloom. Painterly and botanically accurate illustrations make the book visually interesting and beautiful.

Lobel, A. On Market Street A child buys presents from A to Z in the shops along Market Street. Inspired by seventeenth-century French trade engravings, this visually sophisticated alphabet book depicts an array of vendors in the marketplace as a young shopper learns what each vendor sells.

Micklethwait, L. I Spy An alphabet in art. Presents objects for the letters of the alphabet through paintings by such artists as Magritte, Picasso, Botticelli and Vermeer.

Miller, J. Farm Alphabet Book Photographs of farm animals and objects, accompanied by simple descriptions, illustrate the letters of the alphabet.

Munari, B. Bruno Munari’s ABC Imaginative ABC book with masterful use of color and space create a powerful visual impact. From an Ant on an Apple to a Blue Butterfly to a Cat in a Cage, Munari pairs words in whimsical ways.

Musgrove, M. Ashanti to Zulu Traditions and customs of 26 African tribes beginning with letters from A to Z are featured in this stunning book.

Pallotta, J. The Underwater Alphabet Book Introduces the letters A to Z by describing fish and other creatures living in the coral reef.

Poulin, S. Ah! Belle Cite’!/A Beautiful City ABC Montreal ABC is the setting for vibrant, detailed illustrations with captions in both French and English. Each page is given over to a full-color painting that illustrates some aspect of life in Montreal.

Schmiderer, D. The Alphabeast Book In a sequence of four drawings, each letter of the alphabet is transformed into the picture of an animal whose name begins with that letter.

Sendak, M. Alligators All Around Alligators A through Z entertaining elephants, making macaroni, throwing tantrums, these rascals have a charm that no one can resist.

Van Allsburg, C. The Z Was Zapped An unusual morality play in twenty-six acts with each sculptured letter mysteriously transformed on a draped curtained stage.

Wildsmith, B. Brian Wildsmith’s ABC A simple text with an exquisite use of rainbow colors of subtle tints.

Wood, A. Alphabet Adventure On their way to school, the little letters of the alphabet have to rescue little "i" and then find his dot before they can proceed.

Counting books may simply present numbers, usually numerals from one to ten, or they may be more descriptive, telling a story of imaginative shapes or situations. Clarity of numbers with a close relation to the text and pictures are important. If objects are included in the illustrations, they should be easily depicted. Often the best books are those that have plenty of open space so that the numerals and objects are easily identified.

Anno, M. Anno’s Counting Book An intelligent, engaging book to help kids learn to count. Numbers are presented with respect for the mathematical relationships that occur all around us.

Bang, M. Ten, Nine, Eight Countdown to bed as a loving father tucks his daughter in for the night with a rhyming game.

Bolam, E. Mother Goose Math A collection of nursery rhymes, each with a numerical theme.

Burningham, J. The Shopping Basket For children already comfortable with numbers, the story introduces arithmetical concepts as a boy goes on a shopping adventure to the grocery store.

Ernst, L. Up to Ten and Down Again Concepts of addition and subtraction are presented as the activity in a quiet park increases and decreases with people, dogs, and ducks.

Feelings, M. Moja Means One Swahili Counting Book, visually appealing pictures introduce children to the Swahili culture and language.

Fleming, D. Count! Striking use of color as children are introduced to the numbers one to 10, plus 20, 30, 40 and 50, also serves as a lively romp through the wild kingdom as each numeral and animal are introduced.

Hoban, R. Ten What? A Mystery Counting Book A baffled detective orchestrates this mystery story as clues are introduced “seven houses were searched,” by seven police cars, seven oversized butterflies, seven chairs on the sidewalk, and so on.

Hoban, T. Count and See Very defined photos support text that features numbers 1-5, by tens to 50, and concludes with 100.

Hobzek, M. We Came A-Marching. . . 1, 2, 3 A rhyming narrative featuring counting from 1 to 3 in twelve languages. Distinctive illustrations with engaging details add to the appeal.

Keats, E. Over in the Meadow Wadsworth's well-loved, late-19th-century counting rhyme is transformed in this slightly oversized attractive picture book. What makes this book a stand-out are the spectacular, playful illustrations.

Kredenser, G. One Dancing Drum Introduces number symbols as players and their instruments are added to a circular bandstand.

McMillan, B. Counting Wildflowers Carefully executed counting concept book rich in content. Number concepts 1 through 20 are presented in full-color, high-quality photographs with identifying captions of plants by its common name; a listing of the wildflowers' scientific names and natural locations appears at the end of the book.

Merriam, E. Project 1-2-3 Describes the two elevators, three playgrounds, six washing machines, and other aspects of a nine-building city housing project.

Owens, M. Counting Cranes Visually strong with simple, informative prose about whooping cranes.

Petie, H. Billions of Bugs An easy-to-read book features accurate depictions of a variety of insects.

Pinczes, E. One Hundred Hungry Ants One hundred hungry ants head towards a picnic to get yummies for their tummies, but stop to change their line formation, showing different divisions of one hundred, causing them to lose both time and food in the end.

Pluckrose, H. Counting Excellent photographs support simple text of mathematical concepts including numerals, ratios, the abacus, and counting rhymes.

Sendak, M. One Was Johnny: a Counting Book A rhyming book about a young boy who has visitors come one by one.

These books begin with simple ideas and pictures as abstract relationships and categories are introduced. Concepts of time, distance, size, mass, color, shape, and difference need to be clarified as children develop language. Because many concepts such a love or death are more elusive, these books are intended to present simplified information that children can begin to grasp and build upon. The best concept books move the reader from the familiar to the less familiar through repeating experiences, explanations and questions.

Anno, M. Anno’s Magic Seeds Another worthy addition to Anno’s collection of playful stories with mathematical themes.

Brown, M. Listen to a Shape In three books, stunning full-color photographs and poetic captions encourage children to perceive their environment with a greater awareness.

Brown, M. Touch Will Tell Text and photographs present ways to experience the world through the sense of touch.

Carle, E. My Very First Book of Colors A spiral-bound board book of mixing and matching the pages that have been cut horizontally with a solid block of color on the top and a picture of a familiar object on the bottom.

Cole, J. A Chick Hatches A simple text explaining the development from egg to embryo to fetus to chick enhanced by accompanying photographs.

Crews, D. Freight Train Simplified illustrations and text describe a small freight train as well as introduce black and the primary colors.
Crews, D. Parade A lively parade of color, action, and music help capture the experience.

Fujikawa, G. Let’s Play! A board book featuring everyday life experiences with an emphasis on concepts that show direction.

Hoban, T. Animal, Vegetable, Or Mineral? Appealing photographs of objects or creatures are introduced without text or categorical division.

Hoban, T. Black on White Simple black and white photographs offer very young children an opportunity to identify objects.

Hutchins, P. Clocks and More Clocks Amusing story of a man who worries because each of his clocks is a minute or two off.

Krauss, R. The Growing Story Explores the child’s natural interest in his/her own growth as a slow process in comparison to the more observable growth of plants and animals.

Lillie, P. When This Box Is Full Story centers on a box monthly filling with objects as concepts of space and time are introduced.

Maestro, B. Where Is My Friend? Written with a narrative framework, location and direction are explored as an elephant searches by going through a gate, peering under a rock, or looking behind her for the mouse.

McCully E. Picnic A separation theme is presented when a little mouse falls off a truck, is missed, and is retrieved when his loving family returns for him.

McGovern, A. Black is Beautiful Story praises the color black as in the night sky, the rich earth, a black butterfly, and black faces.

McMillan, B. Super Super Superwords Strong color photographs illustrate concepts of comparisons (small, smaller, smallest or yellow, yellower, yellowest).

Miller, M. Can You Guess? Perfect for preschool children, the engaging questioning encourages silly answers.

Myers, W. Where Does the Day Go? While taking an evening walk with his children and their friends, a story of strong values emerges in addition to its exploration of the mystery of night and day.

Reiss, J. Colors One of the best books on color with repetition of examples featuring various shades of a color.

Steig, W. Grown-ups Get to Do All the Driving Steig’s squiggly, funny cartoon style enhances the litany of observations about adults from a child’s point of view.

Tresselt, A. White Snow, Bright Snow When the first flakes fell from the grey sky, the postman and the farmer and the policeman and his wife scurried about doing all the things grownups do when a snowstorm comes. But the children laughed and danced, and caught the lacy snowflakes on their tongues.

Udry, J. A Tree Is Nice An introduction to the varied uses and attractions of trees for young children.

Watanabe, S. I Can Take a Walk! A simple story about learning self-reliance.

Books without text, wordless picture books, introduce children to the concept of story complete with characters, place, and sequential action. Because the interpretation of the story depends so thoroughly on the pictures, it is imperative that the illustrations are clear. While these books are the precursor to learning to read formally, they are the first step in helping children understand graphic organization and, most importantly, that books are a source of pleasure.

Alexander, M. Bobo’s Dream An upbeat story about self-confidence, just right for little ones who love stories and cannot read yet.

Anno, M. Anno’s Journey Told through brilliant illustrations, a colorful, wordless book takes young readers on tour of northern Europe, complete with landscape, geography, and architecture along the way.

Anno, M. Topsy-Turvies: Pictures to stretch the Imagination Another creation of Anno's poetic imagination that challenges preconceived notions of the possibilities of space.

Ardizzone, E. The Wrong Side of the Bed Distorted shapes, exaggerated angles and bold palette are the hallmarks of Keller's odd, topsy-turvy illustrations.

Aruego, J. Look What I Can Do The friendly, spirited competition between two water buffalo leads to an adventure that neither of them could have imagined. Humorous.

Briggs, R. The Snowman A charming wintertime classic tale about a little boy who makes friends with a snowman.

Carle, E. Do You Want to be My Friend? A classic tale of friendship tracks a small gray mouse’s search for the perfect pal.

Collington, P. The Angel and the Soldier Boy Pastel watercolors and colored pencil tell this wordless captivating adventure of a toy soldier and angel doll while their owner sleeps. A swashbuckling pirate and his first mate, who live in the model ship on top of the piano add to the intrigue.

DePaola, T. Pancakes for Breakfast A wordless picture book about the trials of a little old lady who attempts to make pancakes for her breakfast.

Hutchins, P. Changes, Changes Two wooden dolls rearrange wooden building blocks to form various objects.

Keats, E. Kitten for a Day A puppy joins a litter of kittens in their fun for a day.

Mayer, M. Frog Goes to Dinner Having stowed away in a pocket, Frog wreaks havoc and creates disgrace for the family at the posh restaurant where they are having dinner.

Ward, L. The Silver Pony Recounts without words the adventures of a boy and his winged horse.

Wiesner, D. Free Fall Portrayal of a child’s dream in perspective-challenging paintings.

Wiesner, D. Tuesday Frogs rise on their lily pads, float through the air, and explore the nearby houses while their inhabitants sleep.