List of Children's Picture Book Classics

Studies show that fluency in reading is a major key to success in life.  Picture books introduce children to a love of reading.

Picture books are important because...

They introduce the concept of reading...  and of writing...

They introduce children to the world of art...

They encourage conversation and interaction...

They help children to discover themselves and the world...

They help to increase vocabulary, comprehension, and listening and speaking skills...

They stimulate imagination and foster curiosity...

They help to develop reasoning and visual literacy...

They teach that books and reading are enjoyable and fun...

Reading to a child increases intimacy, builds trust and strengthens emotional well-being.

This list of children's picture book classics includes books that have continued popular over time, and that regularly appear on 'best of' lists.  You can click on each of the following book titles for a review.  Or click on the highlighted author's names to see their other books.  (Note - if you are taken to the Goodreads site, scroll down the page to read reviews from hundreds of readers.)

  

If you like to buy books, my favourite site is here.  It's cheaper than most and has free postage. Alternatively, check out the semi-annual Brisbane Lifeline Book-fest for some second-hand bargain buys.

You don't need to buy these books to enjoy most of them. You can access sites to hear books being read aloud here and here.  Or go to YouTube here, and type in the title of the book you'd like to hear read aloud.

LIST OF CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK CLASSICS

'Press Here'  by Herve Tullet

'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'  by Michael Rosen       

'Pat the Bunny'    by Dorothy Kunhardt   
'Where the Wild Things Are'  by Maurice Sendak
'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'  by Eric Carle
'Guess How Much I Love You'  by Sam McBratney
'The Wonkey Donkey'  by Craig Smith, Katz Cowley

'The Rainbow Fish'  by Marcus Pfister 

'Are You My Mother?'  by P. D. Eastman 

'The Cat in the Hat'  by Dr. Seuss (almost all Dr. Seuss books)

'The Story of Ferdinand'  by Munro Leaf 

'A Bear Called Paddington'  by Michael Bond 

'Dear Zoo'  by Rod Campbell 

'The Gruffalo'   by  Julia Donaldson  

'Goodnight Moon'  by Margaret Wise Brown 

'Harry the Dirty Dog'  by Gene Zion     -    

'Russell the Sheep' by Rob Scotton

'Goodnight Moon'  by Margaret Wise Brown

'The Little Engine That Could'   by Watty Piper  

'Olivia'  by Ian Falconer    

'A Sick Day for Amos McGee'  by Philip C. Stead       

'Fancy Nancy'  by Jan O'Connor

'The Monster at the End of This Book'  by Jon Stone, Michael J. Smollin
'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'  by Mo Willems
'Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley'  by Aaron Blabey
'Madeline'  by Ludwig Bemeomans
'The Giving Tree'  by Shel Silverstein
'The Polar Express'   by Chris Van Allsburg  
'Corduroy'  by Don Freeman

'The Kissing Hand'  by Audrey Penn,
'Harold and the Purple Crayon'  by Crockett Johnson   
'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'  by Judi Barrett       
'Animalia'  by Graeme Base
'The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit'  by Beatrix Potter

'Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy'  by Lynley Dodd   

'The Velveteen Rabbit'  by Margery Williams

'Love You Forever'  by Robert Munsch

'Stellaluna'  by Janell Cannon

'Curious George'  by H.A. Rey

'Owl Moon'  by Jane Yolen

'The Little House'  by Virginia Lee Burton

'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'  by Laura Joffe Numeroff    

'Make Way for Ducklings'  by Robert McCloskey

'Each Peach Pear Plum'  by Janet and Allan Ahlgerg

'Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom'  by Bill Martin Jr.

'Stone Soup'  by Marilyn Sapienza

'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'  by Judith Viorst

'Barnyard Dance'  by Sandra Boynton

'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein

'The Tiger Who Came To Tea'  by Judith Kerr

'There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly'  by Pam Adams

'Where Is Baby's Belly Button?'  by Karen Katz

'Oh The Places You'll Go'  by D.r Seuss

(A good Nursery Rhyme book.)

(A good Fairy Tale book.)

(Some of my favourites from the list above are, 'Press Here', 'Pat the Bunny', 'Are You My Mother', 'We're Going On a Bear Hunt', 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie', and 'Where the Wild Things Are'.)  Of course, many of the books we love are not necessarily classics.  These are a few other picture books that our family enjoy...

'Isabella's Secret'  by Jane Tanner 

'I Love It When You Smile'  by Sam McBratney
'Diary of a Wombat' by Jackie French
'Room on the Broom'  by Julia Donaldson

'Fancy Nancy'  by  Jane O'Connor    

'Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge'  by Mem Fox,
'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'  by Mo Willems
'The Dot'  by Peter H. Reynolds
'Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley'  by Aaron Blabey
'The Wonky Donkey'  by Craig Smith

What are your favourite children's picture books? 

By Sandy Munro