99 picture books we love
Suggestions from Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
www.mtlebanonlibrary.org
We think these are classics—
what book would you choose to be number 100?
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Who's in Rabbit's house? : a Masai tale / retold by Verna Aardema ; pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon
Rabbit has a problem-someone is in her house and won't let her in.
Each peach pear plum / Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Rhymed text and illustrations invite the reader to play "I Spy" with a
variety of Mother Goose characters. (j T AHLBERG)
Miss Nelson is missing! / Harry Allard
The kids in Room 207 are surprised when their teacher disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute. (series)
Little Tim and the brave sea captain /Edward Ardizzone
A stowaway on a ship becomes friends with the captain and crew. (series)
Three Billy Goats Gruff / Peter Asbjornsen, illus. by Paul Galdone
Three billy goats outwit a nasty troll. (j Ef GALDONE)
Mooncake / Frank Asch
Bear builds a rocket to take him to the moon.
Ten, Nine, Eight / Molly Bang
The numbers 10 to 1 are part of this lullaby. (j Eac BANG)
Cloudy with a chance of meatballs / Judith Barrett
In the town of Chewandswallow, there are hamburger storms.
Madeline / Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline wakes up with an attack of appendicitis. (series)
Moo, baa, la la la! / Sandra Boynton
Children learn the sounds made by cows, sheep, pigs, and other animals. ( j T BOYNTON)
The Mitten / Jan Brett
Several animals sleep snugly in a lost mitten.
Clifford, The Big Red Dog / Norman Bridwell
A girl describes the activities she enjoys with her big red dog. (series)
The Snowman / Raymond Briggs
In this wordless book, a little boy’s snowman comes to life.
Arthur’s Nose / Marc Brown
Arthur is unhappy with his nose. (series)
Stone Soup / Marcia Brown
Three soldiers make soup of water and stones.
Goodnight Moon / Margaret Wise Brown (j T BROWN)
A bunny says goodnight to the objects in the great green room.
The Runaway Bunny / Margaret Wise Brown
A little rabbit tells his mother how he will run away; she assures him she will always be right behind him.
Mr. Gumpy's Outing / John Burningham
Mr. Gumpy accepts more riders on his boat until the inevitable occurs.
The Little House / Virginia Lee Burton
A country house is unhappy when the city grows around her.
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel / Virginia Lee Burton
Can Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel dig a cellar in one day? (j Em BURTON)
Stellaluna / Janell Cannon
A baby bat is raised like a bird.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar / Eric Carle
A little caterpillar as he eats his way through a variety of food.
Will I have a friend? / Miriam Cohen
Jim worries that he will not find a friend in kindergarten.
Miss Rumphius / Barbara Cooney
Miss Rumphius makes life more beautiful.
Freight Train / Donald Crews
The journey of a colorful train. (j Em CREWS)
Andy and the Lion / James Daugherty
Modern version of “Androcles & the Lion.”
The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant / Laurent De Brunhoff
Babar the elephant returns to the jungle and becomes king. (series)
Strega Nona / Tomie de Paola
Big Anthony creates havoc with Strega’s magic pasta pot. (series)
May I Bring a Friend? / Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
A well-mannered boy brings his animal friends to visit the king and queen.
Play With Me / Marie Hall Ets
A little girl goes to the meadow to play.
Angus and the ducks / Marjorie Flack
A dog investigates the strange noise on the other side of the hedge.
The Story About Ping / Marjorie Flack
A disobedient duck spends the night on the Yangtze River.
Corduroy / Don Freeman
A toy bear in a department store finds what he has always wanted most of all when a little girl buys him.
Millions of Cats / Wanda Gag
An old man and his wife choose a cat.
The Three Bears / Paul Galdone
The bears return from a walk and find a girl asleep in baby bear's bed.(Also other nursery stories retold by this author.)
Little Toot / Hardie Gramatky (j Em GRAMATKY)
A little tugboat rescues an ocean liner in a storm. (series)
The Big Snow / Bertha Hader
After a big snow, animals are delighted by a banquet.
Ox-cart man / Donald Hall
Describes the daily life of a nineteenth-century New England family.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse / Kevin Henkes
Lilly can’t wait to show her new purse to her favorite teacher.
Where's Spot? / Eric Hill
Lift the flaps to help find Spot. (series) (j T HILL)
Bread and Jam for Frances / Russell Hoban
Frances has her favorite meal too often.
Angelina ballerina / Katharine Holabird
Angelina loves to dance and wants to become a ballerina.
All about Alfie / Shirley Hughes
A collection of four short stories about a British boy and his loving family.
Come and Have Fun / Edith Thacher Hurd
A mouse refuses the cat’s invitation to play. (j Er-P HURD)
Harold And The Purple Crayon / Crockett Johnson
Harold goes for a walk in the moonlight with his purple crayon.
Mama, do you love me? / Barbara M. Joosse
An Arctic child learns that a mother's love is unconditional.
The Snowy Day / Ezra Jack Keats
The adventures of a city boy on a very snowy day.
Whistle for Willie / Ezra Jack Keats
Peter learns to whistle.
Leo the Late Bloomer / Robert Kraus
Leo, a young tiger, blooms under the eyes of his parents.
The Carrot Seed / Ruth Krauss
Despite everyone's dire predictions, a boy has faith in the carrot he plants.
The Story Of Ferdinand / Munro Leaf
Ferdinand the bull likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers.
The little farm / Lois Lenski
Farmer Small takes good care of his farm. (series)
Swimmy / Leo Lionni
One little black fish in a school of red fish protects the entire school.
On Market Street / Anita Lobel
A child buys gifts from A to Z in the Market Street shops.
Frog and Toad are Friends / Arnold Lobel (j Er LOBEL)
The adventures of two best friends - Frog and Toad. (series)
The Poky Little Puppy / Janette Sebring Lowrey
A puppy who is always late one night finds there is no dessert for him.
The Seven Chinese Brothers / Margaret Mahy
Seven unusual brothers outwit the executioner.
George And Martha / James Marshall
Two hippopotamuses are friends. (series)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? /
Bill Martin, Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
Children see a variety of animals, each one a different color.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom / Bill Martin
Rhyming letters climb the coconut tree. (j Eac MARTIN)
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet / Mercer Mayer
A boy comforts the monster in his closet.
Guess how much I love you / Sam McBratney
Little Nutbrown Hare demonstrates how much he loves his father and his father shows him that the love is returned.
Blueberries For Sal / Robert McCloskey
Little Sal & Little Bear mix-up their mothers while picking blueberries.
Make Way for Ducklings / Robert McCloskey
The Mallard family searches for a home.
Flossie & the fox / Patricia C. McKissack
A fox meets his match when he meets a bold little girl in the woods.
Martha speaks / Susan Meddaugh
A dog learns to speak after eating alphabet soup. (series)
Little Bear / Else Minarick
The adventures of Little Bear.(series) (j Er MINARIK)
Tikki Tikki Tembo / Arlene Mosel
A Chinese boy’s name causes him trouble.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie / Laura Numeroff
All the things a mouse will ask for after receiving a cookie.
Say goodnight / Helen Oxenbury
A toddler gets ready for bed.
Amelia Bedelia / Peggy Parish
A silly housekeeper takes everything literally. (series) (j Er PARISH)
The Little Engine That Could / Watty Piper (j Em PIPER)
The Little Blue Engine pulls a train over the mountain.
Mrs. Katz and Tush / Patricia Polacco
A long-lasting friendship develops between Larnel, a young African-American, and Mrs. Katz, a lonely, Jewish widow.
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit / Beatrix Potter
A disobedient bunny explores a garden. (series)
Curious George / H. A. Rey
A monkey’s curiosity gets him into trouble. (series)
When I was young in the mountains / Cynthia Rylant
Reminiscences of life in the mountains as a child.
Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever / Richard Scarry
Learn new words with Lowly Worm and Huckle Cat.
The true story of the 3 little pigs /A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka
The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really
happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.
Where the Wild Things Are / Maurice Sendak
Max sails to the land of the Wild Things.
The Cat in the Hat / Dr. Seuss (j Er SEUSS)
Two children at home on a rainy day are visited by the Cat in the Hat.
Horton hears a Who! / Dr. Seuss
A dust-swelling Who convinces Horton that Whos really exist.
Caps For Sale / Esphyr Slobodkina
A peddler sells caps by balancing them all on his head.
Brave Irene / William Steig
Irene braves a fierce snowstorm to deliver a new gown in time for the ball.
Sylvester and the magic pebble / William Steig
After a donkey asks his magic pebble to turn him into a rock he discovers he can’t turn back to normal again.
Mufaro's beautiful daughters : an African tale / John Steptoe
Mufaro's two daughters go before the king, who is choosing a wife.
Have you seen my duckling? / Nancy Tafuri
A mother duck searches for one missing duckling. (j T TAFURI)
Crictor / Tomi Ungerer
Crictor, a pet snake, follows his mistress everywhere she goes.
The Polar Express / Chris Van Allsburg
A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole.
Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day / Judith Viorst
On a day everything seems to go wrong for Alexander.
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile / Bernard Waber
The adventures of a pet crocodile in New York City.
The Biggest Bear / Lynd Ward
Johnny goes hunting for a bearskin, but returns with a bundle of trouble.
Max's birthday / Rosemary Wells
Max's sister Ruby gives him a windup toy lobster for his birthday. (series)
The Napping House / Audrey Wood
A wakeful flea atop some sleeping creatures causes a commotion.
"More More More" Said The Baby / Vera B. Williams
Three babies are given loving attention by their family.
Umbrella / Taro Yashima
Momo waits for rain so she can use her new red boots and umbrella.
Owl Moon / Jane Yolen
A father and his daughter hike in the woods under a full moon.
Lon Po Po / Ed Young
A Chinese Red Riding Hood tale.
Harry the Dirty Dog / Gene Zion
Harry gets so dirty that his family doesn’t know him.
I know a lady / Charlotte Zolotow
Sally describes a loving and lovable old lady in her neighborhood.
and
number 100!
__________________________________ (you pick!)
Look for these and other great books in
The Children's Library
Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412/531-1913 11/08
www.mtlebanonlibrary.org
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