Picture Books for Children Read online

  Picasso’s pet cat helps him move from his Blue Period to his Rose Period, which enables him to support himself and keep on painting.

  Mayhew, James. Katie’s Sunday Afternoon. New York: Orchard/Scholastic, 2004.

  At a gallery, a young girl climbs into one painting after another, where she meets the characters portrayed. See also Katie and the Sunflowers (2000), Katie and the Spanish Princess (2006), and Katie and the Water Lily Pond (2010).

  McDonnell, Patrick. Art. New York: Little, Brown, 2006.

  A young boy named Art creates art in this celebration of the techniques, subjects, and appreciation of artistic endeavor.

  Montanari, Eva. Chasing Degas. New York: Abrams, 2009.

  A young ballerina tries desperately to find the painter whose bag was mixed up with hers, and she meets famous artists in 1870s Paris along the way.

  ———. The Crocodile’s True Colors. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2002.

  As various animals attempt to portray a crocodile in their art, readers learn about Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, and other artistic styles.

  Pericoli, Matteo. Tommaso and the Missing Line. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.

  Bright orange lines stand out in black-and-white illustrations as a boy searches throughout his town for the line missing from his drawing.

  Pfister, Marcus. Henri, Egg Artiste. Translated by J. Alison James. New York: North-South, 2005.

  An Easter egg-painting rabbit decides to try something different, which results in art inspired by famous artists.

  Reynolds, Peter H. The Dot. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2003.

  Convinced that she cannot draw, a young girl begins with a dot and then is inspired to paint with that theme.

  ———. Ish. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2004.

  A negative remark by his brother makes Ramon give up drawing, until his sister restores his confidence.

  Scieszka, Jon. Seen Art? Illustrated by Lane Smith. New York: Viking and the Museum of Modern Art, 2005.

  With wordplay and reproductions of famous artistic works, this story of a young boy looking for his friend Art also takes him into the Museum of Modern Art to discover art.

  Spiro, Ruth. Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist. Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. New York: Dutton, 2008.

  Although Lester doesn’t seem to fit in with his family of artists, he finds his talent in this story filled with famous works of art.

  Thomson, Bill. Chalk. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2010.

  In this wordless picture book, a group of children make chalk drawings that mysteriously become real.

  Tougas, Chris. Art’s Supplies. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2008.

  Pencils, markers, scissors, and other supplies come to colorful and humorous life.

  Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth. Look! Look! Look! Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2006.

  As a mouse family discusses a famous painting on a postcard, readers learn about pattern, color, line, and other artistic elements.

  Wiesner, David. Art & Max. Boston: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

  Max wants to paint, and things get quickly out of control in this colorful adventure.

  Appendix 2

  Self-Referential Picture Books

  As a type of postmodern picture book, the following titles break through the traditional dimensions of the book. Both words and pictures may be involved: the author speaks directly to the reader, or the illustrations feature characters who escape the confines of their space, as if they know they are in a book.

  Burleigh, Robert. I Love Going Through this Book. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. New York: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins, 2001.

  A boy walks through a book from beginning to end with some animal friends that burst through pages, hang from a rip, and even nibble on a torn page.

  Child, Lauren. Beware of the Storybook Wolves. New York: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2000.

  Fierce animals from his bedtime story involve young Herb in an adventure with other characters who have escaped their books.

  ———. Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book? New York: Hyperion, 2002.

  Herb is back again, this time having fallen into a book that he had cut and colored in, to the frustration of its characters.

  Czekaj, Jef. Cat Secrets. New York: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2011.

  The cats in this book address the reader personally, as they insist that only cats can read the book.

  Gerstein, Mordicai. A Book. New York: Roaring Brook, 2009.

  A young girl in a family that lives in a book tries to figure out her story as she encounters various genres.

  Gravett, Emily. Wolves. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

  A rabbit checks out a library book about wolves that become very much a part of the story.

  Jeffers, Oliver. The Incredible Book Eating Boy. New York: Philomel, 2006.

  Henry eats books and becomes extremely smart, but a crisis forces him to find a different way to appreciate them (never mind the bite marks at the end!).

  Kanninen, Barbara. A Story with Pictures. Illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed. New York: Holiday House, 2007.

  Readers will learn what makes up a story as they encounter characters, problems, settings, and a plot with lots of action.

  Lehman, Barbara. The Red Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

  In this wordless story, a girl finds a book that, when opened, transports her from a snowy city to a sunny island.

  Lendler, Ian. An Undone Fairy Tale. Illustrated by Whitney Martin. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

  As a fairy tale is told, the author interrupts to introduce the illustrator, comment on reading ability, and ask the reader not to turn the page.

  Lewis, Jill. Don’t Read this Book! Illustrated by Deborah Allwright. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales/ME Media, 2009.

  A king and a story writer collaborate to create a story, which the king insists that the reader not read.

  Muntean, Michaela. Do Not Open this Book! Illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre. New York: Scholastic, 2006.

  While the story is being written, a small pig begs the reader not to open the book or turn the pages.

  Perry, John. The Book that Eats People. Illustrated by Mark Fearing. Berkeley: Tricycle, 2009.

  Humorous and scary in equal measure, this story tells the tale of the people eaten by this particular book.

  Schwarz, Viviane. There Are No Cats in this Book. Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2010.

  Three cats, speaking to the reader, announce their intention to leave the book, which they do, although they return with friends at the end.

  Stevenson, James. No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling. New York: Frances Foster/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004.

  A pig and a crocodile present the rules for reading, which they then enforce on the reader through the course of several short stories.

  Watt, Mélanie. Chester. Toronto: Kids Can, 2007.

  A fat cat takes over the telling and illustrating of a story, which turns into a battle with the author.

  ———. Chester’s Masterpiece. Toronto: Kids Can, 2010.

  Chester is back again to frustrate the author as they go back and forth about how the story should look and how it should be told.

  ———. Have I Got a Book for You! Toronto: Kids Can, 2009.

  Salesman Al Foxword talks directly to the reader as he attempts to sell books in this story.

  Whatley, Bruce. Wait! No Paint! New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

  The tale of the three pigs veers into humorous territory as the illustrator and his tools become part of the story.

  Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. New York: Clarion, 2001.

  The pigs and the wolf escape the pages and find their way into another story in this Caldecott Medal winner.

  Illustration Credits

  Figure 2.1: From Turtle Girl by Carole Crowe. Illustrated by Jim Postier.

  Illustration copyright © 2008 by Jim Postier. Published by Boyds Mills Press, Inc. Used with permission.

&
nbsp; Figure 2.2: From A Day with Dad by Bo R. Holmberg. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson.

  Illustration copyright © 2008 by Eva Eriksson. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

  Figure 2.3: From Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers. Illustrated by Christopher Myers.

  Text copyright © Walter Dean Myers, 2009. Art copyright © Christopher Myers, 2009. First published by Egmont, USA, 2009. Used with permission.

  Figure 2.4: From All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Nikki McClure.

  Illustration © 2009 by Nikki McClure. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York. All rights reserved.

  Figure 2.5: From Monsoon Afternoon by Kashmira Sheth. Illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi. Art © 2008 by Yoshiko Jaeggi. Permission to reprint granted by Peachtree Publishers.

  Figure 3.1: From Yatandou by Gloria Whelan. Illustrated by Peter Sylvada.

  Used with permission from Sleeping Bear Press, a Cengage Learning company.

  Figure 3.2: From Buster by Denise Fleming. Illustrated by Denise Fleming.

  Illustration copyright © 2003 by Denise Fleming. Reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

  Figure 4.1: From The Butter Man by Elizabeth Alalou and Ali Alalou. Illustrated by Julie Klear Essakalli.

  Illustration copyright © 2008 by Julie Klear Essakalli. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used with permission by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

  Figure 4.2: From Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse. Ilustrated by Robert Ingpen.

  Illustration © 2007. Reprinted by permission of Kane Miller, a Division of EDC Publishing, Tulsa, OK.

  Figure 4.3: From Thank You World by Alice McGinty. Illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin.

  Text © 2007 by Alice B. McGinty. Illustration ©2007 by Wendy Anderson Halperin. Used by permission of Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. All rights reserved.

  Figure 5.1: From Whoosh Went the Wind by Sally Derby. Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen.

  Illustration copyright © 2006 by Vincent Nguyen. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Marshall Cavendish, 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591.

  Figure 5.2: From Moongirl by Henry Selick. Illustrated by Peter Chan and Courtney Booker.

  Copyright © 2006 by Laika Entertainment. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

  Figure 6.1: From The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. Illustrated by Jan Brett.

  Illustration copyright ©2007 by Jan Brett. Used by permission of G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. All rights reserved.

  Figure 6.2: From The Ghost Catcher: A Bengali Folktale by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss. Illustrated by Kristen Balouch.

  Illustration copyright © 2008 by Kristen Balouch. Published by August House, Inc., Atlanta, GA.

  Figure 6.3: From Dick Whittington and His Cat retold by Margaret Hodges. Illustrated by Mélisande Potter.

  Illustration copyright © 2006 by Mélisande Potter. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Holiday House, Inc.

  Index

  Page numbers in bold indicate annotations. Page numbers in italic indicate illustrations.

  A

  A Apple Pie, 159–160

  Abbie in Stitches, 70–71

  Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, 5, 62–63

  Abeele, Véronique Van den, 33

  abstract art style, 14

  Adams, Steve, 137

  Addasi, Maha, 54

  Addy, Sharon Hart, 47

  Adèle & Simon, 93

  Adèle & Simon in America, 93

  Adl, Shirin, 54

  Aesop, 139–140

  Ahlberg, Allan, 107–108

  Alalou, Ali, 79, 80

  Alalou, Elizabeth, 79, 80

  Alexander, Cecil, 80

  All in a Day, 37, 38

  All the World, 100–101

  All Things Bright and Beautiful, 80

  Alley, R. W., 140

  Alley, Zoë B., 140

  Allwright, Deborah, 174

  Ancient Thunder, 104–105

  Anderson, Derek, 122

  Anderson, Laurie Halse, 68–69

  Andriani, Renée, 76–77

  Angelina’s Island, 103

  Anholt, Laurence, 169

  An Apple Pie for Dinner, 161

  Applegate, Katherine, 81

  April and Esme, Tooth Fairies, 118

  Arabella Miller’s Tiny Caterpillar, 98

  Archie and the Pirates, 125

  Armstrong-Ellis, Carey, 53

  Arnold, Caroline, 140

  Arnosky, Jim, 8, 81

  Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day, 49

  Art, 170

  art, picture books about, 5, 168–171

  Art & Max, 171

  Art’s Supplies, 171

  Aruego, Jose, 142

  Arzoumanian, Alik, 153–154

  Ashman, Linda, 19, 48

  At Night, 20

  Augustine, 5, 76

  Austin, Michael, 143

  Averbeck, Jim, 10, 20

  Avi, 81–82

  Avraham, Kate Aver, 11, 20

  Aylesworth, Jim, 141, 141

  Azarian, Mary, 85

  B

  Bad Boys Get Cookie!, 160

  Baicker-McKee, Carol, 161

  Bailey, Linda, 58

  Baker, Keith, 108

  Baker, Sharon Reiss, 169

  Balit, Christina, 104

  Balouch, Kristen, 145, 146

  Banks, Erin Bennett, 88

  Banks, Kate, 20–21, 175

  Barasch, Lynne, 82

  Barnett, Mac, 7, 108

  Barton, Chris, 109

  Bauer, Marion Dane, 82

  Beach, 86

  Bean, Jonathan, 20

  Beard, Alex, 124, 169

  The Beckoning Cat, 155–156

  Becoming Butterflies, 98

  Beingessner, Laura, 54

  Bella and Stella Come Home, 26

  Benny, Mike, 11, 27

  Bernardin, James, 65

  Berry, Holly, 160

  Betsy Red Hoodie, 161

  Beware of the Storybook Wolves, 173

  Big Bad Bunny, 21

  Big Plans, 39

  Big Red Lollipop, 31

  Bildner, Phil, 83

  Billingsley, Franny, 21

  Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, 7, 108

  Birdsall, Jeanne, 113

  Birdsongs, 89

  Black, Michael Ian, 9, 109

  Black Diamond & Blake, 58–59

  Blackall, Sophie, 31, 44

  Blake, Robert J., 12, 83

  Blue, Rose, 5, 48

  Blumenthal, Deborah, 58–59

  Bluthenthal, Diana Cain, 42–43

  Boelts, Maribeth, 13, 69

  Bogacki, Tomek, 71–72

  Bogan, Paulette, 130

  Boo-Hoo Moo, 112

  A Book, 173

  The Book that Eats People, 174

  Booker, Courtney, 132, 133

  books and reading, picture books about, 5–6

  Bootman, Colin, 151

  Born Yesterday, 43

  Bottner, Barbara, 13, 69–70

  Boxes for Katje, 88–89

  The Boy in the Garden, 10, 100

  The Boy Who Grew Flowers, 137

  Bradford, Wade, 21–22

  Brave Charlotte, 136

  Brave Charlotte and the Wolves, 11, 136

  The Brave Little Seamstress, 156

  Brennan, Eileen, 70

  Brett, Jan, 141, 142, 160

  Bridges, Shirin Yim, 5, 49

  Bridget’s Beret, 170

  Bringing Asha Home, 28

  Broach, Elise, 109–110

  Brown, Kathryn, 8, 32–33

  Brown, Ma
rgaret Wise, 42, 126

  Brown, Monica, 110

  Brown, Peter, 5, 22, 83–84

  Brown, Tameka Fryer, 49

  Browne, Anthony, 141, 169

  Bruchac, James, 142

  Bruchac, Joseph, 22–23, 142

  Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl, 152

  Bryan, Ashley, 80

  Bubble Trouble, 9, 122–123

  Buffalo Music, 88

  The Buffalo Storm, 81

  Buffalo Wings, 4, 130

  Bunting, Eve, 84

  Burckhardt, Marc, 36

  Burleigh, Robert, 173

  Burningham, John, 110–111

  Burton, Virginia Lee, 8

  Buster, 12, 60–61, 61

  Buster Goes to Cowboy Camp, 61

  The Butter Man, 79, 80

  Butterfly Birthday, 138

  Buying, Training & Caring for Your Dinosaur, 110

  By the Light of the Harvest Moon, 138

  C

  Cabrera, Cozbi A., 91

  Cactus Soup, 151

  Cantone, AnnaLaura, 64–65

  Captain Abdul’s Little Treasure, 4, 124

  Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery, 6, 127

  Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates, 127

  Caramba, 118

  Carbone, Elisa, 91

  The Cardboard Piano, 65

  Carmine: A Little More Red, 160–161

  Carrington, Marsha Gray, 111

  Carter, Abby, 37

  cartoon art and graphic novels, 6, 14

  Casanova, Mary, 141

  Castillo, Lauren, 88

  Cat Secrets, 5, 173

  Catalanotto, Peter, 41

  Catrow, David, 24

  Cézanne and the Apple Boy, 169

  Chaconas, Dori, 4, 111

  Chalk, 171

  Chan, Peter, 132, 133

  characterization, 7–8

  Chasing Degas, 170

  Chato Goes Cruisin’, 68

  Chavela and the Magic Bubble, 110

  Chen, Chih-Yuan, 111

  Chen, Jiang Hong, 84–85

  Chester, 5, 174

  Chester’s Masterpiece, 5, 175

  Chesworth, Michael, 48

  The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, 28

  Chicks and Salsa, 130

  Child, Lauren, 173

  Children Make Terrible Pets, 22

  Chocolate Moose, 121

  Christelow, Eileen, 136

  City Dog, Country Frog, 10, 68

  Clark, Emma Chichester, 59

  Clever Beatrice, 162

  Clever Jack Takes the Cake, 10, 116

  Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, 4, 9, 112

  C’mere, Boy, 22