Read these fun picture books with your favorite little one – written by some of the many talented authors in the Northwest
There is little as special as cuddling on the couch reading a picture book to a young child. Each page can offer a chance to explore a new place, a new way of looking at the world, develop social skills, or just develop a sense of humor. Click on the photo to get further information on the book or author via the Amazon website.
The Good Egg
A timely story about not having to be Grade A perfect! Meet the good egg. He’s a verrrrrry good egg indeed.But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten.As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect. The author Jory John lives in Oregon
Rot, the Cutest in the World
A mutant potato learns that he’s pear-fect just the way he is in this bright, fun, and silly picture book from the creator of It Came in the Mail that will have kids collapsing in giggles (and rescuing the contents of the vegetable drawer) – Author Ben Clanton lives in Seattle, WA
Quigley Lopez, A Friend for Life
Set on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Northwest’s Salish Sea, Quigley Lopez, A Friend for Life, offers readers, both young and old, a timeless lesson in what it means to trust and, ultimately, to love. Both gentle and kind, this is the first in a series of coming of age stories sure to warm the heart of anyone who has ever loved a dog and is destined to become a faithful companion for years to come. See more on Quigley’s website. The author lives on Lopez Island in the Pacific Northwest.
A Garden’s Wonderful World
Using photos taken in her own backyard and then turning them into art, the photos and rhyming text take children into a world of flowers and creatures you might find in a backyard garden. With pages of pretty photos and identifying the bugs and creatures found, this book will encourage children to get out in the garden and explore. Perfect for children aged 2-5 – The author and illustrator Dawn Woolcott lives in Vancouver, Washington
The Adventures of Herb, the Wild Turkey
Herb is a gangly little turkey with an adventurous streak. When he goes to the beach with his mother, Herb learns a lesson about bullying and making friends that will teach children reading the story a lesson they can carry into their daily lives. – The author Kristy Cameron lives in SW Washington
The Cyclops Witch and the Heebie Jeebies
The Cyclops Witch never backs down from adventure or the medley of monsters she meets along the way. But one spooky night, the only thing in the world that gives her the heebie-jeebies walks right up to her door―and it’s not what you’re expecting. The authors: Derek Sullivan lives in Seattle and Kyle Sullivan lives in Portland
Fox and the Jumping Contest
Fox really, really wants to win the jumping contest. He knows just where he’ll put that first-place trophy. The only problem? Fox is not a very good jumper. But he is a very good schemer… The author Corey Tabor lives in Seattle, WA
10 Silly Animals
This charming book for young children ages 1-3 help them learn colors, numbers, animals, and rhyme using illustrations and rhymes with silly animals. “Trish the fish made a wish” and “A fox on a box wearing purple sox” are just two silly animal rhymes. At the end are pages with prompts to encourage interaction with children as the book is read together. The author Dawn Woolcott lives in Vancouver, Washington.
Button and Bundle
A tender story about two best friends who must move away from each other. With a sprinkle of imagination and a lot of love, Button and Bundle will learn the true meaning of friendship. Author Gretchen McLellan lives in Washington
If Waffles Were Like Boys
What if everything were just like boys? If shopping carts were like boys . . . grocery stores would be racetracks! If pillows were like boys . . . bedrooms would be superhero hideouts! Perfect for bedtime, this funny and tender celebration of boyhood will have everyone seeing their world in a whole new way. The author Charise Mericle Harper lives in Portland, OR
My Heart
From the author-illustrator of The Book of Mistakes comes a gorgeous picture book about caring for your own heart and living with kindness and empathy. My heart is a window. My heart is a slide. My heart can be closed…or opened up wide.
The author Corinna Luyken lives in Olympia, WA
The Little Guys
The Little Guys might be small, but they aim to be mighty. As they head off to find breakfast, they can conquer anything through teamwork—cross deep waters, dig through obstacles, and climb the tallest trees. Nothing can stop them! But as they begin to amass more than they need, the creatures in the forest ponder—what happens when no one can stop the Little Guys? The author Vera Brosgol lives in Portland, OR
A Library Book for Bear
Bear does not want to go to the library. He is quite sure he already has all the books he will ever need. Yet the relentlessly cheery Mouse, small and gray and bright-eyed, thinks different. When Bear reluctantly agrees to go with his friend to the big library, neither rocket ships nor wooden canoes are enough for Bear’s picky tastes. How will Mouse ever find the perfect book for Bear? Children will giggle themselves silly as Bear’s arguments give way to his inevitable curiosity, leading up to a satisfying story hour and a humorously just-right library book. The author Bonny Becker lives in Washington
Too Many Fairies
There was once an old woman who hated chores. “Work! Work! Work! How I hate it! Hate it! Hate it!” One day some fairies show up. They… clankety-clankety-clankety—clean all the dishes. Swishety-swishety-swishety—sweep the house. Flumpety-flumpety-flumpety— shake out the bedclothes. Clickety-clickety-clickety—work on all the knitting. But then there is nothing left to do. So, they tear everything apart and start again! Clankety-clankety-clankety, swishety-swishety-swishety… The fairies are driving the old woman crazy! How will she get them to leave?
The author Margaret Read MacDonald lives in Washington
White is for Blueberry
If Georgia O’Keeffe had made a book for young children, it might have looked like this one. Close-ups of natural phenomenon in a vibrant palette combine with strategic pacing to undo the viewer’s preconceptions about color. Thus, the opening page depicts a black crow, but the text reads, “Pink is for crow-.” The page turn reveals a spread showing a nest of newborn birds and the conclusion: “-when it has just hatched from its egg.” In like manner, author and artist pair purple and snow, blue and firelight, yellow and pine trees. The disconnect between the written hue and the initial object, combined with the elliptical construction, allows older children to guess and predict the outcomes and younger ones to be surprised.
The author George Shannon lives in Washington
3 Bears of the Pacific Northwest
When a small blue teddy bear falls out of a moving recreational vehicle in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, two native bears-Black Bear and Brown Bear-agree to help reunite Blue Bear with his family. The bears only know that Blue Bear’s boy lives in a “shiny silver box with wheels.” Down the mountains, through the forests, and across the saltwater, the three bears encounter eagles, seals, skunks, and many other Pacific Northwest animals along their way. This is a charming story with a happy ending and no Goldilocks.
The author Richard Vaughn lives in Vashon Island, WA
Elliott the Otter
Elliott the Otter lives in Elliott Bay and claims that it’s named after him. And why wouldn’t it be, since he’s in charge of its daily activity? From the freighters bringing in cargo from around the world to the salmon passing through on their way upstream, Elliott is the boss of it all. Young readers will delight in Elliott’s antics as they learn about the bustling bay in Seattle’s Puget Sound.
Author John Skewes lives in Seattle, WA
The Music of Life: Barolomeo Cristofori and the Invention of the Piano
Award-winning biographer Elizabeth Rusch and two-time Caldecott Honor–recipient Marjorie Priceman team up to tell the inspiring story of the invention of the world’s most popular instrument: the piano.
Bartolomeo Cristofori coaxes just the right sounds from the musical instruments he makes. Some of his keyboards can play piano, light and soft; others make forte notes ring out, strong and loud, but Cristofori longs to create an instrument that can be played both soft and loud.
Author Elizabeth Rusch lives in Portland, Oregon
Arrow to Alaska
Arrow, a young boy who lives in Seattle, goes on an adventure to visit his grandfather in Alaska aboard a salmon boat, spends time with Grampy on his float house, then returns to Seattle on a friend’s seaplane. Arrow and Grampy revel in each other’s company in the great outdoors. The tale wraps up with a floatplane ride retracing Arrow’s journey. Hannah Viano’s striking papercut images capture whimsy and wonder, while her language sparkles.
Author Hanna Viano lives in Washington
Dinosailors
Prepare for a high-rhyming, tummy-tickling, rip-snortingly hilarious tale of hijinks on the high seas when a crew of novice dinosailors set sail for adventure . . . only to find that something even better awaits them back home. Deb Lund has created a dinovoyage of epic proportions, an outrageous journey that finds a dinomite match in the equally outlandish art of Howard Fine.
Author Deb Lund lives in Whidbey Island, W
Snow Day for Mouse
Snow! Cookies! Candy! Mouse loves snow days. When he’s accidentally swept out the door and into the snow, Mouse has a blast ice-skating, sledding, and building snow animals—always just one step ahead of sly Cat. But above Mouse on a wire sit three cold birds who warn Mouse of Cat’s approach. Now it is Mouse’s turn to do something nice for his new friends.
Author Judy Cox lives in Grants Pass, Oregon
We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes
Gunnar thinks I’ll be his adoring pet. He’s wrong. In fact, I am planning my escape. I may take Breakfast with me. Crusher the snake will charm readers in this entertaining, clever novel about a snake in captivity and how she turns the tables on her human captor.
Author Patrick Jennings lives on the coast in western Washington
The Diamond and the Boy
The story presents two parallel storylines: that of a graphite rock that slowly turns into a diamond, and that of a boy who turns into an inventor who figures out how to make diamonds. That inventor, Tracy Hall, was Holt’s grandfather, and she’s done him proud with this blend of science and biography. Jay Fleck’s illustrations add extra sparkle.
Author Hannah Holt lives in Oregon
Carter Reads the Newspaper
The inspirational story of Carter G. Woodson, who in 1926 established Negro History Week, the forerunner of the annual observation. Woodson has another claim to fame: He was the first black American whose parents had been slaves to earn a doctoral degree in history. Don Tate’s illustrations include portraits of influential men and women in African and African American history.
Author Deborah Hopkinson lives in West Linn, Oregon
A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider
If your favorite young readers are fans of E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web,” “Stuart Little” or “The Trumpet of the Swan,” your child will love this 2019 Oregon Book Awards finalist. The book is a graceful look at the author White’s childhood love of animals and the outdoors.
Author Barbara Herbert lives in Oregon
Hank & Gertie, a Pioneer Hansel & Gretel Story
Portland author Eric A. Kimmel transplants a familiar fairy tale to the Oregon Trail in “Hank & Gertie: A Pioneer Hansel & Gretel Story.” Illustrator Mara Penny pulls off images that feel both vintage and modern in a perfect complement to Kimmel’s instantly engaging prose. Especially fun are the pages featuring the witch’s menus for fattening up Hank.
Author Eric A. Kimmel lives in Portland, Oregon
Cycle City
Portland illustrator Alison Farrell loves living in a city where she and her family can bike everywhere. That inspired this picture book, her first, which invites readers into the wide world of family bicycling through pages chock-full of animals, dialogue and numerous entertaining and engrossing details, a’ la Richard Scarry. – Author/illustrator Alison Farrell lives in Portland, Oregon
Alastair McAllister Goes to School
Seattle area author Valerie Ramer’s first children’s book shares the troubles of Alastair the cat as he begins school. Nervous about fitting in, Alastair works through ways to be accepted by his classmates with humor and teaches valuable lessons to readers about diversity, self-acceptance, and tolerance.
-Author Valerie Ramer lives in Seattle, Washington
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