Young children enjoy picture books about everyday objects and experiences. They like text with good rhythm and word repetition and love funny characters. The following picture books for children are suitable for 3 – 7 year olds. Choose picture books that tell a good story and they will inspire children to draw, to create characters with art materials and to act out the stories.
Provide opportunities for kids to ask questions about what they have heard or read . I have also used the books below, with students from grades Kindergarten to 12, for teaching art based on the styles of the various illustrators.
Criteria for choosing good picture books for reading to groups of children:
- the book is still interesting when it is read over and over
- the illustrations are recognizable from a distance
- the story instigates discussions and questions
- the book is interesting to a variety of grades
- the images are suitable for clarifying the meaning of words and concepts in the story
The links below will take you to Amazon.com. If you’re shopping from Canada go to Amazon.ca
Andy And The Lion
The Art Lesson
Caps for Sale
The Carrot Seed
The Cat in the Hat
Corduroy
The Complete Adventures of Curious George
Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest
Grandfather’s Journey (Caldecott Medal Book)
Guess How Much I Love You
Harry the Dirty Dog
Inch by Inch
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Love You Forever
This Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Any of the Madeline Books
Madeline
All of Jan Brett’s books are wonderful and beautifully illustrated.
The Mitten
Mr. Gumpy’s Outing
Old Black Fly
The Rainbow Fish
The Runaway Bunny
The Snowman
Stellaluna
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Bill Peet picture books for children ….
Bill Peet is not as well known now as he used to be. He worked Disney for 27 years and was a key participant in the production of classic films such as Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and 101 Dalmatians for which he was not only an artist, but the screenwriter as well. His books are fast-paced stories full of adventure.
Eric Carle’s stories…
Eric Carle’s books are wonderfully illustrated in a collage style. He has illustrated over 70 books.
Purchase Eric Carle Books here…
Shopping from Canada?
Go to Amazon.ca