It’s that time of year again when adults everywhere ask the age-old question: How many shopping days are left?
Well, I am here to help with a list of my favorite children’s picture books of 2014. From beautifully written and illustrated to just plain silly, there’s a book for everyone to enjoy this holiday season and beyond.
DRAW! by Raul Colon
Based on his own childhood, beloved and award-winning artist Raúl Colón’s wordless book is about the limitless nature of creativity and imagination.
A boy alone in his room.
Pencils.
Sketchbook in hand.
What would it be like to go on safari?
Imagine.
Draw…
A boy named Leonardo begins to imagine and then draw a world afar—first a rhinoceros, and then he meets some monkeys, and he always has a friendly elephant at his side. Soon he finds himself in the jungle and carried away by the sheer power of his imagination, seeing the world through his own eyes and making friends along the way.
THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES by B.J. Novak
You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .
BLORK. Or BLUURF.
Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.
Cleverly irreverent and irresistibly silly, The Book with No Pictures is one that kids will beg to hear again and again. (And parents will be happy to oblige.)
TAKE AWAY THE A by Michael Escoffier
Take Away the A is a fun, imaginative romp through the alphabet. The idea behind the book is that within every language there are words that change and become a different word through the simple subtraction of a single letter. In other words, without the “A,” the Beast is Best. Or, without the “M,” a chomp becomes a chop—though it could be that this particular play on words didn’t even make it into the book, there are so many! I certainly don’t want to give too much away. . . . Now, take a look and find some more! Discovering all of the words in the book is a lot of fun, and then there’s the wild, exciting adventure that follows, of trying to find more!
THE PIGEON NEEDS A BATH! By Mo Willems
The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon’s not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It’s going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge.
FOUND by Salina Yoon
One day, Bear found something in the forest.
When Bear finds a lost stuffed toy bunny in the forest, he begins to worry. After all, the stuffed bunny must feel lonely and want to return safely to its owner and home! But as Bear diligently searches for the bunny’s owner, posting notices high and low, he begins to grow attached to his newfound friend. What will happen when the bunny’s owner finally comes forward? Was Bear meant to find Bunny all along? Prolific author/illustrator Salina Yoon’s spare text and bright, energetic illustrations bring to life this endearing story celebrating love and friendship in many forms, reminding us that nothing is lost that is not meant to be found.
THE PILOT AND THE LITTLE PRINCE, THE LIFE OF ANTOINE DE SAINT – EXUPERY by Peter Sis
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in France in 1900, when airplanes were just being invented. Antoine dreamed of flying and grew up to be a pilot—and that was when his adventures began. He found a job delivering mail by plane, which had never been done before. He and his fellow pilots traveled to faraway places and discovered new ways of getting from one place to the next. Antoine flew over mountains and deserts. He battled winds and storms. He tried to break aviation records, and sometimes he even crashed. From his plane, Antoine looked down on the earth and was inspired to write about his life and his pilot-hero friends in memoirs and in fiction. Peter Sís’s remarkable biography celebrates the author of The Little Prince, one of the most beloved books in the world.
THE RIGHT WORD, ROGET AND HIS THESAURUS by Jen Bryant
For shy young Peter Mark Roget, books were the best companions — and it wasn’t long before Peter began writing his own book. But he didn’t write stories; he wrote lists. Peter took his love for words and turned it to organizing ideas and finding exactly the right word to express just what he thought. His lists grew and grew, eventually turning into one of the most important reference books of all time.
Readers of all ages will marvel at Roget’s life, depicted through lyrical text and brilliantly detailed illustrations. This elegant book celebrates the joy of learning and the power of words.
Happy Holidays & Happy Reading!
Barbara is a Librarian at the Evergreen Library and writes for the Jeffco Library Kids Blog.
Author: Mile High Mamas
Amber Johnson
Great list! A couple I would add are “Matilda’s Cat” and “A Perfect Place for Ted.”
Hailee
Love BJ Novak from the Office. Just like him to do a picture book with no pictures!
Donna Walker
DRAW! was a favorite with my two grandsons. We read it over and over and over again. It has many layers of interest for different age levels from 3-6 at least.