Children’s Picture Book Lists

For annotated book lists by year, check out these posts : 1 Year Olds // 2 Year Olds // 3 Year Olds // 4 Year Olds.

Also this list is organized by when my children first began to enjoy books, but they often like them for much longer. So if much of the two-year-old list is unfamiliar with your three year old, he or she likely we enjoy much of the two year old list as well.

Books for 1 Year Olds

Baby’s First Books 0 -15 Months: Touch and Feel Board Books

• 1. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
• 2. That’s Not My Dragon by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells
• 3. Where’s the Dog? by Nosy Crow and Ingela P Arrhenius
• 4. Animal Hide and Seek by Jenny Tyler and illustrated by Stephen Cartwright
• 5. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
• 6. Baby’s First Bible (A Carry Along Treasure) by Colin and Moira MacLean

15 to 18+ Months: Rhythm and Finding Books

• 7. Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb by Al Perkins and Eric Gurney
• 8. Curious George and the Bunny Illustrated by H.A. Rey
• 9. Moo, Baa, Lalala! by Sandra Boynton
• 10. First 100 Words by Roger Priddy (Also Numbers, Colors, Shapes)

18 to 24+ Months: Animals, Babies, Vehicles and Nursery Rhymes

• 11. Machines at Work by Byron Barton
• 12. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle. (Also The Very Hungry Caterpillar )
• 13. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• 14. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton (Also Pajama Time!/ But Not the Hippopotamus / Barnyard Dance / Blue Hat, Green Hat)
• 15. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry
• 16. Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church. (Also  Happy Healthy Baby Series; “More More More,” Said the Baby by Vera B Williams, Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers and illlustrated by Marla Frazee, Global Babies, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury)
• 17 Baby’s Hug-a-Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Claudine Gevry. (For a musical version see Rain for Roots: Big Stories for Little Ones)

20 Months + Longer Books

• 18. Go Dog Go by PD Eastman
• 19. Old Hat New Hat by Stan Berenstein and Jan Berenstein
• 20. Cars and Trucks and Things that Go by Richard Scarry (Also Richard Scarry’s First Word Book, Best Word Book Ever; Busy, Busy Town; and What Do People Do All Day )
• 21. Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses illustrated by Mary Engelbreit (Also My Very First Mother Goose & Here Comes Mother Goose illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Tomie de Paola’s Mother Goose illustrated by Tomie de Paola, The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose illustrated by Arnold Lobel, Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose illustrated by Sylvia Long, Richard Scarry’s Best Mother Goose Ever illustrated by Richard Scarry, Marguerite De Angeli’s Book of Nursery & Mother Goose Rhymes illustrated by Marguerite De Angeli or The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews)
• 22. The Shirley Hughes Nursery Collection by Shirley Hughes

Books for 2+ Year Olds

Books for Young Two Year Olds (24-28 months)

1. Mighty Dads by Joan Holub illustrated by James Dean
2. Picnic by John Burningham
3. 10 Rubber Ducks by Eric Carl
4. Freight Train by Donald Crews
5. Oops Pounce Quick Run! An Alphabet Caper by Mike Twohy
6. Playtime Rhymes by Marc Brown
7. Old MacDonald and Other Songs by Tiger Tales and illustrated by Hannah Wood (Also This Little Piggy: and other favorite action rhymes  & Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: and other favorite bedtime rhymes.)
8. I Pray Today by Angela Isaacs and illustrated by Amandine Wanert (Also Goodnight Jesus )
9. DW All Wet by Marc Brown (Glasses for DW and Arthur’s Really Helpful Word Book)
10. Jamberry by Bruce Degen
11. Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg and illustrated by Janet Ahlberg
12. A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
13. Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss (Also Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss)
14. All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee

Books for the Two and A Half Year Old (28-34 months)

1. New Adventures of Curious George inspired by the work of Margaret and H. A. Rey. (Also Treasury of Curious George )
2. Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom and illustrated by Bruce Degen
3. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
4. Corduroy by Don Freeman
5. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
6. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
7. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
8. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
9. Emily’s Balloon by Komako Sakai
10. A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead
11. Olly and Me 1,2,3 by Shirley Hughes (Also Olly and Me )
12. Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley and illustrated by Ed Emberley
13. King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood (also Napping House)
14. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (the sequer Mighty Mighty Construction Site is nice too).
15. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
16. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
17. Hippos Go Beserk by Sandra Boynton
18. Looking for Bongo by Eric Velasquez
19. Press Here by Herve Tullet

Books for the Nearly Three Year Old (34-36 months)

1. Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton (also Mike McMulligan and His Steam Shovel and Maybelle the Cable Car)
2. Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean. (Other feeling book we liked are In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and illustrated by Christine Roussey and Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boynton)
3.  Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
4. Arthur and the Baby by Marc Brown (Also Arthur Lost and Found, Arthur’s Pet Business, Arthur’s New Puppy, Arthur’s Writes a Story, and Arthur Meets the President)
5. A Piglet Named Mercy by Kate DiCamillo
6. The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant by Jean De Brunhoff
7. Busy, Busy Town by Richard Scarry (Our three favorites are What do People Do All Day, Cars and Trucks and Things that Go, Best Word Book Ever) 
8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: A Classic Disney Treasury
9. Rain by Sam Usher (or any of the Seasons with Grandad books)
10. My Apron by Eric Carle (Also Pancakes, Pancakes!,)
11. Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Pat Schories
12. All Along the River by Magnus Weightman (Also Busy Bunny Days: In the Town, On the Farm & At the Port by Britta Teckentrup)
13. The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and 
14. Jesus Heals by Danielle Hitchen illustrated by Jessica Blanchard (All their books are beautiful and good for little souls)
15. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins. (AlsoThe Wind Blew, Ten Red Apples, Changes, Changes, Good-Night, Owl! )
16. Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
17. Ask Mr. Bear by Marjorie Flack (Also Angus Lost and The Story of Ping)
18. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
19. Busy Day Busy People by Tibor Gergely
20. Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff
21. Go to Sleep, Little Farm by Mary Lyn Ray
22. In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck and Tricia Tusa
23. Little Bear’s Little Boat by Eve Bunting and Nancy Carpenter
24. Wiggle Waggle Fun: Stories and Rhymes for the Very Very Young
25. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond
26. In a Small Small Pond by Denise Fleming (In the Tall, Tall Grass)
27. May We Sleep Here Tonight by Tan Koide and Yasuko Koide,
28. Color Dance by Ann Jonas,
29. A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
30. Let’s Go Visiting by Sue Williams
31. Up! Tall! High! by Ethan Long (In, Over and On the Farm)
32. Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets
33. Big Sarah’s Little Boots by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark.
34. Little Golden Book Collection: Sleepytime Tales.(including The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey, Baby Dear by Eloise Wilkin, The Color Kittens Margaret Wise Brown, and Richard Scarry’s Good Night Little Bear)
35. The McDuff Stories by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by Susan Jeffers
36. Daniel Tiger’s 5-Minute Stories Adapted by Jason Fruchter

Books for 3+ Year Olds

1. Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
2. The Complete Adventures of Curious George by H. A. and Margret Rey.
3. All About Alfie by Shirley Hughes. (Also Alfie Gets in First, Alfie Gives a Hand, Alfie’s Feet, An Evening at Alfie’s, Alfie and the Birthday Surprise, Alfie Wins A Prize, and Alfie and the Big Boys )
4. The Listening Walk by Paul Showers and Aliki
5. What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry (Also Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, Best Word Book Ever, Funniest Storybook Ever!, Busiest People Ever!, Best Storybook Ever, Busy, Busy World)
6. Find Fergus by Mike Boldt
7. Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne and illustrated by H A Ray
8. The Red Carpet by Rex Parkin
9. The Big Green Pocketbook by Candice Ransom
10. If Jesus Came to My House by Joan Gale Thomas
11. The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone and illustrated by Michael Smollin
12. Princess Sylvie by Elsa Beskow.
13. Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
14. Miss Suzy by Miriam Young and illustrated by Arnold Lobel
15. Daisy The Doctor by Felicity Brooks and illustrated by Jo Litchfield (Also Jobs People Do)
16. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang and illustrated by Max Lang
17. The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone (Also The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Boy, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Little Red Hen, Henny Penny, The Three Bears)
18. Hansel and Gretel by James Marshall (Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella)
19. Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin.
20. Don’t Want to Go! by Shirley Hughes (Also Bobbo Goes to School).
21. Dandelion by Don Freeman
22. Favorite Parables from the Bible: Stories Jesus Told by Nick Butterworth and illustrated by Mick Inkpen ( Animal Tales: Favorite Stories from the Bible)
23. No Such Thing as Dragons by Jack Kent
24. Strega Nona Collection by Tomie dePaola (Also Strega Nona’s Magic Ring)
25. Bill and Pete by Tomie dePaola. (Also Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, Bill and Pete to the Rescue)
26. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
27. One was Johnny (Also Chicken Soup with Rice, and Alligators All Around: An Alphabet)
28. Flora and the Flamingo illustrated by Molly Idle (wordless).
29. Peter Spier’s Rain illustrated by Peter Spier (wordless)
30. Journey illustrated by Aaron Becker’s (also Quest and Return) (wordless)
31. Animalia by Graeme Base
32. Annie and Snowball by Cynthia Rylant (also Henry and Mudge, Poppleton, and Mr. Putter & Tabby)
33. Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
34. Little Bear Books by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
35. Big Colored Books of Beginner Books by Dr. Seuss, PD Eastman and friends
36. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson
37. Little Egret and Toro by Robert Vavra and illustrated by John Fulton
38. Those Can-Do Pigs by David McPhail.

Books for 4+ Year Olds

1. Owl Moon by by Jane Yolen illustrated by John Schoenherr
2. One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
3. The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook by Shirley Hughes
4. James Herriot’s Treasury for Children illustrated by Ruth Brown and Peter Barrett
5. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett illustrated by Ronald Barrett
6. Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler
7. The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber
8. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (also Doctor DeSoto, The Amazing Bone, & Brave Irene)
9. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers (Also The Day the Crayons Came Home)
10. Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee
11. Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban
12. Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection by Rev. W. Awdry
13. Could Be Worse by James Stevenson (also The Great Big Especially Beautiful Easter Egg)
14. A Little House Picture Book Treasury by Laura Ingalls Wilder illustrated by Renee Graef
15. Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and Barbara Cooney
16. Brambly Hedge Collection by Jill Barklem
17. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henke (Also Chester’s Way & Lilly’s Plastic Purse)
18. Miss Nelson is Missing by by Harry G. Allard Jr. illustrated by James Marshall (Also Miss Nelson is Back)
19. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
20. You Can’t Take A Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Glasser
21. Swimmy by Leo Lionni
22. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
23. Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
24. Mr. Men and Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves
25. Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White and Megan Lloyd
26. Almost Time by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney illustrated by G. Brian Karas
27. Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite De Angeli
28. Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis by Robbin Gourley
29. “Wait for me!” Said Maggie McGee by Jean Can Leeuwen illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers
30. Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (Also Farmhouse and Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall)
31. The Three Billy Goats Gruff Retold by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen
32. Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch and illustrated Michael Martchenko
33. Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig
34. Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
35. The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Steven Kellogg
36. Classic Stories to Share by Ladybird Tales
37. World of Narnia adapted from CS Lewis and illustrated by Deborah Maze
38. The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley
39. The Princess in Black by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated LeUyen Pham

Books for 5+ Year Olds

1. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
2. Ira Says Goodbye by Bernard Waber (and Ira Sleeps Over)
3. The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill and illustrated by Elliott Gilbert
4. Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen and illustrated by Lillian Hoban (first grade series)
5. Anatole by Eve Titus illustrated by Paul Galdone
6. The World of Pooh by A.A. Milne illustrated by Ernest H. Shepherd
7. Dinosaur Dinner (With a Slice of Alligator Pie) by Dennis Lee and illustrated by Debbie Tilley
8. Feel the Fog by April Pulley Sayre
9. Now One Foot, Now the Other by Tomie dePaola
10. Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
11. A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
12. Frederick’s fables : a Treasury of 16 Favorite Leo Lionni Stories by Leo Lionni
13. Veronica by Roger Duvoisin (Also Jasmine and Petunia)
14. The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Frank Morrison
15. A Baby Sister for Frances by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban (also A Birthday for Frances)
16. Now We are Six by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (also When We Were Very Young)
17. My Breakfast with Jesus by Tina Cho
18. Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
19. Matisse’s Garden by Samantha Friedman and illustrated by Cristina Amodeo
20. What Do You Say Dear? A Book of Manners for All Occasions by Sesyle Joslin and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
21. Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus by John Hendrix
22. Mystery on the Docks by Thacher Hurd
23. Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Williams
24. Imogene’s Antlers by David Small
25. Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young selected by Jack Prelutksy and illustrated by Marc Brown
26. Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? by Robert E. Wells (And What is Smaller than a Pygmy Shrew?)
27. 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Lian Cho
28. A Three Hat Day by Laura Geringer and illustrated by Arnold Lobel
29. The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, The Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane and Christyan Fox
30. How to Apologize by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
31. Wordy Birdy by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Dave Mottram
32. The Snactchabook by Helen Docherty and illustrated by Thomas Docherty (The Storybook Knight)
33. Humphrey the Lost Whale: A True Story by Wendy Tokua and Richard Hall illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama
34. Snip Snap! What’s That! by Mara Bergman and illustrations by Nick Maland
35. Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan , Roslyn M. Jordan, et al.

Beautiful Fairy Tales for 5+

1. Snow White and Rose Red retold by Kallie George and illustrated by Kelly Vivanco
2. Sleeping Beauty by The Brothers Grimm and illustrated by Maja Dusikova
3. Beauty and the Beast by Ursula Jones and illustrated by Sarah Gibb
4. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young
5. Rapunzel retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (Also Sarah Gibb‘s and Barbara Rogasky illustrated by Trina Scart Hyman’s)
6. Cinderella by Marcia Brown / by K. Y. Craft / Ruth Sanderson / James Marshall’s Cinderella (Walt Disney’s Cinderella retold by Cynthia Rylant ; pictures by Mary Blair)
7. Twelve Dancing Princesses retold and illustrated by Brigette Barrager (Marianna Mayer and Kinuko Y. Craft)
8.  Francesca Rossi’s Fairy Tale Adventures (Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty)
9. Stand Alone Stories The Princess and the White Bear King by Tanya Robyn Batt and illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli (Also The Barefoot Book of Faeries illustrated by Gail Newey), The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic Ring by Ruth Sanderson, How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Ouellet and illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli

Collections of Fairy Tales

1. Tomie dePaola’s Favorite Nursery Tales by Tomie dePaola
2. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales translated by Marie Ponsot and illustrated by Adrienne Segur
3. Eric Carle’s Treasury of Classic Stories for Children by Eric Carle
4. The Bernadette Watts Collection: Stories and Fairy Tales by Bernadette Watts
5. The Lion Storyteller Awesome Book of Stories by Bob Hartman and illustrated by Krisztina Kallai Nagy

Age 7+

• River by Elisha Cooper
  Animalium: Welcome to the Museum by Jenny Broom and Katie Scott
• A Day’s Work by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Ronald Himler
• Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
• My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Christine King Farris and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet
• The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
• Johnny on the Spot by Edward Sorel

Favorite Science & Nonfiction Authors

• Gail Gibbons
• Robert E Wells
• Joanna Cole (Magic School Bus)
• David A. Alder
• Jason Chin
• Big Head Biographies (Who Was? Where Is? What Was?) *chapter books
• Ken Jennings * chapter books