selected book topics for all ages | character traits in books (all ages) | character traits in movies (all ages)
pre-1930 | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Playlist : Books by topic

younger kids of all ages

This is (obviously) not a comprehensive list. Simply stories I’ve enjoyed and appreciated that illuminate certain tasks, topics, or subjects worth illuminating. Let me know of additions or ideas!

ABC / Alphabet books

The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gág (1933)
An Excessive Alphabet: Avalanches of As to Zillions of Zs by Judi Barrett (2016 - our beginning reader 5yo loved this; plenty of opportunities to sound out different objects in fun ways)
L is for London by Paul Thurlby (2015)
On Beyond Zebra! By Dr. Seuss (1955)
The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg (1987)

Aging / Human Development

A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano (2018)
Another Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Chris Raschka (1999)
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (2011)
Grown-ups Never Do That - Davide Cali & Benjamin Chaud (2019)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas (1984)
One Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein - Jennifer Berne, pictures by Vladimir Radunsky (2013)
Uh-Oh, Baby! written by Nancy Coffelt, illustrated by Scott Nash (2013)

Animals / pets

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (2010, many animals)
Animals Brag About Their Bottoms - Maki Saito (2020)
Clementine and the Lion by Zoey Abott (2022)
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (2013, flamingo)
Iced Out - written by CK Smouha, illustrated by Isabella Bunnell (2019, narwhal, walrus, seal)
Lenny the Lobster Can’t Stay for Dinner…or can he? You decide! by Michael and Finn Buckley, illustrated by Catherine Meurisse (2019)
Look! by Ted Lewin (2013)
Lots More Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing. written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett (2018, many animals)
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: Things About Me by Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate (2011)
Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham (1970)
My Bison by Gaya Wisniewski (2018)
Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier (1977, many animals)
The Rough Patch by Brian Lies (2018, fox)
This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers (2012, moose)
Pierre, a cautionary tale (in five chapters and a prologue) by Maurice Sendak (1962, seal)

Bears
A Stranger Comes to Town by Maria Kristjansdottir (2020)
The Bear and the Wildcat - written Kazumi Yumoto and illustrated by Kodak Sakai (2011)
The Biggest Bear by Lynn Ward (1952)
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (2015)
How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler (2014)
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (2011)
Little Bear’s Visit by Else Holmelund Minarik, pictures by Maurice Sendak (1961)
A Polar Bear in the Snow - Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris (2020)

Birds
The Baby Beebee Bird - Diane Redfield Massie, pictures by Steven Kellog (1963, illustrations updated 2003)
Fly! by Mark Teague (2019)
Hey, Al - story by Arthur Yorinks, pictures by Richard Egielski (1986, Caldecott Award)
In the City by Chris Raschka (2020)
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr (1987)
The Serious Goose - written and illustrated by Jimmy Kimmel (2019)
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi (1949)

Bugs, Spiders, Insects, Creepy Crawlies, and such
The Bug Club by Elise Gravel (2021)
Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood (1982)
The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach (2019)

Bunnies & Rabbits
The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gág (1933)
Creepy Carrots - Words by Aaron Reynolds, Pictures by Peter Brown (2012)
Creepy Pair of Underwear - Words by Aaron Reynolds, Pictures by Peter Brown (2017)
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (2011)
Marshmallow - Story and Pictures by Clare Turlay Newberry (1942)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present - Charlotte Zolotow, pictures by Maurice Sendak (1962)
The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi (2017)

Cats
Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper (2017, Caldecott Honor)
Dick Whittington and His Cat by Marcia Brown (1950)
Keith Among the Pigeons by Katie Brosnan (2019)
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946)
Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner (2013)
Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie by Kimberly and James Dean (2017)
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes - Art by James Dean, story by Eric Litwin (2008)
The Problem With Pierre by G.K. Smouha, illustrated by Suzanna Hubbard (2020)
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz (1994)
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel (2016)

Cows
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Betsy Lewin (2000)
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (1936)

Crocodiles and Alligators
My Baby Crocodile by Gatean Doremus (2016)
There is a Crocodile Under My Bed! by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert (2014)
There’s an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer (1987)

Dogs
A Rose for Pinkerton by Steven Kellog (1981)
A Small Thing…but Big - Tony Johnson, pictures by Hadley Hooper (2016)
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Allsburg (1979)
Greyfriars Bobby by Ruth Brown (2013)
I Want a Dog by Jon Agee (2019)

Donkeys
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)

Fish
Save Your Friends! by Hyewon Kyung (2019)
Swimmy by Leo Leonni (1963, Caldecott Medal)
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (2012)

Frogs
Bully by Jennifer Sattler (2018)
Follow That Frog! Written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (2021)
Frog Goes to Dinner by Mercer Mayer (1974)
Frog Went A-Courtin’ - John Langstaff, pictures by Feodor Rojankovsky (1955, Caldecott)
Scratch Scratch Screw Plop! by Kitty Crowther (2015)
Tuesday by David Wiesner (1991)

Mice
Amos & Boris by William Steig (1971)
Once Upon a Mouse by Marcia Brown (1961)
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (2018)
The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse - Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2017)

Moose
Ernest the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit by Catherine Rayner (2009)
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (1948)

Penguins
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (2005)
Penguin Problems by Jory John & Lane Smith (2016)
Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers (2010)

Primates-apes, gorillas, monkeys…
Three Little Monkeys - Quentin Blake & Emma Chichester Clark (2016)

Pigs
A Normal Pig by K-Fai Steele (2019)
Olivia by Ian Falconer (2000)
Pigs to the Rescue - John Himmelman (2010)
The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001)

Sloths
Sparky! written by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Chris Appelhans (2014, watercolor & pencil)

Snakes
Crictor by Tomi Ungerer (1958)

Whales
Amos & Boris by William Steig (1971)
Emma & The Whale by Julie Case (2017)
The Fisherman and the Whale by Jessica Lanan (2019)
If You Ever Meet a Whale: Poems selected by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (1992)
if you want to see a whale - words by Julie fogliano, pictures by erin e. stead (2013)

Wolves
The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse - Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2017)

Turtles
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen (2016)

Art

American Gothic: The Life of Grant Wood - Words by Susan Wood, Pictures by Ross MacDonald (2017)
Anna at the Art Museum - Hazel Hutchins & Gail Herbert, illustrated by Lil Crump (2018)
Breaking Waves: Winslow Homer Paints the Sea - Robert Burleigh, paintings by Wendell Minor (2021)
Edward Hopper Paints His World - Robert Burleigh, paintings by Wendell Minor (2014)
If Da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur written by Amy Newbold, pictures by Greg Newbold (2018)
Olivia by Ian Falconer (2000)
Snowflake Bentley - Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian (1998, Caldecott Medal)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis (2007)
What is Contemporary Art? A Guide for Kids by Jacky Klein and Suzy Klein (2012)
When I Draw a Panda by Amy June Bates (2020)

Art - Music

Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Lonely, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (2019)
The Song of Delphine by Kenneth Kraegel (2015)

Careers

Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer (Little Critter, dentists, 1990)

Creatures, Monsters, Aliens, Mythical Beasts

The Bravest Knight by Mercer Mayer (2007)
Clementine and the Lion by Zoey Abott (2022)
How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian (2015)
Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner (2013)
Scary Stories - written by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Tomie DePaola (1978)
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer (1968)
Troll and the Oliver by Adam Stower (2013)
The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers (2007)
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)

Bible

found: Psalm 23 by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago (2017)
Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise by Tommy DePaola (2011)
Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier (1977)
The Watcher: Inspired by Psalm 121 - written by Niki Grimes, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2017)
Who Will I Be, Lord? by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by Sean Qualls (2009)

Biography

16 Words: William Carlos Williams & “The Red Wheelbarrow” - Lisa Rogers & Chuck Groenink (2019)
American Gothic: The Life of Grant Wood - Words by Susan Wood, Pictures by Ross MacDonald (2017)
Breaking Waves: Winslow Homer Paints the Sea - Robert Burleigh, paintings by Wendell Minor (2021)
The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (2020)
Edward Hopper Paints His World - Robert Burleigh, paintings by Wendell Minor (2014)
Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers by Matthew Cordell (2020)
Everest: The Remarkable Story of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay by Alexandra Stewart, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (2019)
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (2015)
Imagine That! How Dr. Seuss Wrote The Cat in the Hat by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (2017)
One Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein - Jennifer Berne, pictures by Vladimir Radunsky (2013)
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (2014)
Snowflake Bentley - Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian (1998, Caldecott Medal)

Books & Reading

Cave Dada by Brandon Reese (2020)
Roger is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen (2015)
The Book Hog - Greg Pizzoli (2019)
This Book Is Not a Present - written by Max Greenfield, illustrated by Mike Lowery (2022)

Cause and Effect

Accident by Andrea Tsurumi (2017)
Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein (2012)
The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins (1974)

Challenges - Unique

All Too Much for Oliver by Leila Boukarim (2015, highly sensitive children)
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Hanks (1991)
The patch by Justina Chen (2006)

Change, transformation

Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper (2017, Caldecott Honor)
Out of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (2020)

Childhood - general

13 Stories About Ayana by Amy Schwartz (2022)
13 Stories About Harris by Amy Schwartz (2020)
Are You Ready To Play Outside? by Mo Willems
Best Day Ever by Michael J. Armstrong, illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans (2020)
Clementine and the Lion by Zoey Abott (2022)
Everybody Needs a Rock - Byrd Baylor, pictures by Peter Parnall (1974)
The Fort That Jack Built by Boni Ashburn, illustrated by Brett Helquist (2013)
The Goody - Lauren Child (2020)
Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! by Men Fox, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2000)
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers (2010)
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981, Caldecott Winner)
More Than Sunny by Shelley Johannes (2021)
Olivia by Ian Falconer (2000)
One Monday Morning by Uri Shulevitz (1987)
The Paperboy by Day Pilkey (1996)
Pierre, a cautionary tale (in five chapters and a prologue) by Maurice Sendak (1962)
Pond by Jim LaMarche (2016)
Shadow by Suzy Lee (2010)
This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter (2016)
This Beautiful Day - Richard Jackson, illustrated by Suzy Lee (2017)
Trainstop by Barbara Lehman (2008)
Uh-Oh, Baby! written by Nancy Coffelt, illustrated by Scott Nash (2013, toddlers)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (1958)
Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems (2009)
What to Do When You’re Sent to Your Room by Ann Stott, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin (2014)
When I Wake Up: Every Day Is Full of Choices by Seth Fishman & Jessica Bagley (2021)
Will We Always Hold Hands? by Christopher Cheng & Stephen Michael King (2021)

Cities & urban life

Blackout by John Rocco (2011)
Kiyoshi’s Walk by Mark Karlins, illustrated by Nicole Wong (2021)
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004, Caldecott Winner)
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz (1994)
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart & pictures by David Small
Imagine a City by Elise Hurst (2014)
Sunshine: A Story About the City of New York by Ludwig Bemelman (1950)
The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi (2017)
This is San Francisco by Miroslav Šašek (1962)

Colors

Every Color of Light - written by Hiroshi Osada, illustrated by Ryoji Arai (2020)
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (2012, Caldecott Award)
I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille, illustrations by Aimee Sicuro (2018)
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni (1959)
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors - written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2009)
They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki (2018)

Consent

Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman (2021)

Contrast, juxtaposition, opposites

Stop, Go, Yes, No! A Story of Opposites by Mike Twoy (2018)

Country life & rural

Miss Rumphius - story and pictures by Barbara Cooney (1982)
The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, pictures by Barbara Cooney (1979)
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg (1986)
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode (1982, Caldecott)

Dreams / Dreaming, hoping, wishing

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)
I Dream of a Journey by Akiko Miyakoshi (2020)
Miss Rumphius - story and pictures by Barbara Cooney (1982)

Dystopia / future / speculative

Non stop by Tomi Ungerer (2019)

Eating & food

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Written by Judi Barrett and Drawn by Ron Barrett (1978)
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins (1986)
I Really Like Slop by Mo Willems (2010)
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown (1947)
The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (2010)
Watercress - Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin (2021)

Eating - cookbooks

The Berenstain Bears Country Cookbook: Cub-Friendly Cooking - Mike Berenstain (2015)
Sandwiches: Making and Eating America’s Favorite Food by Alison Deering and Bob Lentz (2017)

Environment, conservation, Earth

The Fisherman and the Whale by Jessica Lanan (2019)
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade (2020)

Ethics & Morals

Fables by Arnold Lobel (1980)

Existence & Reality

A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel (2019)
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)
Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski (2016)
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer (1968)

Explanations of how something works or is done

Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction by David Macaulay (1973, cathedrals)
Circus! by Peter Spier (1992, circuses)
Locomotive by Brian Floca (2013, trains)
The Lost Package by Richard Ho, illustrated by Jessica Lanan (2021, delivery)
Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei (1996, astronomy)

Exploration

A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano (2018)
Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (2009)
Swimmy by Leo Leonni (1963, Caldecott Medal)

Fairy Tales / Folk Tales / Myths / Legends

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat (2017)
Arrow to the Sun: a Pueblo Indian tale by Gerald McDermott (1974, Caldecott Award).
Cinderella translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown (1954)
Dick Whittington and His Cat by Marcia Brown (1950)
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs - as retold by Mo Willems (2012)
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (1985, Caldecott Honor)
In a Small Kingdom by Tomie dePaola, illustrated by Doug Salati (2018)
Once Upon a Mouse by Marcia Brown (1961)
Once Upon a Rainy Day by Édouard Manceau (2015)
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Fairytale - Demi (1997)
Red Riding Hood - retold by Beatrix Potter, illustrations by Helen Oxenbury (2019)
The Pirates Are Coming! - John Condon, illustrated by Matt Hunt (2020)
The Poisoned Apple: a Fractured Fairy Tale by Anne Lambelet (2020)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (1992)
The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague (2017)
The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001)
The Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi (1986)

Family - grandparents

A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino (2014)
Grandfather and the Moon - Stephanie LaPointe and Roge (2015/2017 translation to English, graphic novel, gets increasingly strange by
Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say (1993, Caldecott Medal)
Grandma, Grandpa, and Me by Mercer & Gina Mayer (2007)
The Hello, Goodbye Window - Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka (2005)
Just Grandpa and Me by Mercer Mayer (1983)
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol (2016, Caldecott Honor)
Little Bear’s Visit by Else Holmelund Minarik, pictures by Maurice Sendak (1961)
Telling Stories Wrong - Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna, translated from Italian by Antony Shugaar (1980, 2022)
Thank You, Omu! By Oge Mora (2018)
Together with You - Patricia Toot, illustrated by Jarvis (2022)

Family - relatives

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (1985, Caldecott Honor)

Farms

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Betsy Lewin (2000)
Pigs to the Rescue - John Himmelman (2010)

Friendship

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (2010)
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (2014)
Ebenezer Has a Word for Everything by Chelsea H. Rowe, illustrated by Frank Dormer (2018)
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (2013)
Friends by Eric Carle (2013)
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Greyfriars Bobby by Ruth Brown (2013)
Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly (2018)
I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems (2008)
Iced Out - written by CK Smouha, illustrated by Isabella Bunnell (2019)
I Really Like Slop by Mo Willems (2010)
Just Me and My Friend by Mercer Mayer (1988)
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems (2007)
Listen To My Trumpet! by Mo Willems (2012)
Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham (1970)
My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems (2014)
Out of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (2020)
The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (2010)
Troll and the Oliver by Adam Stower (2013)
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles - Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (2013)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas (1984)
Will We Always Hold Hands? by Christopher Cheng & Stephen Michael King (2021)

Gender - girls

Feather by Rémi Courgeon (2017)
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (1980)
The Pirates Are Coming! - John Condon, illustrated by Matt Hunt (2020)

Grammar & Writing

! Exclamation Mark - Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenfeld (2013)

History - Middle Ages

Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei (1996)

History - Modern

The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (2020)
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (2008)
Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11by Brian Floca (2009)
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi (1949)
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2019)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis (2007)

Holiday - Easter

The Egg Tree by Katherine Milieus (1950)

Humor, wicked wit, cleverness, great endings

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat (2017)
Amos & Boris by William Steig (1971)
The Bad Seed - Jory John, illustrations by Pete Oswald (2017, big hit with age 3 especially)
The Bravest Knight by Mercer Mayer (2007)
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Betsy Lewin (2000)
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs - as retold by Mo Willems (2012)
How to Catch a Clover Thief by Elise Parsley (2021)
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (2011)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood (1985)
Grown-ups Never Do That - Davide Cali & Benjamin Chaud (2019)
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol (2016, Caldecott Honor)
Lenny the Lobster Can’t Stay for Dinner…or can he? You decide! by Michael and Finn Buckley, illustrated by Catherine Meurisse (2019)
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: Things About Me by Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate (2011)
Pigs to the Rescue - John Himmelman (2010)
The Pirates Are Coming! - John Condon, illustrated by Matt Hunt (2020)
Room on our Rock - Kate & Joe Temple, Terri Rose Baynton (2019)
Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear - Jory John, illustrated by Erin Kraan (2021)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (1992)
That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems (2013)
This is a ball: books that drive kids crazy by Beck & Matt Stanton (2015)
This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (2012)
Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf: A Counting Story by Davide Cali, illustrated by Marianna Balducci (2022)

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001)
Tuesday by David Wiesner (1991)
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen (2016)

Illustration (styles I like)

In the Meadow - Yukiko Kate, illustrated by Kodak Sakai (2008)
The Old Man by Sarah V, illustrated by Claude Dubois, translated by Daniel Hahn (2018)
Picnic by John Burningham (2013)

Pond by Jim LaMarche (2016). I have fallen in love with this book. The illustrations of a group of kids exploring and building and discovering, all in the vicinity of a verdant little pond, is almost unbearably beautiful in its depiction of a slice of childhood that is nostalgia for some, slivers of memory for others, and vibrant dream for many of all ages. Gorgeous.

This Beautiful Day - Richard Jackson, illustrated by Suzy Lee (2017)
This is San Francisco by Miroslav Šašek (1962)
Trying - written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Elise Hurst (2021)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (1958)

The Wave by Suzy Lee (2008). For the second time in a day (see: The Pond) I have emphatically stated: I love this book after a first read. In this case, it’s a wordless depiction of a girl’s playful relationship with a wave at the seashore. Stunning and simple charcoal and acrylics that bring the spirit of childhood and play alive.

Issues - Civil Rights & Race

A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Noa Denmon (2020)
Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem - words by Amanda Gorman, pictures by Loren Long (2021)
Freedom in Congo Square - Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie (2016)
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad - Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2007)
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexaner Ramsey, illustration by Floyd Cooper (2021)
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz (1994)
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2019)
We Shall Overcome by Bryan Collier (2021)

Issues - Culture, representation

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin (2018)
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira (2023)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (1958, Japanese American)

Issues - Immigration

Room on our Rock - Kate & Joe Temple, Terri Rose Baynton (2019)
Watercress - Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin (2021)

Issues - General / Symbolism

Beyond the Fence by Maria Gulemetova (2017)
The Old Man by Sarah V, illustrated by Claude Dubois, translated by Daniel Hahn (2018, homelessness)
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (1936, solitude and being yourself)
Tilly and the Wall by Leo Lion (1989)

Language & Words

Ebenezer Has a Word for Everything by Chelsea H. Rowe, illustrated by Frank Dormer (2018)
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (2014)

Libraries

Everything In Its Place: a Story of Books and Belonging - Pauline David-Sax, illustrated by Charnel Pinkney Barlow (2022)
The Library by Sarah Stewart & pictures by David Small (1995)

Luck / Fortune / Serendipity

Pom and Tim by Lena and Olof Landström (2014)

Magic

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Allsburg (1979)

Memory

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say (1993, Caldecott Medal)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas (1984)

Messiness, Chaos, Disorder

Three Little Monkeys - Quentin Blake & Emma Chichester Clark

Moving

Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly (2018)

Names

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal (2018)
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira (2023)
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Hanks (1991)

Night & Nighttime

Dusk by Uli Shulevitz (2013)
Now that Night is Near by Astrid Lindgren & Marit Tornqvist (2019)
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer (1968)
The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi (2017)

Outdoors

A Child’s Calendar - Poems by John Updike, illustrations by Trina Start Hyman (1999)
A Year Around the Great Oak by Gerda Muller (1991)
Bear Came Along - Richard T. Morris, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (2019)
Emma & The Whale by Julie Case (2017)
More Than Sunny by Shelley Johannes (2021)
Outside In by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Cindy Derby (2020)
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors - written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2009)
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode (1982, Caldecott)

Outdoors - Nature/Learning

A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel (2019)
The Bug Club by Elise Gravel (2021)
Everybody Needs a Rock - Byrd Baylor, pictures by Peter Parnall (1974)
The Great Outdoors Book: The kids’ guide to being outside - Josie Jeffery (2017)
Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris (2021)
In the Meadow - Yukiko Kate, illustrated by Kodak Sakai (2008)
Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mark Hearld (2012)
Pond by Jim LaMarche (2016)

Outdoors - Ocean/Sea/Rivers

Amos & Boris by William Steig (1971)
The Fisherman and the Whale by Jessica Lanan (2019)
Flotsam by David Wiesner (2006)
Fog Island by Tomikas Ungerer (2013)
if you want to see a whale - words by Julie fogliano, pictures by erin e. stead (2013)
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946)
Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham (1970)
On my beach there are many pebbles by Leo Lionni (1961)
River by Elisha Cooper (2019)
See You Next Year by Andrew Larson, illustrated by Todd Stewart (2015)
Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey (1957)
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles - Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (2013)

Ownership

This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers (2012)

Parenting

The Goody - Lauren Child (2020)
"More More More," Said the Baby: Three Love Stories by Vera B. Williams (1990)
Telling Stories Wrong - Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna, translated from Italian by Antony Shugaar (1980, 2022)

Parents - both

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)
Watercress - Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin (2021)
What to Do When You’re Sent to Your Room by Ann Stott, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin (2014)
Wish by Matthew Cordell (2015)

Parents - dads & fathers

Arrow to the Sun: a Pueblo Indian tale by Gerald McDermott (1974, Caldecott Award)
The Better Tree Fort by Jessica Scott Kerrin, pictures Qin Leng (2018)
Cave Dada by Brandon Reese (2020)
Daddy & Me, Side by Side - Pierce Freelon, illustrated by Nadia Fisher (2023)
Dragons : Father and Son by Alexandre Lacroix (2017)
How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler (2014)
Just Like Dad by Mercer Mayer (Little Critter, 1993)
My Father Is Taller than a Tree by Joseph Bruchac (2010)
Papa, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joose, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee (1991)
Scratch Scratch Screw Plop! by Kitty Crowther (2015)
What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future by Oliver Jeffers (2020)

Parents - moms & mothers

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin (2018, Caldecott Honor)
Bedtime for Bo - Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold & Mari Kanstad Johnsen (2022, translated from Norwegian by Kari Dickson)
Bob, Not Bob! *to be Read as Though You Have the Worst Cold Ever written by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick, pictures by Matthew Cordell (2017)
Fly! by Mark Teague (2019)
Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! by Men Fox, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2000)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw (1986)
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse and Barbara Lavalee (1991)

Perspective & Point-of-View

A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel (2019)
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel (2016)

Places - General

The Adventurous Kid’s Guide to the World’s Most Mysterious Places - Patrick Makin, illustrated by Whooli Chen (2021)

Places - Cities

A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino (2014)
A Walk in New York by Salvatore Rubbino (2009)
L is for London by Paul Thurlby (2015)
Sunshine: A Story About the City of New York by Ludwig Bemelman (1950)
This is New York by Miroslav Šašek (1960)
This is San Francisco by Miroslav Šašek (1962)

Places - Africa

The Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi (1986)

Places - Asia

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say (1993, Japan/United States, Caldecott Medal)
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (2008)
The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam by Quang Nhuong Huynh (1982, Vietnam)
This is Hong Kong by M. Sasek (1964)
Where the Winds Meet - written by Mi-hwa Joo, illustrated by Oh Lee, edited by Joy Cowley (2014, Mongolia)

Places - Europe

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (2008)
This is Ireland by M. Sasek (1965)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis (2007, Czechoslovakia)

Poetry

16 Words: William Carlos Williams & “The Red Wheelbarrow” - Lisa Rogers & Chuck Groenink (2019)
Changes: A Child’s First Poetry Collection - Poems by Charlotte Zolotow - illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke (2015)
The Completed Hickory Dickory Doc - Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Eileen Christelow (1990)
Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems - Gail Carson Levine, illustrated by Mathew Cordell (2012)
How Do I Love Thee? Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (2018)
If You Ever Meet a Whale: Poems selected by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (1992)
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (Robert Frost) illustrated by Susan Jeffers (1923, 1978)

Police & law enforcement

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (1995 Caldecott Award)

Politics

Chicken Little: the Real and Totally True Tale by Sam Wedelich (2014)
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Betsy Lewin (2000)
Vote for ME! by Ben Clanton (2012)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis (2007)

Privacy

Everyone Poops by Tarō Gomi (1977)
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw (1986)

Relationships - Multigenerational & Grandparents

A Small Thing…but Big - Tony Johnson, pictures by Hadley Hooper (2016)
The Hello, Goodbye Window - Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka (2005)
Hope by Matthew Cordell (2019)
The House of Lost and Found - story by Martin Widmark, illustrated by Emilia Dziubak (2017)

Relationships - General

Pebbles to the Sea by Marie-Andrew Arsenalt (2022, divorce)

Relationships - Inanimate

Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski (2016)

Science

Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei (1996)

Science - Earth

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton (2017)

Seasons

A Year Around the Great Oak by Gerda Muller (1991)
Changes: A Child’s First Poetry Collection - Poems by Charlotte Zolotow - illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke (2015)
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak (1962)
A Child’s Calendar - Poems by John Updike, illustrations by Trina Start Hyman (1999)
Do I Have to Wear a Coat? A journey through the seasons by Rachel Isadora (2020)
Every Color of Light - written by Hiroshi Osada, illustrated by Ryoji Arai (2020)
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946)
More Than Sunny by Shelley Johannes (2021)
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946, Caldecott Medal)
The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall, pictures by Barbara Cooney (1979)
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors - written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2009)
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg (1986, summer/fall)
Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser (2009)
They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki (2018)
Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey (1957)
Together with You - Patricia Toot, illustrated by Jarvis (2022)

Setting - forest & woods

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr (1987)

Setting - snow

The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (2010)

Siblings

Baby Says by John Steptoe (1988)
Cinderella translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown (1954)
Fog Island by Tomikas Ungerer (2013)
His Royal Highness, King Baby: A Terrible True Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by David Roberts (2017)
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981, Caldecott Winner)
Just Me and My Little Brother (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer (1991)
Little Big Girl by Claire Keane (2016)
Me First! by Max Kornell (2014)
Me Too! by Mercer Mayer (Little Critter, 1983)

Sickness, injuries, getting hurt

Bob, Not Bob! *to be Read as Though You Have the Worst Cold Ever written by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick, pictures by Matthew Cordell (2017)

Sleeping / bedtime

The Baby Beebee Bird - Diane Redfield Massie, pictures by Steven Kellog (1963, illustrations updated 2003)
Bedtime for Bo - Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold & Mari Kanstad Johnsen (2022, translated from Norwegian by Kari Dickson)
George and His Nighttime Friends by Song Soun Ratanavanh (2022)
Goodnight Already! by Jory John & Benji Davies (2015)
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurt (1947)
Now that Night is Near by Astrid Lindgren & Marit Tornqvist (2019)
Scratch Scratch Screw Plop! by Kitty Crowther (2015)
Sleep, Sheep! by Kerry Lyn Sparrow & Guillaume Perreault
There is a Crocodile Under My Bed! by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert (2014)
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer (1968)
There’s an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer (1987)
What If the Shark Wears Tennis Shoes? by Winifred Morris, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (1990)
What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story - Liniers (2006)
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)

Technology

The Little House: Her Story by Virginia Lee Burton (1942)
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (1939)

Trains & railroads

Locomotive by Brian Floca (2013)
Trainstop by Barbara Lehman (2008)

Travel / Vacation

The Trip (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer (1997)

War

The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (2020)

Weather

Are You Ready To Play Outside? by Mo Willems
Brave Irene by William Steig (1986)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Written by Judi Barrett and Drawn by Ron Barrett (1978)
Every Color of Light - written by Hiroshi Osada, illustrated by Ryoji Arai (2020)
I Am the Storm by Heidi Stemple & Jane Yolen, art by Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell (2020)
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946)
The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi (2009)
The Storm Book by Charlotte Zolotow, pictures by Margaret Bloy Graham (1952)
This Beautiful Day - Richard Jackson, illustrated by Suzy Lee (2017)