Around Succos time I checked out mounds of picture books from the library towards my goal of reading the Caldecott winners in order. (I modified that goal to simply be “read more picture books this year,” which I’ve accomplished). Here are a few beautiful books I enjoyed:
The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall is a look at the seasons on a 1800’s New England farm; I love any book that follows the season cycle.
May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers is a rhyming book about the days of the week, zoo animals, and–couples goals. (You’ll see what I mean when you peruse the illustrations of the King and Queen).
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown is a take on the classic fable with beautiful illustrations of a village in France.
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard is a touching (true) read, about a former slave who learned to read at age 116.
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran is about an imaginary town created by neighborhood children in the Arizona desert.
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton is a classic about a country house that finds the city has sprung up around it, and longs to return to the country.
A Gardener’s Alphabet by Mary Azarian is an ABC book with beautiful woodcut prints.
When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julia Fogliano is longer than the others on this list. I can’t get enough of this book of poetry about the season cycle, written as brief entries in a diary.
Enjoy! I’d love to hear about your favorites!
