Tag Archives: classic picture books

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble – William Steig

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble is a well loved children’s book written and illustrated by William Steig. The illustrations of this loving family of donkeys are very dear. Not only did this book win the Caldecott Medal in 1970, it was also selected as one of the 100 Best Books of the Century by the National Education Association. Sylvester is a young donkey who lives with his mother and father. One of his hobbies is collecting pebbles of unusual shape and color. One rainy day he finds a shiny, red, round pebble. As he examines it, he feels the cold … Continue reading →

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present – Charlotte Zolotow

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present is a wonderful collaboration between author Charlotte Zolotow and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The book won the 1963 Caldecott Honor and is considered a well-loved classic with many teachers and families. In the story, a little girl asks Mr. Rabbit for help. She’s looking for birthday present for her mother. Mr. Rabbit agrees to help. The little girl says the mother likes red. The rabbit replies that you can’t give “red”. So the little girl says “Something red, maybe.” And the two try to think of something red. Mr. Rabbit suggests red underwear. That line … Continue reading →

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear – Don and Audrey Wood

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear was one of our favorite children’s picture books. Husband and wife team Don and Audrey Wood wrote this fun story, and it is illustrated by Don Wood. It’s sold over a million copies! The book opens with a tiny door in the roots of a tree. Coming out of the door are a tiny ladder and a little mouse. The narrator of the story asks the mouse what he’s doing. When the mouse leans his ladder against a strawberry plant that towers over him we figure out that … Continue reading →

Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey

Blueberries for Sal is a wonderful classic children’s story. First published in 1948, it won the Caldecott Honor for author Robert McCloskey. Blueberries for Sal is the story of a little girl named Sal who goes blueberry picking with her mother. The mother wants to can the berries for the winter, and is very focused on getting her pail full of berries. The book has marvelous black and white illustrations showing an old-fashioned kitchen and canning jars, an old car, the mother in skirt and sweater, and little Sal in overalls. Little Sal follows her mother up a hillside. Sal … Continue reading →

I’m as Quick as a Cricket and The Very Quiet Cricket

This time of year, we always find a few crickets in the house. Here are two great classic picture books for read aloud enjoyment. Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood is one of those books you will find in a lot of preschool and kindergarten classrooms. It recently came out in a board book edition for the youngest readers. In the book a young child pretends to be all sorts of animals. The illustrations by Don Wood are silly and imaginative. The child is shown hiding in a seashell, and leading a tiger in the dark. The text has … Continue reading →