Top Ten Children's Picture Books

I have compiled a list of my favorite top ten children's picture books. As a teacher, lists like these are priceless. If you look at other top ten lists, you'll see that some of my books are also their books. But I do have some different ones to share.

Number Ten

Blueberries for Sal by author/illustrator Robert McCloskey

This book is a Caldecott Honor Book. It is pure and simple. I think that's why I like it so much. Sal is a little girl out picking blueberries with her mother. She's so concerned with picking and eating them that she doesn't realize she's no longer following her mother, but a mother bear! The shock that each character faces is just too adorable when they realize they aren't where they belong. It is an older picture book, but the story is just timeless.

Number Nine

Two Bad Ants by author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg

This story is a good example of what trouble greed can get you in. When a colony of ants discover a sweet crystal (sugar) and begin taking some back to the queen, two ants decide they want to stay with the sweet stuff - forget the queen! They soon learn that a kitchen is a horrible place to be, if you are an ant, that is. It has wonderful illustrations that make you think twice about your kitchen appliances.

Number Eight

Owl Moon by author Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr

This one won the Caldecott Medal in 1988. It is a very sweet and soft book about the relationship between a father and a daughter as they go out late one night looking for owls. It helps to reinforce the fact that fathers and daughters need to spend quality time together. The illustrations are just breath-taking.

Number Seven

The Polar Express by author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg

I didn't really plan on choosing two of his books for my top ten, but they are two that I really do like. Most people are very familiar with this one since it was made into a movie with Tom Hanks. The movie does an excellent job, but don't forget that the book came first. The illustrations show a different world - a magical world - as only Chris Van Allsburg can pull off. He happens to be one of my favorite author/illustrators. This book is a fresh way of looking at the Christmas Spirit of Santa Claus. It keeps that mystery alive.

Number Six

Owen by author/illustrator Kevin Henkes

This book has several awards under its belt. It's a Caldecott Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book, and the Child Magazine Children's Book Award Winner. It focuses on the attachment that Owen has to his yellow fuzzy blanket. His parents don't know what they'll do about it when he starts school, so their nosy neighbor gives several suggestions. By the end, they finally find a solution to the problem that keeps everyone happy.

Number Five

Pink and Say by author/illustrator Patricia Polacco

Patricia Polacco happens to be one of my favorite authors, so it's no surprise that three of her books made it into my top five. This story is full of sadness, loyalty, friendship and sacrifice. It takes place during the Civil War and tells the story of two young men, boys really, that have been thrown into the war. One boy is black and the other white. Color didn't matter to them. This one just might make you cry. It won the 1997 West Virginia Children's Book Award.

Number Four

Thundercake by author/illustrator Patricia Polacco

This book is based on her own fears of thunder as a child. It is about her grandmother helping her to overcome that fear by baking a cake. It's more than just baking a cake, though. It's the gathering of the ingredients and spending time focusing on what her grandmother says. You can also make the cake that is talked about in the book yourself with your own child. The recipe is available.

Number Three

When Lightning Comes in a Jar by author/illustrator Patricia Polacco

Another one of my favorites by Polacco. This book is about a family reunion and how her Gramma has a surprise for the young ones. Most people know what lightning in a jar is, but for the children that don't know - the book makes it an adventure. This evokes memories in me of when I was a child catching lightning in a jar and using it as a nightlight in my room. Just a wonderful piece of work by a wonderful author/illustrator.

Number Two

The Giving Tree by author/illustrator Shel Silverstein

I absolutely love this symbolic book. The tree loves the little boy so much that it gives all that it can give. For the boy, it never seems to be enough. The tree watches the boy grow and he goes through all the different stages and needs of life - all the way to the end. The tree makes the ultimate sacrifice for the boy, just like parents do for their children. It can also be compared to Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice for all of us sinners. Beautifully written and simply illustrated all in Silverstein style. You just can't go wrong with this book.

Number One

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw

Every mom needs to have this book. Likewise, so should every child. It's timeless because it touches all generations. Munsch based this book on a song he had in his head after having two babies still born. As heartbreaking as that sounds, the book is not. It will play with your emotions and will make you cry by the end, though. It goes from very humorous to a sad fact of life. Munsch has a recorded version of it on his website. I highly recommend you listen to how he intended for it to be read. Although, my version of the song is shared with my son, you may come up with your own version, too.

There are so many wonderful children's picture books out on the market today. This was a difficult task to just put down my top ten. As a teacher, I have read these in my classroom and have even created lesson plans out of them. No matter what you use the books for - teaching or just spending time with your child - I hope you enjoy them. Besides, that is what the authors and illustrators want you to do in the first place.