Picture Books

A

• Alcott, Louisa May

  • 
    Little Women
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Little Men
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Jo’s Boys
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Eight Cousins
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Rose in Bloom
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Jack and Jill
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3

• Alexander, Lloyd

  • 
    The Pyrdain Chronicles Box Set
    Several books
    Gender: B
    Level: 3, 4

• Alsburg, Chris Van

  • 
    The Wretched Stone
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

B

• Banks, Lynne Reid

  • 
    The Indian in the Cupboard
    And sequels; one of them has some weird spiritual aspects—may want to skip that one
    Gender: B
    Level: 2, 3

• Barker, Cicely Mary

  • 
    The Lord of the Rushie River
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Barklem, Jill

  • The Brambly Hedge series

  • 
    Poppy's Babies
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Summer Story
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Sea Story
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Autumn Story
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Secret Staircase
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Winter Story
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The High Hills
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Spring Story
    The illustrations are exquisite
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3

• Beatty, Patricia

  • 
    Turn Homeward, Hannalee
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Bernadette

  • 
    Varenka
    a Russian story of a delayed answer to prayer and the miracle that results
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

• Birdsall, Jeanne

  • 
    The Penderwicks
    And sequels
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Blyton, Enid

   A British author born at the turn of the century who wrote around 800 books. She has a cult following; worth exploring.
  • 
    The Famous Five Series
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Children of Cherry Tree Farm
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Tales of Betsy Mae
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Brink, Carol Ryrie

  • 
    Caddie Woodlawn
    My favorite chapter book growing up!
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Magical Melons
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Brooks, Walter

  • Freddy series

  • 
    Freddy goes to Florida
    Approx. 20 in the series; written in the 1920’s—about a poet detective pig--humurous and clever) some of our favorites:
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    The Clockwork Twin
    Approx. 20 in the series; written in the 1920’s—about a poet detective pig--humurous and clever) some of our favorites:
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    Freddy Goes to the North Pole
    Approx. 20 in the series; written in the 1920’s—about a poet detective pig--humurous and clever) some of our favorites:
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    Freddy, the Detective
    Approx. 20 in the series; written in the 1920’s—about a poet detective pig--humurous and clever) some of our favorites:
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    Freddy and Mr. Camphor
    Approx. 20 in the series; written in the 1920’s—about a poet detective pig--humurous and clever) some of our favorites:
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

• Browne, Frances

  • 
    Granny’s Wonderful Chair
    Fanciful stories
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Bunting, Eve

  • A Hanukkah story—very moving

  • 
    One Candle
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Burnett, Frances Hodgson

  • 
    The Little Princess
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    The Secret Garden
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

C

• Cassanova, Maria

  • 
    Moose Tracks
    and sequel
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Caudill, Rebecca

  • 
    A Certain Small Shepherd
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Celenza, Anna Harwell

  • 
    Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
    C.D. incl.
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Cleary, Beverly

  • 
    Henry Huggins
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Henry and Ribsy
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Collington, Peter

  • 
    A Small Miracle
    Wordless Christmas story—a family favorite
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

• Cooney, Barbara

  • 
    Miss Rumphius
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Eleanor
    About Eleanor Roosevelt’s life
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Cullen, Lynn

  • 
    The Mightiest Heart
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

D

• Dalgliesh, Alice

  • 
    The Silver Pencil
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• deAngeli, Marguerite

   Many others of her books not listed are good as well
  • 
    Door in the Wall
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Thee, Hannah!
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Deedy, Carmen Agra

  • 
    The Yellow Star
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Dicamillo, Kate

  • 
    The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

E

• Eager, Edward

  • Tales of Magic

  • 
    Knight’s Castle
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    The Well-Wishers
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Half Magic
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Early, Margaret

  • 
    Robin Hood
    Medieval looking illustrations—one plate per story
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Enright, Elizabeth

  • 
    Gone Away Lake
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Return to Gone Away Lake
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

  • The Melendy Quartet

  • 
    The Saturdays
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    The Four-Story Mistake
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Then There Were Five
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Spiderweb for Two
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Estes, Eleanor

  • 
    The Hundred Dresses
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Moffats
    And all the sequels
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

F

• Field, Rachel

  • 
    Hitty
    I like the one rewritten by Rosemary Wells and illus. by Susan Jeffers—a cross betw. a picture book and a chapter book—lovely, full page illustrations
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3

• French, Allen

   Excellent boy stories!
  • 
    The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow
    Gender: B
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    The Red Keep
    Gender: B
    Level: 3, 4

G

• George, Jean Craighead

  • 
    My Side of the Mountain Trilogy
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

  • Julie of the Wolves

  • 
    Julie of the Wolves
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Julie
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Julie's Wolf Pack
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Godden, Rumer

  • 
    The Doll’s House
    Gender: G
    Level: 3

• Goudge, Elizabeth

  • 
    The Little White Horse
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Linnets and Valerians
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Graham, Kenneth

  • The Wind in the Willows (2 Editions)

  • 
    The Wind in the Willows
    I do like the one abridged and illustrated by Inga Moore. She doesn’t change the language, but does edit out lengthy description that for some children is cumbersome—including mine.
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Wind in the Willows (Inga Moore)
    I do like the one abridged and illustrated by Inga Moore. She doesn’t change the language, but does edit out lengthy description that for some children is cumbersome—including mine.
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Green, Roger Lancelyn

   One of the Inklings; wrote great versions of these and many other classics
  • 
    The Adventures of Robin Hood
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Gruelle, Johnny

  • 
    Wooden Willie
    A little known one, but a family favorite
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Paper Dragon
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Guarnieri, Paolo

  • 
    A Boy Named Giotto
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

H

• Harrison, Michael

  • 
    Don Quixote
    A retelling of the Miguel de Cervantes tale
    Gender: B
    Level: 3

• Henry, Marguerite

  • 
    Treasury of Horses Box Set
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Herriot, James

  • 
    A Treasury for Children
    Great retellings from his veterinarian books
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

• Hest, Amy

  • 
    When Jessie Came Across the Sea
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Hodges, Margaret

  • 
    Merlin and the Making of the King
    Great retellings of many stories
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Kitchen Knight
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Saint George and the Dragon
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

J

• Jacques, Brian

  • 
    Redwall
    21 books, all in the series. Great boy books!
    Gender: B
    Level: 3, 4

• Jefferies, Richard

  • 
    Bevis, the Story of a Boy
    Written in 1906
    Gender: B
    Level: 3

• Jewett, Eleanore M.

  • 
    The Hidden Treasure of Glaston
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

K

• Konigsberg, E.L.

  • 
    The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

L

• Larson, Kirby

  • 
    Hattie Big Sky
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• LeFeuvre, Amy

  • 
    Teddy’s Button
    Written in 17th century? republished by Lamplighter Publishing. Great boy story!
    Gender: B
    Level: 2, 3

• Lewis, C.S.

   All of his books as soon as children can read them, esp. The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce (L4)
  • 
    The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

• Lovelace, Maud Hart

  • 
    The Betsy-Tacy Treasury: The First Four Betsy-Tacy Books
    Gender: G
    Level: 2, 3

• Lunge-Larsen, Lise

  • 
    The Race of the Birkebeiners
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

M

• MacDonald, George

  • 
    The Princess and the Goblin
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    The Princess and Curdie
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    The Light Princess
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

• MacLachlan, Patricia

   I find her books painfully beautiful
  • 
    Sarah, Plain and Tall
    and all the sequels—painfully beautifully
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Edward's Eyes
    beautiful, but very heavy subject matter—a child dies
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Mains, David and Karen

   Christian fantasy for older children
  • 
    Tales of the Kingdom
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Tales of the Resistance
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Martin, Ann M. and Laura Godwin

  • 
    The Doll People
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• McCloskey, Robert

  • 
    Homer Price
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• McSwigan, Marie

  • 
    Snow Treasure
    WWII
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Milne, A.A.

  • 
    Pooh's Library: Winnie-The-Pooh
    Certainly this is one of the best children’s books of all time. Make sure to read the real version, not just all the picture book selections. The whole family can enjoy the different levels of humor.
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

• Montgomery, Lucy M.

  • 
    Anne of Green Gables series
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Emily of New Moon
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

N

• Nesbit, E.

  • 
    The Enchanted Castle
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    The Railway Children
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Five Children and It
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    The Phoenix and the Carpet
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Norton, Mary

  • 
    The Borrowers Series
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

O

• O’Brien, Robert C.

  • 
    Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

P

• Park, Linda Sue

  • 
    A Single Shard
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Pearce, Phillipa

  • 
    Tom’s Midnight Garden
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Minnow on the Say
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Pearl S. Buck

  • 
    Christmas Day in the Morning
    A boy gives his father a gift of service--beautiful
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

• Peck, Richard

  • 
    Way Down Yonder
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    A Long Way From Chicago
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Philbrick, Margaret

  • 
    Back to the Manger
    Lovely Christmas story with great local (Chicago) references & illus.
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

• Polacco, Patricia

   Great current children’s author who illustrates her own books; appeals to a broad range of children; celebrates family, miracle, and heritage. I do not like all of her books because they express attitudes or moral choices with which I disagree, but the ones listed below are excellent.
  • 
    The Butterfly
    Heavy subject matter—Jews plight during the Holocaust
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Pink and Say
    For older children—a Civil War story
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

R

• Ransome, Arthur

  • 
    Swallow and Amazons
    And all in series, 12 books total
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Reilly-Giff, Patricia

  • Nory Ryan's Song Series

  • 
    Nory Ryan's Song
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Maggie's Door
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Water Street
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    Eleven
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4
  • 
    "R" My Name is Rachel
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Rylant, Cynthia

  • Cobblestreet Cousins

  • 
    In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Some Good News
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    A Little Shopping
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    Special Gifts
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3
  • 
    The Relatives Came
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

S

• Seldon, George

  • 
    A Cricket in Times Square
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Seredy, Kate

  • 
    A Tree for Peter
    An amazing redemptive story; a generational favorite in our family
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Shemin, Margaretha

  • 
    The Little Riders
    A WWII story about a girl who is very courageous
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Sidney, Margaret

  • 
    The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (5 Book Set)
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• St. John, Patricia

  • 
    Patricia St John Series
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Sutcliff, Rosemary

   Retells a lot of ancient classics very well
  • 
    Black Ships Before Troy
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    Eagles of the Ninth
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    The Wanderings of Odysseus
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

T

• Taylor, Sidney

  • All of a Kind Family Series

  • 
    All-of-a-Kind Family
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    More All-Of-A-Kind Family
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    All-Of-A-Kind Family Downtown
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3
  • 
    Ella Of All-Of-A-Kind Family
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Tolkien, J.R.R.

  • 
    The Hobbit
    PLEASE do not let your children watch these movies until they have read the books!
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3, 4

• Tudor, Tasha

   Mostly known for her lovely illustrations
  • 
    Pumpkin Moonshine
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4
  • 
    A Time to Keep
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4
  • 
    A Doll's Christmas
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4
  • 
    Wings from the Wind
    An anthology of poems
    Gender: Both
    Level: 1, 2, 3, 4

V

• von Stockhum, Hilda

  • 
    A Day on Skates
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

W

• Wangerin, Walter, Jr.

  • 
    Peter’s First Easter
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    Mary’s First Christmas
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

• Wells, Rosemary

  • 
    Lassie Come Home
    A retelling—beautifully illustrated
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• White, E.B.

  • 
    Charlotte’s Web
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4
  • 
    The Trumpet of the Swan
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3, 4

• Wilder, Laura Ingalls

  • 
    The Little House Box Set
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Winthrop, Elizabeth

  • 
    The Castle in the Attic
    Gender: Both
    Level: 3

• Wise, William

  • 
    The Black Falcon
    From the Decameron, retold by Wise
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3

• Wood, Audrey and Don

  • 
    A Cowboy Christmas: The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge
    Gender: Both
    Level: 2, 3