THE FIVE: Picture Books You Never Outgrow

When you hear "picture books," most people immediately think of books for little kids. But between a new crop of illustrated books that are works of art and the old classics that you never outgrow, those people would be wrong. Here's a list of books with pictures that even I'm not too old to love.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This book is simply a work of art. Sepia-toned, wordless illustrations take you on a staggeringly beautiful journey.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil by Wiley Miller
Most times when you see a book with a name that you recognize from the funny pages of your local newspaper, the book is just a collection of unconnected comic strips. This isn't the case with The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil. This serial from Miller's strip "Non Sequitur" is a smart and funny story.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
This book is part novel and part silent movie. Sections of traditional text flow seamlessly into and out of sections of black and white, full-page illustrations with absolutely no text.

 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett
Funny and whimsical, you can never outgrow a classic like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg
If there were just a few more letters in the alphabet, this would make a beautiful coffee-table book. Sinister things are at work in Van Allsburg's drawings, as the letters are offed one by one, in perfect murder-mystery fashion.

 

What do you think? What are some of your favorite so-called "picture books?"

— Carly H., STACKS Staffer

Comments

[Comment #1]

1.Math Curse
2.Go Dogs Go(Do you like my hat? No, I do not like your hat.)
3.Click Clack Moo
4.Baloney;Henry P.(zimulus!)
5.Verde(or any others by Janell Cannon)

[Comment #2]

1. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
2. Where the Wild Things Are
3. Little Pea (fairly new, but I enjoyed it a lot)
4. Sheep in a Jeep
5. Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters From Obedience School (hilawious)

[Comment #3]

1-The Sneetches
2-Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
3-No, David!
4-Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
5-The Dot and the Line