All of us (I hope) have memories of reading a favorite book on a warm lap or at bedtime. Mine is of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a book with yummy things to eat, and a comforting sense of order, and, quite amazingly in the 1970’s, holes! In the book! Such anarchy!
I’ve been the buyer for the picture books at ABC Amsterdam for ten years – almost as long as I’ve worked here. I’ve read hundred of them as a parent, student teacher and as a child myself and I’ve learned what works for both audiences: the very best picture books are the ones that neither grown-up or child ever gets tired reading, even after a hundred renditions. Some of my favorites, like Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny and Ian Falconer’s Olivia have plenty to make parents chuckle but still satisfy 5 year olds, every time. Great picture books have humor, or rhythm, or eye-catching pictures or a great story, and sometimes, like Joseph Had A Little Overcoat, or Bark, George, they have all of these and that’s why they win awards and stay at the top of bestseller lists.
This list covers old and new classics from both the UK and USA. It’s a list of my own personal favorites, ABC bestsellers and the most-agreed upon classics that will appeal to children up to about five years old. Most of these titles have the added advantage of being great for use in the (ESL) classroom: they have lots of repetition, annd present key concepts and vocabulary in fun ways. I’ve used quite a few of these books in math, science and art lessons too!
Of course it’s hard to be objective when it comes to picture books. If your favorite picture book isn’t on this list, it probably didn’t mean my abitrary and biased criteria, but feel free to champion it in the comments list. I might even add it. 
Books Every Child Should Be Given Upon Birth
Absolutely Essential Books to Grow On
Books with a Dutch Theme
Books Every Child Should Be Given Upon Birth
- Dear Zoo – Rod Campbell
- Where’s Spot – Eric Hill
- Little Fish – Guido van Genechten
- Where is Baby’s Belly Button – Karen Katz
- Peek-a-Who? – Nina Laden
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – Bill Martin Jr.
- Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown
- Peepo – Janet and Allan Ahlberg
- Where’s Maisy – Lucy Cousins
- Alphabooks - Julie Aigner Clark
Absolutely Essential Books to Grow On
- I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed – Lauren Child
- I Will Never Not Ever Eat A Tomato – Lauren Child
- Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
- Corduroy - Don Freeman
- Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
- Giraffes Can’t Dance – Giles Andreae
- How to Catch A Star - Oliver Jeffers
- 10 Little Rubber Ducks – Eric Carle
- Mouse Paint - Ellen Stoll Walsh
- Rosie’s Walk - Pat Hutchins
- Good Night, Gorilla - Peggy Rathman
- 10 Minutes till Bedtime – Peggy Rathman
- Caps for Sale -Esphyr Slobodkina
- Ten in the Bed – Penny Dale
- The Carrot Seed – Ruth Krauss
- Handa’s Surprise - Eileen Browne
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – Bill Martin Jr.
- Knuffle Bunny - Mo Willems
- Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus – Mo Willems
- Not a Box - Antoinette Portis
- Kipper - Mick Inkpen
- Dogger – Shirley Hughes
- Beware of Boys – Tony Blundell
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka
- Anno’s Counting Book - Mitsuomo Anno
- The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats
- The Snowman - Raymond Briggs
- Peace At Last - Jill Murphy
- We’re Going On A Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen
- Owl Babies – Martin Waddell
- Can’t You Sleep Little Bear? – Martin Waddell
- Go Away, Big Green Monster! - Ed Emberley
- Freight Train - Donald Crews
- Chimp and Zee - Laurence and Catherine Anholt
- Elmer - David McKee
- Not Now, Bernard – David McKee
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea – Judith Kerr
- Bread and Jam for Frances – Russell Hoban
- Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy - Lynley Dodd
- Click, Clack, Moo : Cows That Type – Doreen Cronin
- Bark, George – Jules Feiffer
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Judith Viorst
- Pete’s a Pizza – William Steig
- Curious George – H. A. Rey
- Olivia – Ian Falconer
- Room on the Broom – Julia Donaldson
- The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson
- Green Eggs And Ham – Dr Seuss
- The Rainbow Fish – Marcus Pfister
- The Little Engine That Could – Watty Piper
- Where’s My Teddy – Jex Alborough
- The Elephant and the Bad Baby – Elfrida Vipont
- Oi! Get off Our Train! – John Burningham
- Joseph Had A Little Overcoat - Simms Taback
- Farmer Duck – Martin Waddell
- Harold and The Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
Books with a Dutch Theme
- Frog is Frog - Max Velthuijs
- Miffy – Dick Bruna
- Jip and Janneke – Annie M.G. Schmidt
- Camille and the Sunflowers – Laurence and Catherine Anholt
- Katie and the Sunflowers - James Mayhew
- The Boy who Held Back The Sea – Thomas Locker
- Hana in the Time of the Tulips – Deborah Noyes
- Katje the Windmill Cat – Gretchen Woelfle
- The Cow Who Fell In The Canal - Phyllis Krasilovsky
Tags: board books, books for babies, books for toddler, Children's Books, first books, lists, picture books, recommendations
Oh of course! I was thinking either Barnyard Dance or But Not The Hippopotamus and then didn’t add them for some reason. I’ll add at least one Boynton next week.
Fabulous list, Hayley! I love Olivia, and Knuffle Bunny, and Charlie and Lola books too.
I have to champion my favorite, though, which didn’t make it: Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton. We have one copy of this board book that has been in the family for nearly 18 years, and looks it, too. It has been drawn on and in and parts of it are torn to shreds. Still, once you open it up, the rhythm of the words have you bobbing your head and the children of my family dancing in no time. “Stomp your feet, clap your hands, everybody ready for a barnyard dance!”
The same applies to Boynton’s Doggies in my family. A counting book with practically no words, but which allows the adult and the kid to make up the barks and yips and howls of a newly added dog every page. Rowdy stuff!