Wonder Bear

Author and Illustrator: Tao Nyeu
Publication Date:  2008

Surreal wordless adventure story. Beautiful illustrations.

Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem

Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Adam Rex
Publication Date:  2009

Great story about personal responsibility. Set in San Francisco. Dry humor. Excellent illustrations. Surprise ending.

McFig & McFly : a tale of jealousy, revenge, and death (with a happy ending)

Author and Illustrator: Henrik Drescher
Publication Date: 2008

Two neighbors become obsessed with competing to build the biggest best house. I love the Seuss-like fantasy architecture.

Pssst!

 Author and Illustrator: Adam Rex
Publication Date: 2007

Funny quirky book about a girl that goes to the zoo and gets ensnared in the animals’ collective scheming. Great illustrations. 

Sector 7

Author and Illustrator: David Wiesner
Publication Date: 1999

Clever and humorous fantasy about a boy that discovers a cloud factory over NYC. Wordless book, and the illustrations are amazing.

Rainstorm

Author and Illustrator: Barbara Lehman
Publication Date: 2007

A mysterious sweet story about a lonely boy who makes some friends. Very inventive. Wordless book.

Drummer Hoff

Author: adapted by Barbara Emberley
Illustrator: Ed Emberley
Publication Date: 1967

Based on a folk song. Amazing illustrations. Cumulative text that’s fun to read aloud. Surprise ending. Love it.

Richard Scarry’s Biggest Word Book Ever!

Author and Illustrator: Richard Scarry
Publication Date: 1985

This book is HUGE. 2 feet tall, sturdy board book. The pictures are so immense and detailed, you could almost get lost. I like to imagine living in Lowly the Worm’s apple house and driving his apple car around town.

The Sailor Dog

Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Garth Williams
Publication Date: 1953

Takes you on an exciting adventure with a scruffy pup named “Scuppers.” Also includes a song at the end (“I am Scupper the Sailor Dog…”). Gotta love a book that ends with a song. Authored by the prolific Margaret Wise Brown, whose narratives always leave me wondering weather she was smoking something funny when she wrote.

The Teeny Tiny Woman

Author: folktale

Illustrator: Margot Zemach

Publication Date: 1972

A surpisingly creepy little book with the most charming illustrations ever. I wish I lived in the protagonist’s teeny tiny house. The book itself is quite small, which adds to its appeal. I’ve seen other versions of this folktale, but they’re not nearly as endearing.