Christmas Prezzie List #1 - Picture Books

As you all know, I love reading. My book collection is a large and glorious thing. Someday I will have a room ringed with bookcases to the ceiling and it still won't be enough room. And that's not even including the eBook collection.

It should come as no surprise that the kiddos have their own collection of books - from factual to fanciful, books are just a fixture at home.

Should also be no surprise that books are a favorite gift. With that in mind, here are a few picture books to consider if you are looking for a present for a young reader (or an adult who loves good illustrations).

Note: these are a couple of my favorites published in the last few years (I'm not including some of my all-time favs, like Where the Wild Things Are, because, well, I think you've already heard of it).

Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards

The illustrations in this one are absolutely stunning. The kiddos love pointing out all of the little details, like the 'A'ligator on the 'A'rmchair. We spent a lot of time finding all of the items in the picture that began with the featured letter. They're learning the alphabet anyways and this is a very fun way to reinforce it. Have had to read it over and over again (and I don't mind!).

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

About a little boy who finds a spark of life amidst urban decay, tends it, and leads to a garden taking over the city (in a good way). Beautiful artwork, too.

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

A boy at the beach encounters pirates, becomes a pirate for a day, and finds he'd rather be a little boy at home. A great book to read aloud - I admit to having a whole lotta fun performing Braid Beard's lines. The illustrations are wonderful as well.

Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed

One of my favorites. You have the 'perfectly predictable practical pig' who doesn't know that he is sad, and the adventurous elephant who brings him out of his shell. Wonderful story about the value of friends - especially those who have a different take on the world than we do.

Lost & Found by Shaun Tan

I'd originally gotten an ARC of this one to review for Amazon Vine [link goes to Vine review]. In that review, I mentioned that not only did I love it, but it is something my young kids would love too. And they do. I tried keeping it on my own shelf with my ARCs, but they would not have it. They actually got mad that it wasn't on their shelf and they kept stealing it back. Can't really argue with them - the illustrations are absolutely amazing, and the stories (ranging from the more more simple and uplifting to the thought-provoking) are very good too. My kids love The Nightmare Before Christmas, so this was right up their alley.