Our Reviews of Books Banned in 2017
November 3, 2017
Thanksgiving Books We are Grateful For!
November 17, 2017A Century of Picture Books
"If I had to choose a single reason why I believe picture books are important,
it would have to be this;
Picture books are meant to be shared."
-Eric Ode
November is Picture Book Month!
I think it's safe to assume that everyone has a picture book... or two... or many, that they've cherished throughout their life. Whether it's one that your parents read to you when you were little, one that you read to your children now, or the one that's been passed down for generations, picture books are meant to be shared with others, and that's what makes them so dear to our hearts.
To celebrate Picture Book Month, here's our list of favorite picture books throughout the century!
1910s
Sky Island - by L. Frank Baum. Illustrated by John R. Neill.
Published in 1912.
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie - by May Gibbs. Illustrated by May Gibbs.
Published in 1918.
The Magic Pudding - by Norman Lindsay. Illustrated by Norman Lindsay.
Published in 1918.
1920s
Just William - by Richmal Crompton. Illustrated by Thomas Henry.
Published in 1922.
The Magical Land of Noom - by Johnny Gruelle. Illustrated by Johnny Gruelle.
Published in 1922.
The Milly, Molly, Mandy Storybook - by Joyce Lankester Brisley. Illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley.
Published in 1928.
1930s
The Little Engine That Could - by Watty Piper. Illustrated by George and Doris Hauman.
Published in 1930.
The Story of Barbar, the Little Elephant - by Jean de Brunhoff. Illustrated by Jean de Brunhoff.
Published in 1931.
Andy and the Lion - by James Daugherty. Illustrated by James Daugherty.
Published in 1938.
1940s
Curious George - by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey. Illustrated by H.A. Rey.
Published in 1941.
Make Way for Ducklings - by Robert McCloskey. Illustrated by Robert McCloskey.
Published in 1941.
The Carrot Seed - by Ruth Krauss. Illustrated by Crockett Johnson.
Published in 1945.
1950s
Petunia - by Roger Duvoisin. Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin.
Published in 1950.
Frog Went A-Courtin' - by John Langstaff. Illustrated by Feodor Stepanovich Rojankovsky.
Published in 1955.
Chanticleer and the Fox - by Barbara Cooney. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney.
Published in 1958.
1960s
Green Eggs and Ham - by Dr. Seuss. Illustrated by Dr. Seuss.
Published in 1960.
Where the Wild Things Are - by Maurice Sendak. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak.
Published in 1963.
The Giving Tree - by Shel Silverstein. Illustrated by Shel Silverstein.
Published in 1964.
1970s
Frog and Toad are Friends - by Arnold Lobel. Illustrated by Arnold Lobel.
Published in 1970.
The Amazing Bone - by William Steig. Illustrated by William Steig.
Published in 1976.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs- by Judi Barrett. Illustrated by Ron Barrett.
Published in 1978.
1980s
The Polar Express - by Chris Van Allsburg. Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.
Published in 1985.
Owl Moon - by Jane Yolen. Illustrated by John Schoenherr.
Published in 1987.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault. Illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
Published in 1989.
1990s
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales - by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by Lane Smith.
Published in 1992.
Grandfather's Journey - by Allen Say. Illustrated by Allen Say.
Published in 1993.
No, David!- by David Shannon. Illustrated by David Shannon.
Published in 1998
2000s
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type - by Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin.
Published in 2000.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! - by Mo Willems. Illustrated by Mo Willems.
Published in 2003.
The Lion & the Mouse - by Jerry Pinkney. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
Published in 2009.
2010s
A Sick Day for Amos Gee by Philip C Seed. Illustrated by Erin E. Seed.
Published in 2010.
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klasen.
Published in 2010.
Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
Published in 2010.
There you have it! While picking only three books from each decade was not an easy task, especially considering we could only put Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein on once, there are so many other picture books that we love!
Now we challenge you to read a different picture book every day this month (though is that even really a challenge?). To help get you started, we found this handy calendar to give you ideas of topics to choose! Be sure to click on the picture on the left to visit the official Picture Book Month website for even more activities, inspiration, and cute materials.
