Early this month, I learned that November is Picture Book Month and Picture Book Idea Month. This made me think about my favourite picture books, and two or three titles in particular. I decided to tweet one. And then I thought, Why not tweet a favourite picture book each day of the month? So that's what I've been doing (follow @dimitra_c or see the list, to date, below).

I love picture books. I don't read as many as I used to, particularly a few years ago when I had to review a lot of picture books as part of my job. I still read them to the children in my life on a regular basis, and the children's section of any bookstore is almost always the first place I visit.

I think it's ironic (oh gosh, am I using that word correctly?) that I love picture books so much even though I have a tendency to overlook the pictures and focus on the text. I often have to slow myself down and look—really look—at the pictures.

Two books written by authors who are also illustrators helped me to appreciate what pictures can bring to a story, and the different ways they can convey information, emotion, the passage of time, and more:
  • Picture This: How pictures work by Molly Bang 
  • Writing With Pictures: How to write and illustrate children's books by Uri Shulevitz
But it's reading to and with my goddaughter and her brother—and other children—that really taught me to pay attention to the pictures. They point out things I don't notice, make connections, find inconsistencies, and ask questions (oh the questions…). I have sometimes glanced at their faces while I'm reading, or just before we turn a page, and I see their eyes flickering all over the page.

The books on my list all made an impression when I first encountered them and have stayed with me ever since. They moved me somehow, or made me laugh. And they stand up to repeated readings (though I must admit there are a couple here I haven't read in a while...).

I'm not sure I'll be able to come up with enough titles that meet these criteria to continue tweeting until the end of the month. The first eight or so came easily, off the top of my head, but I've had to do some thinking since. There are dozens and dozens of wonderful picture books that I like very much, but only the ones I love should be on this list.

My Favourite Picture Books
  • I Have an Olive Tree by Eve Bunting, Karen Barbour (my all-time favourite)
  • Come On Rain! by Karen Hesse, Jon J. Muth
  • Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall
  • Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (my favourite book to read aloud)
  • I Love My Bear by Jules Feiffer
  • The Perfume of Memory by Michelle Nikly, Jean Claverie
  • Who Built the Pyramid? by Meredith Hooper, Robin Heighway-Bury (from Candlewick Press, one of my favourite publishers of kids' books)
  • Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
  • Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
  • Sheila Rae the Brave by Kevin Henkes
  • Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
  • Click Clack Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin
  • The Boy, A Kitchen, and His Cave by Catherine K. Contopoulos
  • Poems for the Very Young selected by Michael Rosen, art Bob Graham
  • If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith
  • Red is Best by Kathy Stinson, Rob Baird Lewis
  • Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, John Shoenherr
  • Weslandia by Paul Fleischman, Kevin Hawkes
PS Most if what I know about editing children's books I learned in May 2004 at a two-day seminar sponsored by the EAC and taught by Debbie Rogosin, then an editor with Kids Can Press. Thank you Debbie!

Links
  • Picture Book Month
    http://picturebookmonth.com/
  • Picture Book Idea Month
    http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/piboidmo-official-sign-up-starts-today-right-here-right-now/
  • Picture This
    http://www.mollybang.com/Pages/picture.html
  • Writing With Pictures
    http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Writing-Pictures-How-Write-Illustrate-Uri-Shulevitz/9780823059355-item.html