Books Glorious Books! And The People Who Write Them

So I love books. That is pretty obvious if you know me or have ever even talked to me. So I thought I would share some things I have learned about books and reading with children, along with some suggestions of books for appropriate ages, over several blog entries (I won't bog you down all at once).

I'll start by suggesting some of my favorite authors of picture books (along with a couple of their best books-in my opinion of course-after all my blog is just a practice in narcissism!)

In no particular order:

Anita Lobel -fantastic artist and storyteller! Her books are beautiful! I have never gone wrong with any of her books. A couple of the best are "Allison's Zinnia," "Pierrot's ABC Garden," and"Sven's Bridge." She is also the illustrator of books by other authors including...

Arnold Lobel -husband to the author above. They collaborated a couple of times. She illustrated and he authored one of my all-time favorite books "On Market Street," as well as "The Rose in My Garden." He is also an artist and he wrote and illustrated all the of the "Frog and Toad" books (more of the easy-reader category). Another great book of his is "The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments" we still talk about that one around our house.
Any age child will love the Lobel's books!

Patricia Polacco -I stumbled across her books by accident and fell in love! She is another author/artist (their books seem to be the best of the best). Her artwork is beautiful. I have read all I have been able to get my hands on. A couple of my favorites are "Thank You Mr. Falker" (be prepared to cry), "Pink and Say," and "Rechenka's Eggs" (the artwork in this one is especially fantastic!) Some themes and the lengths of the books are more appropriate for older kids maybe ages 6-9.

Pat Hutchins -So much fun to read her books and see her elaborate artwork! Some good ones are "Rosie's Walk" and "Ten Red Apples." Great for young children ages 2-4.

Kevin Henkes -I am sure many of you have read some of his books. He is very well known. A couple of my favorites are "Chrysanthemum" ( I love the language he uses in this books!) and "Kitten's First Full Moon." Several ages can enjoy these, probably more 2-6.

Tomie DePaola -another very well known author/illustrator. His artwork is very distinct. I love "Strega Nona" and "The Art Lesson."

William Steig -He has won numerous awards for his books. I have read several and recommend all, but I always go back to "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" and "Dr. DeSoto."

Chris Van Allsburg -Most well known for "The Polar Express." I also love "The Widow's Broom" and "Z Was Zapped."

I hope this small list helps when looking for great books for kids of all ages.