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Category Archives: picture books for pairing
picture books about cats
It’s no secret I’m a cat lover. (Hi, Muffin the Cat!)
Here are my favorite cat picture books (the small cat kind—I’ll save big cats for another time).
New Cat by Yangsook Choi (1999).
This cat lives in Mr. Kim’s tofu factory. That’s right! I love a picture book with so much specificity. And tofu. And sweetness. That New Cat saves the day for Mr. Kim.
I Like Cats by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Pamela Paparone (2004).
This one celebrates all the kinds of cats!! All the colors, sizes, traits, and antics of cats!
Square Cat by Elizabeth Schoonmaker (2011).
Let’s just say it’s not easy being a square cat in a round cat world. This book is so funny, and full of friendship too. Just look at that Square Cat, Eula!
Cat Napped by Leeza Hernandea (2014, just released June 12th!).
In this one, a cat who likes to mosey and curl up nice and cozy ends up cat napped! Well, not exactly cat napped. But still, she needs to be reunited with her owner so she can be a wrap, lap, nap cat again. (And the cat’s eyes, you will be taken in by its eyes!)
Goyangi Means Cat by Christine McDonnell, pictures by Steven Johnson and Lou Fancher (2011).
A young girl moves to America, where she doesn’t speak English, and develops a bond with a cat. Goyangi. And then, when there’s trouble, Goyangi becomes her connection to this new world and new language.
How to Be a Cat by Nikki McClure (2013).
Quintessential Nikki McClure in which one perfect word accompanies a cut paper illustration. Stretch, Pounce, Clean: the essence of cat.
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (2011).
Beautiful and clever. Don’t cats and haiku just naturally go together?!
Your turn. Cat books that make the meow?
10 books to celebrate summer!
Ah, summertime. It’s my favorite. Sun and water and stone fruit and sunsets, here we come!
Here are 10 quintessentially summer books to revel in!
Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe (1985).
Fireflies (or lightning bugs), as lovely and fleeting as a summer evening. The neighborhood kids grab their jars and run barefoot in the grass to catch as many as they can. But in one boy’s jar, the fireflies’ “light grew dimmer, green, like moonlight under water.” So he lets them go.
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (1991).
The wonderful place children create for themselves as children do: a town, a wilderness all their own. This book is a treasure. (Great pair with Andrew Henry’s Meadow.)
Beach by Elisha Cooper (2006).
Ah, the beach. This captures it.
Garmann’s Summer by Stian Hole (2008).
Wonderful and bizarre, this book in the Garmann series deals with the summer before starting school. And fear. My favorite element is the last line. Garmann finishes the book right where he started: scared. Because that’s true. But he’s explored so much along the way.
All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Nikki McClure (2009).
This power pair presents a fresh, rhyming, sweet day filled with the outdoors and kindness.
Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam Her Way to Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History! by Shana Corey, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham (2009).
We all know I’m a huge Shana Corey fan and this book is another reason why. Another bio of an inspiring, courageous, and joyful historical woman who makes big waves in the water! (And has an effect on the progression of ladies’ bathing suits.)
Blackout by John Rocco (2011).
What could be more urban summer than a blackout in the city? Rocco knocks it out of the park with this one. Without light and buzzing things, there are so many lovely things to do—go to the roof, meet your neighbors, play a board game for a few.
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2011).
Summer camping trips are the best times to see stars in the sky. But in this book, there are many kinds of stars and they will make your eyes sparkle with tears.
Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee (2012).
This book catalogs and captures all the magic of summer and of a child paying attention to every bit of it. The conversational tone and the light in the illustrations are captivating.
Night Sky Wheel Ride by Sheree Fitch, illustrations by Yayo (2013).
By far the most fantastical of the bunch, a brother and sister embark on a beautiful romp through a summer carnival. Just go along for the ferris wheel ride!
Please add your own summery favorites in the comments!
p.s. If you’re disappointed I’ve left out baseball, don’t worry. I’ve got a baseball-themed post in the works!
picture books by the decade: 8 books from the 80s
Who knew the 80s were such a great picture book decade? These are my eight faves (all read as an adult), but I want to hear from you too! Were you a child of the eighties and read a certain book? Or a parent of the eighties and read a well-loved book to a child?
Friends by Helme Heine.
My dear friend Anna sent me this one and it’s super sweet. “Sometimes good friends can’t be together.” But they can still send lovely mail. (Also, the character name “fat Percy,” for a pig, is pretty hilarious.) 
The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (Reading Rainbow Book) by Karla Kuskin, illustrations by Marc Simont.
As the name may or may not suggest, this literally details how 105 members of the philharmonic get dressed. It’s totally unconventional—we see them get ready to go to work in all their disparate homes and disparate ways. Even bathing and putting on their underwear! And then, finally, they all begin to play!
I Know a Lady by Charlotte Zolotow, pictures by James Stevenson.
This is a sweet portrait of a single older lady told from the perspective of one of the neighbor kids she befriends. This woman gives the children on her street flowers and berries through all the seasons. I love it for its positive image of seniors, of singles, of intergenerational connections.
Imogene’s Antlers by David Small.
I recently featured this book, so everything I love about it can be found here.
John Patrick Norman Mchennessy: the Boy Who Was Always Late by John Burningham.
Guys, this one’s bizarre and a little creepy (those illustrations!), but it’s pretty genius too. Some crazy stuff happens to this kid on his way to school, but his teacher never believes him—grownups don’t believe it when kids say they encounter crocodiles. Until of course, one of those crazy things happens to the teacher (aka a gorilla pays a visit!). 
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr.
An exquisite, still book in which a father and daughter go owling in the woods one winter night. You know it, right? It’s amazing.
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young.
This Chinese tale is familiar in its grandmother/wolf elements, but strange, eery, and new. Its pastel-looking illustrations are dark and breathtaking.
For Every Child 1989 by Unicef, illustrated by a variety of artists.
A distillation of the UN Convention’s Rights of a Child. A world that honors these would be a wonderful world indeed.
Now you go. PBs of the 80s…
picture books on jealousy
Here’s a match meant to be. Both feature jealous underdogs who have epiphanies. Both have a fantastic narrator voice. Both are full of pop and pizazz.
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea.
Poor goat. It’s hard to feel so overlooked and unappreciated. So upstaged by that magical horned animal. To feel like such an underdog. (Undergoat?)
But then. EPIPHANY time! Namely, the overdog he’s jealous of is not perfect and he himself has some pretty great qualities. In fact, the cool guy he’s jealous of sees those qualities too. Unicorn’s the one who points them out. Case in point: goat cheese. Yum.
Turns out life’s not perfect for unicorn either. Unless, of course, he teams up with regular, non-sparkly rainbowed goat!
images via Bob Shea’s website.
The Great Lollipop Caper by Dan Krall.
And now, poor caper. It’s hard to feel so overlooked and unappreciated. So upstaged. Like such an underdog. (Underfood?)
Sure, adults love a caper, but kids, they love lollipops. Mr. Caper’s jealously drives him to take revenge on Lollipop(s). He pulls a caper. You know, the other kind of caper as in trick, escapade, etc.
Despite the above spread, it doesn’t work. Instead, he has an EPIPHANY! Thanks in large part to Lollipop who’s sweet but also wise.
Lesson learned: everybody has their good qualities. Everybody’s liked by somebody. Now on to appreciating the things we have, without being jealous of the other guy (animal, food).
thanks to Dan Krall for the images!
/ / / / / / /
So now, in honor of the “Everybody Got Their Something” vibe of this picture book pair, I give you a unicorn, a goat, a lollipop, and a caper. They’ve all got something to be celebrated.
UNICORN
GOAT(S)
Sound of Music paper goat puppets by Megan Brain (originals from the film here)
LOLLIPOP(S)
Solar System lollipops by Vintage Confections
CAPER(S)
And for the sake of combining ingredients kids traditionally aren’t fond of, two recipes (that look delicious!): Brussels sprouts and fried capers & carrots and capers.
To unicorns and lolliops AND underdogs!
