picture book gift guide for grownups

By now you probably know I’m a believer that many of the best picture books are for all ages, every age, 4 and 12 and 20 and 47 and 82. With that in mind, I give you picture book gift suggestions (holiday or otherwise!) for the grownups in your life.

Quick definition of a picture book in this case: a book with pictures, whether originally aimed at children or adults (or both).

 

So here you go! 25 picture books to gift adults!

I-SAW-A-PEACOCK

 

I saw peacock_LRspread3

I SAW A PEACOCK WITH A FIERY TAIL, illustrated by Ramsingh Urveti (Tara Books 2012).

 

the-three-astronauts

 

threeastronauts12

THE THREE ASTRONAUTS by Umberto Eco, illustrated by Eugenio Carmi, translated by William Weaver (1989).

 

aloha-to-zen-book

 

IMG_5292_2

ALOHA TO ZEN: The Art of Living and Surfing on Earth by Fern Levack.

 

this-is-paris-picture-book

 

this_is_paris_1_lg

THIS IS PARIS by M. Sasek (1959;2004).

 

people_blexbolex

 

blexbolexpeople2

PEOPLE by Blexbolex (Enchanted Lion Books, 2011).

 

memory-of-an-elephant

memory-of-an-elephant-picture-book

THE MEMORY OF AN ELEPHANT by Sophie Strady, illustrated by Jean-Francois Martin (Chronicle Books, 2014).

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

whowhywhenbook

 

wwh4

THE WHERE, THE WHY, AND THE HOW (Chronicle Books, 2012).

 

the-sound-of-things-picture-book

suono_delle_cose_04-web

THE SOUND OF THINGS by William Wondriska (1955).

 

the-little-world-of-liz-climo

LizClimo-INT.indd

 

THE LITTLE WORLD OF LIZ CLIMO (Running Press, 2014).

 

AMAZING-BABES-BOOK

 

3

 

AMAZING BABES by Eliza Sarlos, drawings by Grace Lee (Scribe Publications, 2013).

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

CREATURE-BOOK

Creature

 

CREATURE by Andrew Zuckerman (Chronicle Books, 2007).

 

SHOES-ANDY-WARHOL

 

warhol_shoe_lg

SHOES, SHOES, SHOES: The Autobiography of Alice B. Shoe by Andy Warhol (1997).

 

THE-MIGHTY-LALOUCHE

 

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THE MIGHTY LALOUCHE  by Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall (Random House, 2013).

 

13-words-picture-book

13words-04

13 WORDS by Lemony Snicket and Maira Kalman (Harper Collins, 2010).

 

josephine-christian-robinson

 

Josephine_Interior_Charleston

JOSEPHINE by Patricia Hruby Powell, pictures by Christian Robinson (Chronicle Books, 2014).

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

the-tree-house-book

Screen-Shot-2013-09-03-at-7.45.02-PM

THE TREE HOUSE  by Marije Tolman & Ronald Tolman (Lemniscaat 2010).

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

WHATEVER-YOU-ARE-BE-A-GOOD-ONE-LISA-CONGDON

 

WhateverUR_Camus_Quote75

WHATEVER YOU ARE, BE A GOOD ONE, hand lettered quotes by Lisa Congdon (Chronicle Books, 2014).

 

shackleton'sjourney

 

Shackleton_p11-12

 

SHACKLETON’S JOURNEY by William Grill (Flying Eye Books, 2014).

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

house-held-up-by-trees-jon-klassen

 

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HOUSE HELD UP BY TREES by Ted Kooser, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Candlewick, 2012).

p.s. It’s one of my favorite picture book covers.

 

eerie-dearies

 

EerieDearies_M_Chaperon1-copy

EERIE DEARIES by Rebecca Chaperon (Simply Read Books, 2014).

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

prince-silencio-picture-book

 

Silencio Anne Herbauts 009

PRINCE SILENCIO by Anne Herbauts (Enchanted Lion Books, 2006).

 

the-heart-and-the-bottle-oliver-jeffers

Screen Shot 2014-11-19 at 5.30.31 PM

THE HEART AND THE BOTTLE by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, 2010).

 

bigwolf-littlewolf-picture-book

 

BW1

BIG WOLF & LITTLE WOLF by Nadine Brun-Cosme and Olivier Tallec (Enchanted Lion Books, 2009).

 

lost-in-translation-bookbeautiful-untranslatable-words-3-500x313

 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders (Random House, 2014).

 

humands-book

 

humands-choir

HUMANDS by Mario Mariotti (1982.)

p.s. I blogged it here.

 

Let me know in the comments if you have any more suggestions or have picked one of these to give!

 

 

20 Responses to picture book gift guide for grownups

  1. Danzel says:

    This is such a fantastic idea for a book list! Other picture books that are great for adults:

    A Dignity of Dragons … for the fantasy lover, perhaps?
    Spinster Goose… for the misanthrope? for the easily annoyed?

  2. Erin says:

    So many great suggestions here! I’m definitely going to have to check out The Where, The Why, and The How.

  3. Great list, D! Thanks!

  4. Excellent post! We love Sparky too from SchwartzWade

  5. Heather Jessen says:

    Terrific selection and suggestions! Fun to read. Thanks!

  6. Excellent list!!!! Thanks!

  7. mwinne2 says:

    What a brilliant list, Danielle! But then again, your Picture Book Life never disappoints!

  8. Such an awesome list. Thank you! The question is, how to decide?

  9. Bonnie Eng says:

    You’re amazing Danielle…what a great post. There are at least a few books I must check out now! 🙂

  10. This. Is. Awesome. Thanks for putting it together.

  11. Pingback: 25 picture books for the young and grown alike - This Picture Book Life

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