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I’m a giant fan of kids’s image books, although I’m not the target market. My favourite image e book once I was little was Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban, a couple of fussy little badger.
“Frances did not eat her egg. She sang a little song to it. She sang the song very softly: ‘I do not like the way you slide, I do not like your soft inside, I do not like you lots of ways, and I could do for many days without eggs.’” That’s nonetheless my favourite a part of that e book. It’s so charming! And the illustrations are so cute.
And that’s what I really like about image books. They’re nice for if you want a break from all the pieces. It doesn’t matter how outdated you might be! You may choose up a narrative a couple of grumpy monkey, or a scared squirrel, and lose your self for a couple of minutes. (Or possibly longer—I do learn them sooner than I did once I was 5, so I don’t know.)
Me, personally, I like image books with numerous shiny cartoony illustrations and tons of silliness. And so I made a decision to share 5 of my favourite image books that I learn lately. Subsequent time you want a present for a child bathe, skip Goodnight, Moon (no offense, Margaret Sensible Brown) and get considered one of these!
Canine vs. Strawberry by Nelly Buchet and Andrea Zuill
A basset hound decides she goes to problem a strawberry to a race. (That is in all probability the one type of race I might win, tbh.) Silliness ensues! I’m a giant fan of each e book Andrea Zuill does, whether or not she writes and illustrates them, or simply contributes the art work. My very favorites are Sweety and Enterprise Pig.
The Youngsters Are All Proper
Signal as much as The Youngsters Are All Proper to obtain information and proposals from the world of child lit and center grade books.
The Café on the Fringe of the Woods by Mikey Please
Mikey Please is a BAFTA Award–profitable and Oscar-nominated animation director. That is his debut image e book, a couple of café that opens in a fairy tale-like woods, and the way Rene and Glumfoot attempt to please their first buyer, a really troublesome ogre. Rene wants to seek out substitutions for the ogre’s calls for, as a result of no means is she placing bats and mice on her menu!
The Child Who Stayed Awake Endlessly by Sandra Salsbury
“In the light of the moon, a little baby lay fast asleep. HA! Yeah, right! Not this baby! Sleeping is for koalas and teenagers. This baby intended to stay awake forever.” That is hands-down my favourite image e book of 2025. No lie, I’ve learn it at the very least 50 instances. It’s so humorous! It’s a couple of child who received’t fall asleep, it doesn’t matter what her household tries. I find it irresistible a lot.
Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Pal by Bob Shea
Bob Shea has written many splendidly foolish image books (Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, Unicorn Thinks He’s Fairly Nice), however this is perhaps probably the most ridiculously pleasant considered one of all. It’s a couple of turtle who places on a bear costume and tries to persuade one other turtle that he actually *is* a bear. My favourite half is his tiny little head peeking out of the bear swimsuit (which you’ll be able to see on the quilt.)
A Pinecone! by Helen Yoon
And final, however not least, my favourite image e book of 2024! Whereas the household canine drags a younger lady’s dad round their yard, she picks up pinecones off the bottom. She finds increasingly more pinecones, and her assortment grows, and finally she brings them inside the home, the place chaos ensues. It’s so charming and the illustrations are each humorous and delightful.
To wrap up, I’ve a pair extra image e book suggestions! Out this week is the hilarious The Crayon Stub by Marcus Cutler, and look ahead to Watch Out for Falling Iguanas by award-winning creator Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Rachel Moss, popping out in July. (And unrelated: Do you keep in mind that Curious George doesn’t have a tail? Most individuals don’t. It’s the Mandela Impact for cartoon monkeys!)
Okay, star bits, now take the data you’ve discovered right here as we speak and use it for good, not evil. If you wish to know extra about books, I speak about books just about nonstop (once I’m not studying them), and you’ll hear me say numerous adjectives about them on the BR podcast All of the Books! and on Bluesky and Instagram.
