The Best Picture Books for Kids

Dr. Seuss’s Happy Birthday to You!

Takes the cake

This book helps you and your kiddo celebrate their most unique qualities for a truly special birthday.

Best Gift

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Dr. Seuss’s books have long been a staple of children’s literature, and it’s easy to see why. His ability to capture the hearts of young and old folks alike through inventive characters and playful rhymes is unrivaled. Like many of his works, Happy Birthday to You! helps you and your child celebrate their individuality through the adventures of the people of Seussville. It’s a heftier work at over 60 pages, so it’s best suited for kids aged five to nine or those with longer attention spans.

Pros:

• Classic author with lovable and iconic rhymes
• Celebration of uniqueness and individuality
• Makes an ideal gift for younger kids

Cons:

• May be most appropriate for reading on birthdays

Kelly Louise’s Oliver West! It’s Time to Get Dressed!

Picture perfect

Rebecca Sinclair's detailed illustrations breathe life into Oliver's quest to get dressed.

Best Illustrations

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When pictures are half of the book, detailed illustrations can make the reading experience exponentially more enjoyable. Along with Kelly Louise’s wonderful prose, Rebecca Sinclair’s artwork follows Oliver West as he learns a new type of personal responsibility with the help of his mom. Getting dressed is a common hurdle for youngsters, so having a visual aid of both the process and the reward can help them overcome this challenge. Who knows — Mrs. West might even teach you a new way to support your kids.

Pros:

• Vivid illustrations help to grab and retain your kids’ attention
• Playful and easy rhyme scheme to help make reading enjoyable
• Teaching personal responsibility and the rewards that can come with it

Cons:

• The text is on the small side

Mary Nhin’s Positive Ninja

Managing mixed emotions

Mary Nhin's picture book introduces your children to the concept of mindfulness to help them make sense of conflicting emotions.

Best Life Lesson

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Processing emotions can be one of the most difficult lessons to teach and learn, making Mary Nhin’s Positive Ninja all the more essential. In this particular story from the Ninja Life Hacks series, Positive Ninja learns how to reframe negative outcomes as opportunities for growth or change. Instead of presenting the world as consistently good, Nhin hints at the nuance of a world where positive and negative forces coexist. This introduces the potential power that a child’s perspective can have on their mood and greater reality — something many of us are still learning today.

Pros:

• Modern book that grapples with the nuance of a complicated world
• Proposes helpful ways of reframing negative circumstances as opportunities for improvement
• Part of a larger series of books that help kids work through emotions

Cons:

• Writing is less playful than other popular books

Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat

A rhyme as old as time

The classic, timeless rhymes in this picture book can bring words to life.

Best Classic

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Since its creation by Dr. Seuss to help increase childhood literacy in the late 1950s, The Cat in the Hat has been the poster child of picture books. Unlike the Dick and Jane primers that preceded The Cat, Dr. Seuss brings levity to the page with wild adventures and dangerously catchy rhymes. Altogether, this makes for an entertaining read that expands vocabulary, teaches grammatical basics, and inspires imagination.

Pros:

• Exposure to iconic and timeless rhymes that are commonly quoted in everyday life
• Helps establish the rhythm or “meter” of reading
• Inventive characters inspire imaginative thinking

Cons:

• No major moral to the story that can be easily identified or discussed

Matt de la Peña’s Last Stop on Market Street

Magic in the mundane

The sharing of multi-generational joy makes this picture book a favorite amongst both kids and adults.

Most Inspiring

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As the world changes, so do the things we find important. Nothing reflects that quite so eloquently as Matt de la Peña’s book Last Stop on Market Street, which follows a young boy CJ and his grandma as they ride the bus across town. Over the course of one ride, CJ raises and grapples with questions of privilege, beauty, gratitude, and necessity. Moreover, the connection between CJ and his Nana serves as a foundation for growth and new perspectives. This celebration of multi-generational love and learning is rich with lessons for both you and your child — a humbling and enlightening reading experience all at once.

Pros:

• Introduces myriad mature concepts to kids with fluidity and ease
• Beautiful representation for young kids of color
• Realistic scenario can feel more accessible for young readers

Cons:

• Not as playful or imaginative as some other picture books for readers this age

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon should I be reading picture books with my kids?

In short, as soon as possible. Babies as young as four months can benefit from being read to, and it’s more likely that you’ll continue reading with your kids the earlier you start. Picture books in particular help develop facial and shape recognition, along with a sustained interest in reading and exploring their imagination.

Does every picture book need to have a moral?

Not necessarily. If every TV show or movie we watched as adults were built to teach us a lesson, we’d be a lot less keen on consuming visual media in general. In the same vein, it’s important to include plenty of fun and adventurous reads in your child’s library. Then, by utilizing books to introduce and explain various moral concepts, you can bridge the gap between enjoyment and education.