(If you wrote an International Book Giving Day blog post, this is also the place to join the blog hop. Parents, teachers, librarians, authors, nonprofit organizations and others are welcome!)

This year International Book Giving Day was celebrated by people in more than thirty-five countries, including Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S. and the West Bank.

People celebrated International Book Giving Day in a variety of ways. They gave books to kids and grandkids. They left books in hospital waiting rooms. They collected books for school libraries. They held storytime sessions and book swaps. They donated books to Books for Africa, Reach Out and Read, The Footpath Library, Avalokitesvara Trust and other organizations that distribute books to kids in need.

Here are stories of how people from around the world celebrated! Add your story!

Click on this link to read stories and to share your own:

International Book Giving Day blog hop co-hosts:

• Playing by the Book (U.K.)
• Asia in the Heart (Philippines)
• Try Curiosity (Hungary)
• Gathering Books (Singapore)
• My Book Corner (Australia)
• sharpread (U.S.)
• My Best Friends Are Books (New Zealand)
• Kids Indoors (Brazil)
• Toddler Approved (U.S.)
• se7en (South Africa)
• Mommy Labs (India)
• Jojoebi Designs (Japan)
• Delightful Children’s Books (U.S.)

You may also be interested in:

• International Book Giving Day: Photos
• International Book Giving Day: Stories
• International Book Giving Day’s Facebook page

Children’s books and International Book Giving Day are my family’s thing, so we did a little more…

1. My two oldest kids and I left books in hospital waiting rooms. This was simple and fun. My kids stuck International Book Giving Day stickers on the books we planned to give away. Then, we headed to the hospital. We left books in a couple waiting rooms. My youngest son has to visit the hospital regularly. This trip was a great opportunity for me to encourage my two older kids to do something nice for their younger brother and other kids like him who frequent those waiting rooms.

2. I chose a library book for each student in my favorite class of second graders, wrapped the books in pretty paper and gave them as gifts. In advance, I asked each kid in the class to fill out a short survey about the types of books they like. I then selected a special library book for each of them. This was a fancy way of recommending a new book for each of the students to try reading. Despite the fact that they have to return these books to the library, they seemed pretty excited to unwrap their books and see what I had chosen for them.

3. Local author Chris Monroe and I hosted a Beers for Books event at our local pub. Carmody Irish Pub in Duluth, Minnesota, graciously agreed to host. Carmody Irish Pub donated $1 per beer sold to Room to Read. Authors Lise Lunge Larsen, Margi Preus and Chris Monroe provided wonderful entertainment.

After the Beers for Books event, we returned home to give books to our own kids and enjoy dessert and a laugh or two courtesy of Mo Willems.

I spent a good part of International Book Giving Day enjoying the stories and photos that people around the world shared with me. International Book Giving Day was, once again, a special day to be a part of. Thank you to each and every one of you who celebrated!

In the lead up to the ALA Book awards, it has been fun as always for those children’s book fans/fanatics among us to discuss which books are contenders for the Caldecott. At the same time, with all of the attention we pay the Caldecott and Newberry contenders, we miss discussing the breadth of wonderful books that have been published.

By Bryan Collier, from “I, Too, Am America.”

Today, I would like to give a big shout out and congratulations to these children’s books that flew under the radar for most of the year and to the bloggers who reviewed them.

I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes and Bryan Collier (CORETTA SCOTT ILLUSTRATOR AWARD). “Hughes was able to write with such spare poetry, that it gives a strong vehicle for illustrations.  Collier built an incredible story around those lines, one of porters and a small boy who has new chances in the modern world.” See the full review by Tasha Saecker at Waking Brain Cells. See also Julie Danielson’s conversation with Bryan Collier at Kirkus and The Brown Bookshelf‘s introduction to Bryan Collier published this past February.

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (CORETTA SCOTT AUTHOR AWARD). “The strength of this collection is the way Pinkney tells the life story of these distinguished men briefly, but full of flavor.” See the full review by Mary Ann Scheuer at Great Kids Books.

Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert by Gary D. Schmidt and David Diaz (PURA BELPRE AWARD). “Schmidt’s writing warmly celebrates the wonders and miracles of Martin de Porres.  It is a story that starts with a boy who is the poorest of the poor, rejected by the priesthood and eventually ends with sainthood and life led in service to others.  In a world divided just as much between rich and poor, this story will resonate with modern young readers.” See the full review by Tasha Saecker at Waking Brain Cells. Dr. Veronica Covington also reviewed Martin de Porres at MamiVerse.

Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell (GEISEL HONOR). ”Readers who enjoy some silliness will find much to like in this pair of friends.” See Travis Jonker’s full review of Rabbit & Robot at 100 Scope Notes. Betsy Bird of Fuse #8 says of this title: “The world needs more books like this here Rabbit and Robot. Here you have that rarest of rare beasts, the early early chapter book.” Julie Danielson interviewed Cece Bell and shared original artwork from Rabbit & Robot at Seven Imp.

Up! Tall! and High! by Ethan Long (GEISEL AWARD). Betsy Bird of Fuse #8 called this seemingly simple story of three birds “one of the best toddler/preschooler readalouds of 2012 if not THE best.” Up! Tall! and High! also received a positive review from Tasha Saecker  at Waking Brain Cells.

Despite the lack of formal recognition, these are still two of my favorite books published within the past year:

We March by Shane W. Evans. We March is a beautiful, powerful and personal look at the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. While other books about this march on Washington focus on the leaders, crowds and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, We March focuses on a family with two children participating in the march. This is an excellent book to pair with Kadir Nelson’s I Have a Dream (which garnered a Coretta Scott King Honor).

Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin. In Island, Jason Chin tackles a huge topic — the formation of the Galapagos Islands and evolution of species on those islands — and does so extremely successfully. Chin tells an engaging story about an island forming, the island becoming populated by plants and animals, plant and animal populations changing over time, and, finally, the island sinking into the sea. He describe many huge geological and evolutionary changes in a mere sentence or two and accompanies these descriptions with amazingly detailed series of pictures of, e.g., a seabird colonizing a new island or a finch species’ beak changing shape.

Lastly, I am pleased as punch to see one of my favorite authors receive official recognition: Jon Klassen. (I do not, by the way, count Klassen among those who flew beneath the radar this year. Quite the contrary!) It felt like an oversight last year when Klassen received neither the Caldecott Medal nor the Caldecott Honor for I Want My Hat Back. This year’s result — Klassen took home both the medal and the honor — makes up for that oversight.

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (CALDECOTT MEDAL).

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (CALDECOTT HONOR).

You may also be interested in:

• 18 Wintery Picture Books
• Fantastic Nonfiction Picture Books from 2012
• Read Around the World Booklists

(We hope that those of you without blogs will share how you celebrate International Book Giving Day as well. See below!)

International Book Giving Day is a volunteer initiative aimed at increasing children’s access to and enthusiasm for books. We are inviting people to celebrate International Book Giving Day on February 14th by 1. giving a book to a friend or family member, 2. leaving a book in a waiting room for children to read, or 3. donating a gently used book to a local library, hospital or shelter or to an organization that distributes used books to children in need internationally. For more information, see International Book Giving Day’s website: bookgivingday.com.

International Book Giving Day is a wonderful day for children to get involved in giving as well as receiving books. Children can choose a favorite book and secretly leave it in a waiting room, participate in a book swap, find books on their bookshelves that they are no longer reading and donate them to a good cause, put out a book drop box at their school and collect books etc.

One of the things that makes International Book Giving Day special is connecting with others from around the world who are giving books to kids! This blog hop offers one way for people from around the world to connect and share stories of how they celebrated International Book Giving Day.

To participate:

1. Write a post describing how you celebrated International Book Giving Day! A short and sweet post (e.g. a photo of you or your child leaving a book in a waiting room) is welcome!

2. On February 21st or shortly after, add a link to your post to our blog hop at any of our host blogs:

• My Book Corner (Australia)
• Playing by the Book (U.K.)
• Mommy Labs (India)
• Gathering Books (Singapore)
• Try Curiosity (Hungary)
• sharpread (U.S.)
• My Best Friends Are Books (New Zealand)
• Jojoebi Designs (Japan)
• Kids Indoors (Brazil)
• Toddler Approved (U.S.)
• se7en (South Africa)
• Asia in the Heart (Philippines)
• Delightful Children’s Books (U.S.)

The entire collection of links to stories about how people celebrated International Book Giving Day will be available at each of these blogs. The blog hop will remain live through March 21st.

For those of you without blogs:

We invite you to share photos via Instagram or Twitter by adding the tag #giveabook. You are also invited to email photos to amy dot broadmoore at gmail dot com, and we will share them here at International Book Giving Day’s website.

You can see how others around the world are celebrating International Book Giving Day by 1. following Instagram photos and tweets tagged #giveabook, 2. looking at the photos and stories that we share here at International Book Giving Day’s website, and 3. reading stories shared by bloggers as part of the International Book Giving Day blog hop.

You may also be interested in:

• Add an International Book Giving Day Badge to Your Blog
• International Book Giving Day 2012: Stories and Photos
• Children’s Books to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

I first proposed that people celebrate International Book Giving Day right here at Delightful Children’s Books — a mere 10 days before International Book Giving Day 2012. The holiday seems to be gaining traction.

This year, well known children’s authors from around the world including Mem Fox, Barney Saltzberg, Sindiwe Magona, Ed Emberley, Chris Haughton, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Baba Wague Diakite, Katrina Germein, Don Tate, Peter H. Reynolds, Viviane Schwarz, Ashley Spires, Rebecca Emberley,  Patricia Polacco, John Parra, Clara Vulliamy, Barney Saltzberg, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Kelly Starling Lyons, Chris Monroe, Andrew Zuckerman, Todd Parr, Deborah Freedman and Priya Kuriyan are giving books to children on February 14th and are encouraging others to do the same.

International Book Giving Day 2013 poster – to print (pdf)

You are invited to celebrate International Book Giving Day by:

1. Giving a Book to a Friend or Relative.

Is there a child in your life who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14th? In lieu of or in addition to a card or box of chocolates, choose a good book from a bookstore or public library to give to your child, grandchild, friend, or neighbor.

2. Leaving a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.

Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.

3. Donating a Book.

Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them into the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or nonprofit organization working to ensure that all kids have access to books.

For those of you interested in sneakily depositing children’s books in waiting rooms, we have International Book Giving Day stickers and bookplates available that you can affix to books to let people know that the books were left intentionally. See International Book Giving Day’s Zazzle store to purchase stickers and bookplates. All proceeds will be donated to Room to Read, Books for Africa and Book Aid International.

International Book Giving Day is a grassroots, 100% volunteer initiative! If you like the idea, please consider printing these fantastic International Book Giving Day posters and posting them in your community!

The International Book Giving Day 2013 poster — which we’re sharing for the first time today — was designed by Indian children’s illustrator Priya Kuriyan. Kuriyan has illustrated books for Room to Read and Pratham Books and is a big believer in the importance of providing access to books to all children.

Connect with others celebrating International Book Giving Day:

• website: bookgivingday.com
• instagram: instagram.com/bookgivingday/
• twitter: @bookgivingday
• hashtags: #giveabook, #IBGD[location] (e.g. #IBGDLondon)

International Book Giving Day planning team:

• Myra Garces-Bacsal, Gathering Books (Singapore)
• Tarie Sabido, Asia in the Heart (Philippines)
• Susan Stephenson, The Book Chook (Australia)
• Travis Jonker, 100 Scope Notes (US)
• Mélanie McGilloway, Library Mice (UK)
• Zac Harding, My Best Friends are Books (New Zealand)
• Giselle Federizzi Barcellos, Kids Indoors (Brazil)
• Rashmie Jaaju, Mommy Labs (India)
• Emma Perry, My Book Corner (Australia)
• Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (US)
• se7en (South Africa)
• Zoe Toft, Playing by the Books (UK)
• Amy Broadmoore, Delightful Children’s Books (US)

Thank you very much to everyone who reads Delightful Children’s Books and to those of you who leave comments, participate in year-end polls etc. When I created Delightful Children’s Books, I did not anticipate how rewarding it would be to connect with people around the world via this website. I look forward to 2013!

Top 10 Booklists from 2012

1.  20 Fantastic Books for Kids Learning to Read — Many of my favorite books for kids learning to read are not housed in the early reader section. Here are 20 books worth seeking out and sharing with kids who are just beginning to sound out words.

2.  Read Around the World Storytime Series — I have been teaming up with Becky Morales of Kid World Citizen to write a series of Read Around the World Storytime posts, and I am very excited about the results. Thus far, we have shared picture book and craft recommendations for Map, Africa and South America-themed storytimes.

3.  Tired of Dora and Thomas? Try These 15 Fantastic Children’s Book Characters Instead! — I wrote this post for parents of young Dora and Thomas fans who are unsure what other books their children might enjoy.

4.  A Conversation with Melissa Sweet, Author of Balloons Over Broadway – It was very fun to interview Melissa Sweet. I must interview more children’s book authors in the future.

5.  8 Children’s Books About Dinosaurs — A dinosaur booklist was long overdue.

6.  Celebrate Constitution Week with These Children’s Books — I enjoyed selecting engaging picture books for teaching children about the U.S. constitution.

7.  Introducing Children to Books, Part II — I wrote part I of this Introducing Children to Books series in 2011 and part II in 2012. Look out for the third and final installment next year!

8.  30 Picture Book Biographies – I hope this post is helpful to teachers who want to share good picture book biographies with their students.

9.  eBook Recommendations From an eBook Skeptic — We purchased a family iPad this past year. I spent quite a bit of time reading about the impacts of iPad use on young children, considering how much time I wanted my kids spending with the iPad and reviewing picture book apps. This post was the result.

10.  60+ Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books – This past year, I shared five of my very favorite picture books with readers on the first of each month. I wrapped up the series by inviting readers to recommend picture books to include on the list. Thank you to those of you who participated in the year-end poll! It was very fun!

3 Fun Posts from 2012

International Book Giving Day — International Book Giving Day began with this post! On February 4th 2012 (10 days before International Book Giving Day 2012) I proposed that people celebrate this new international holiday by 1) giving a book to a friend or relative, 2) leaving a good book in a waiting room for children to read or 3) donating a gently used book to a children’s hospital, shelter or nonprofit. I am amazed at how far this idea has spread and look forward to celebrating International Book Giving Day 2013.

Create a Reading Nook — I scoured the web for my favorite pictures of reading nooks and pulled my first all-nighter since law school writing this post. I enjoyed every minute of it.

15 Pinterest Boards for Book Lovers — While this post sounded like it would also be a fun one to write, it was actually pretty tedious to track down these Pinterest boards. That said, these 15 Pinterest boards are highly entertaining.

Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals and Elizabeth Sayles. A counting book with a simple rhyme. Millions of Snowflakes describes a young girl frolicking in the snow. Ages 0+

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Depicts a young boy Peter’s adventures in the snow with simple, graphic illustrations. The Snowy Day conveys the joy of playing in the snow. Ages 1+

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. Ehlert’s illustrations of impressively decorated snow people may inspire your child to build a snowman…or snow mom, boy, girl, baby, cat, or dog. Ages 1+

Snow by Uri Shulevitz. Describes a young boy’s anticipation while waiting for the first snow and revelry when the snow comes. Snow is the book I reach for to celebrate the first snow of the season. Ages 2+

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. A fun story about animals enjoying a party, complete with popcorn, black tea, and a campfire, in a bear’s den while the bear sleeps. Bear Snores On has an entertaining, rhyming text and great illustrations. Ages 2+

No Two Alike by Keith Baker. A simple rhyming book that shares the observation that not only are no two snowflakes are alike, no two creatures are alike either. Ages 2+

Animals in Winter by Harrietta Bancroft, Richard Van Gelder, and Helen Davie. A wonderful introduction to the various ways animals prepare for winter. Animals in Winter explains that some animals must hunt and gather food all winter long and encourages kids to help by feeding backyard animals. Ages 2+

Kumak’s Fish by Michael Bania. A tall tale about a man Kumak and his family who go ice fishing, with a hilarious ending. See also Kumak’s House by Michael Bania. Ages 3+

Let it Snow by Holly Hobbie. In Let it Snow, two friends, Toot and Puddle, choose the perfect Christmas presents for each other and enjoy a magical cross country skiing trip. Ages 3+

Fredrick by Leo Lionni. A story about a family of field mice preparing for winter that celebrates the value of art and poetry. Leo Lionni is one of my favorite authors. His stories are always carefully crafted and give you something to think about. Ages 3+

The Mitten by Jan Brett. A beautifully illustrated, humorous Ukranian folktale about a boy who drops his new snow white mitten in the snow. One animal after another discover the mitten and squeeze in. Ages 3+

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. I absolutely love this story about a girl and her father venturing out into the woods on a winter night in search of an owl. Owl Moon describes a memorable wintertime nature encounter. Ages 3+

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal. This book alternates between a girl’s observations as she skis above the snow and information about the secret lives of animals living under the snow. Over and Under the Snow contains a lot of information about animals in the winter and features beautiful woodcut illustrations in a neat, muted color pallet. Ages 3+

The Red Sled by Lita Judge. A nearly wordless picture book about woodland creatures who borrow a young boy’s sled and take it for a ride. The Red Sled features lively illustrations by Lita Judge. Ages 3+

Winter on the Farm by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Jody Wheeler and Renee Graef. An adaptation of Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Winter on the Farm describes a typical winter day of Almonzo Wilder, a young boy living on a farm in the New York countryside in the mid-1800s. This is one in a series of books adapted from Farmer Boy and Little House in the Big Woods, both by Laura Ingalls Wilder. See also A Farmer Boy Birthday, Winter Days in the Big Woods and Christmas in the Big Woods. Ages 3+

Building an Igloo by Ulli Steltzer. A fascinating book about an Inuit father and son building an igloo. Building an Igloo explains that while the Inuit no longer live in igloos, the father and son in this book build igloos when they go hunting. Ages 4+

Stella: Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay. Younger brother Sam has never seen snow before. When the first snowstorm of the season arrives, Sam has lots of great questions about snow, and Sam’s older sister Stella has lots of entertaining answers. Ages 4+

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian. A true story about a man, William Bentley, who figured out how to photograph snowflakes in the late-1800s. Ages 5+

You may also be interested in:

• 12 Children’s Books About Birds
• 5 Books to Inspire an Indoor Gardening Project
• Children’s Books to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Pinterest: Winter

Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin. In Island, Jason Chin tackles a huge topic — the formation of the Galapagos Islands and evolution of species on those islands — and does so extremely successfully. Chin tells an engaging story about an island forming, the island becoming populated by plants and animals, plant and animal populations changing over time, and, finally, the island sinking into the sea. Chin explains the process of evolution, a topic that baffles many adults, so clearly that 8-year-olds will be able to understand it. Chin’s illustrations are really neat. He describe many huge geological and evolutionary changes in a mere sentence or two and accompanies these descriptions with amazingly detailed series of pictures of, e.g., a seabird colonizing a new island or a finch species’ beak changing shape. Ages 7+

Eggs 1 2 3: Who Will the Babies Be? by Janet Halfmann and Betsy Thompson. Eggs 1 2 3 is a simple, beautifully designed and surprisingly educational counting book. Each spread features a picture of eggs and a riddle asking readers to guess what will hatch from the eggs. E.g. “One egg, big and white, snuggled on Papa’s feet in a land of ice and snow. Who will the baby be?” Readers lift flaps to discover the answers to the riddles. This format is highly entertaining, and all three of my children have been requesting this book frequently. The animals in Eggs 1 2 3 range from glowworms to snakes to platypuses and will lead to discussions about which animals do and do not hatch out of eggs. Age 2+

We March by Shane W. Evans. We March is a beautiful, powerful and personal look at the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. While other books about this march on Washington focus on the leaders, crowds and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, We March focuses on a family with two children participating in the march. This is an excellent book to pair with Kadir Nelson’s I Have a Dream. Ages 5+

How Many Jelly Beans?: A Giant Book of Giant Numbers by Andrea Menotti and Yancey Labat. I am excited about How Many Jelly Beans? not because it is the most perfect picture book written this past year but because it is a book that is going to get read. Menotti’s decision to combine jelly beans and very large numbers is nearly as brilliant as the Dinosaur Train creators’ decision to combine dinosaurs and trains. How Many Jelly Beans? blows away the competition among books vying for title of best book for teaching kids about very large numbers. Teachers have for years reached for Steven Kellogg’s How Much is a Million?, but, after 20+ years, that book is beginning to look dated. A Million Dots by Andrew Clements is a smart and beautifully designed new contribution to the field, but Clements’ decision to include lots of challenging concepts in A Million Dots results in a book with narrower appeal. How Many Jelly Beans? is a pretty simple and straightforward, fun, colorful book that both kids and teachers will be reaching for. Ages 3+

If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche. If You Lived Here introduces readers to some of the most fascinating houses ever built, ranging from a Spanish cave dwelling to a Swiss chalet that houses animals on the first floor to a Chinese round house built for many families to inhabit together. If You Lived Here is very similar to Wonderful Houses Around the World by Yoshio Komatsu and Akira Nishiyama, but I think there is room in the world for both books. Wonderful Houses Around the World is a great book for children to pour over individually. It features detailed illustrations with labels describing the features of each house. In contrast, If You Lived Here is a wonderful book to read aloud to a group of kids. The fascinating features of each house are described in three to five sentences. For readers interested in learning more, Laroche provides details about where and when each house was built, what materials each house was built out of, etc. Ages 4+

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet. Lastly, Balloons Over Broadway. I have mentioned Balloons Over Broadway before on my blog. (See A Conversation with Melissa Sweet, Author of Balloons Over Broadway.) Before I knew that Balloons Over Broadway was a Cybils contender, I featured Balloons Over Broadway on my blog because it is one of my very favorite recently published picture books, fiction or nonfiction. Balloons Over Broadway is the biography of Tony Saarg, the puppeteer who created the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. In this picture book biography, Melissa Sweet does a fantastic job of telling an engaging story, with a logical beginning, middle and end. It is no small feat to take all of the details of a person’s life and use them to tell an entertaining story that captures the essence of that person. In Balloons Over Broadway, Sweet has done so beautifully. Sweet’s collage illustrations are a perfect match for the subject matter of this book. Ages 3+

Finally, the kids with two of their favorite new nonfiction books…

You may also be interested in:

• 60+ Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books: The Grand Finale!
• 10 Children’s Books About Math
• 10 Children’s Books About Dance

For the past year, I have been sharing five Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books on the first of each month. Taking on this 60 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books project has ensured that there have been five books on our shelf each month that are the best of the best (in my humble opinion).

A couple months ago, I invited readers to suggest 10 favorite books that should be included on the list. To those of you who shared book recommendations, thank you! It has been very fun to read your lists of recommended books!

Today, I get to share with you the complete list of the 60 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books arranged by age as well as the 10 books that readers most frequently recommended. For the complete list of books with descriptions, see 60 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books.

Not-t0-be-Missed Books for Toddlers

• The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson. Ages 1+
• Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham. Ages 1+
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Ages 1+
• Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming. Ages 1+
• The Daddy Book by Todd Parr. Ages 1+
• Peek!: A Thai Hide-and-Seek by Minfong Ho and Holly Meade. Ages 2+
• “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” Said the Sloth by Eric Carle. Ages 2+
• Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney. Ages 2+
• My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell. Ages 2+
• Creature by Andrew Zuckerman. Ages 2+
• Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. Ages 2+
• Ben’s Trumpet by Rachel Isadora. Ages 2+
• Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert. Ages 2+

Not-to-be-Missed Books for Preschoolers

• George and Martha by James Marshall. Ages 3+
• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. Ages 3+
• Fredrick by Leo Lionni. Ages 3+
• Vera’s Baby Sister by Vera Rosenberry. Ages 3+
• Crictor by Tomi Ungerer. Ages 3+
• Spring is Here by Taro Gomi. Ages 3+
• I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child. Ages 3+
• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead and Erin Stead. Ages 3+
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr. Ages 3+
• Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems. Ages 3+
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Ages 3+
• Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzberg. Ages 3+
• Elena’s Serenade by Campbell Geeslin and Ana Juan. Ages 3+
• Snow by Uri Shulevitz. Ages 3+
• Toot & Puddle: You Are My Sunshine by Holly Hobbie. Ages 3+
• Press Here by Herve Tullet. Ages 4+
• A Birthday for Frances by Russell Hoban. Ages 4+
• Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer. Ages 4+
• Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco. Ages 4+
• Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni. Ages 4+
• Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams. Ages 4+
• The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons. Ages 4+
• Stella: Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay. Ages 4+
• Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel. Ages 4+

Not-to-be-Missed Books for School-Aged Kids

• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig. Ages 4+
• Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan and Sophie Blackall. Ages 4+
• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. Ages 4+
• The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. Ages 4+
• Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman. Ages 4+
• Art and Max by David Wiesner. Ages 4+
• Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges and Sophie Blackall. Ages 4+
• Wolves by Emily Gravett. Ages 5+
• Can You Whistle, Johanna? by Ulf Stark. Ages 5+
• Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. Ages 5+
• The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers. Ages 5+
• The Subway Mouse by Barbara Reid. Ages 5+
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Ages 5+
• I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Ages 5+
• Are We There Yet? by Alison Lester. Ages 5+
• Mapping Penny’s World by Loreen Leedy. Ages 5+
• Zen Shorts by Jon Muth. Ages 5+
• This is London by M. Sasek. Ages 5+
• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin. Ages 6+
• Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Cristina Bjork and Lena Anderson. Ages 6+
• Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson. Ages 7+
• Fox by Margaret Wild. Ages 7+
• Grandpa’s Angel by Jutta Bauer. Ages 7+

10 More Books That You Definitely Should Not Miss

These 10 books were recommended by my book-loving and discerning readers! I did not set out to choose 10 books from your recommendations, but 10 books jumped out at me. There were 3 books and 7 authors that you told me repeatedly I should have included on the 60 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books list.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. “Walk further into the deep dark wood, and discover what happens when the quick-thinking mouse comes face to face with an owl, a snake and a hungry gruffalo…” *

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson.  “A charming, reassuring book for any child who has ever worried about Mummy leaving them alone.”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. “Its imaginative illustration and clever cut-out detail charts the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through the week.”

Beegu by Alexis Deacon. “This [is a] simple, bittersweet picture book that shows us our world through the three eyes of an innocent outsider with the help of stylish art and a wry, understated text.”

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. “On each page, we meet a new animal who nudges us onward to discover which creature will show up next: ‘Blue Horse, Blue Horse, What do you see? I see a green frog looking at me.’”

A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton. “Uh-oh! Little Owl has fallen from his nest and landed with a whump on the ground. Now he is lost, and his mommy is nowhere to be seen!…A cast of adorable forest critters in neon-bright hues will engage little readers right up to the story’s comforting, gently wry conclusion.”

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. “Sam-I-Am mounts a determined campaign to convince another Seuss character to eat a plate of green eggs and ham.”

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. “Harry is a white dog with black spots who loves everything . . . except baths. So one day before bath time, Harry runs away…”

Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr. “Mog always seems to be in trouble because she is such a very forgetful cat. But one night, when an uninvited visitor turns up at the house, Mog’s forgetfulness comes in very handy!”

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. “One tiny snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of a whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it’s the tiny snail who saves the day.”

* The book descriptions here come from Goodreads. Click on the bookcover images to read more about these books on Goodreads.

You may also be interested in:

• Read Around the World Storytime: Maps
• 12 Children’s Books About Birds
• 10 Children’s Books About Snow

On Monday, I will share the 10 books that you, my readers, most frequently recommended, and they are good ones. I did not set out to choose 10 books from your recommendations, but 10 books jumped out at me. There were 3 books and 7 authors that you told me repeatedly I should have included on the 60 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books list.

What 3 books did readers think were missing from this list? What authors did I unfairly omit? Will I officially change the title of this list from 60 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books to 70 Not-to-be-Missed Picture Books? All will be revealed on Monday. Stay tuned.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. A fun story told in rhyme about animals who seek cover from a storm in a bear’s den. The animals enjoy tea, popcorn, honey nuts and a warm fire, while the bear sleeps through the party. Few stories are more fun to read aloud. Ages 2+

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. A story about a boy Max who, when sent to his room, sails to the land of the wild things and leads a wild ruckus. When Max is ready to return home, he is wecomed back to the comfort of his bedroom where a warm supper is waiting for him. Childhood emotions are allowed to freely express themselves in the pages of Maurice Sendak’s book. Where the Wild Things Are feautures beautiful, textured illustrations and lyrical prose. Ages 4+

Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman. Grace is a wonderful character — creative, adventurous and thoughtful. In Boundless Grace, Grace is invited to visit her father, who she has not seen for years, in The Gambia. Boundless Grace is a compelling story about Grace trying to make sense of her family after meeting her father’s new wife and children. Ages 4+

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers. A story about a boy who devours books — no really devours books — until he begins to feel sick to his stomach. While the incredible book eating boy loves the knowledge he acquires by eating books, he knows that he must find a better way. The Incredible Book Eating Boy is a one-of-a-kind tale that celebrates reading. I am a big fan of Oliver Jeffers’ minimal designs, beautiful color pallets, tender characters and offbeat humor. Ages 5+

Grandpa’s Angel by Jutta Bauer. A humorous and, to me, comforting tale about the narrator’s grandfather and an angel who looked after the grandfather throughout his life. While the words tell one story of disaster miraculously avoided and unexplained good luck, the illustrations tell another story of a hardworking and resourceful angel responsible for the grandfather’s good fortune. Ages 7+

For those of you who are new to Oliver Jeffers, here is a nice <3 minute video introduction to his work…

…and this theatre production of The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers looks really neat. Did any of you have the opportunity to see it in person?

You may also be interested in:

• Read Around the World Storytime: Maps
• 12 Children’s Books About Birds
• 10 Children’s Books About Snow