13 Picture Books We Love Lately

It’s been ages since I’ve done a regular kids’ book post! We’ve been through stacks and stacks of books over the last few months, so I feel like this post could be about 50 books long. To spare you a reeeeally long post, here are 13 picture books we’ve loved lately…

1. Beyond the Pond.

This book is so incredibly beautiful. It’s adventure and mystery and imagination all in very few words. Ernest D. discovers that his pond has no bottom, so what is there to do but explore it. Taking along his trusty dog, Ernest D. explores just what lies beyond the pond.

2. Mother Bruce.

I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about this book that makes me love it the most. Bruce is a grumpy bear who hates just about everything. All he wants to do is make fancy egg recipes from the internet, but he gets more than he bargained for when his ingredients hatch. You’ll love the illustrations in this book, and the story will make you smile.

3. The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School.

I was drawn to this book because of two superficial things: 1) The illustrations of the hair (because woah) and 2) the name Zoe Fleefenbacher. Turns out, the book can totally be judged by its cover. This was charming. Zoe heads off to school for the first time, hopeful that she’ll make friends and do well. The trouble is, her hair doesn’t want to cooperate.

In Repunzel-esque fashion, her hair has a mind of its own and creates a bit of mischief, which her rules-loving teacher doesn’t find amusing. Learn how Zoe gets comfortable in her own skin and how her hair saves the day!

4. Bulldozer’s Big Day.

I can’t do one of these lists without including at least one vehicle book. We’ve read lots (and lots and lots and lots and…) but this was really cute. It’s Bulldoze’rs birthday but it seems all his other construction vehicle friends are too busy working to celebrate. But what is everyone building? Milo loved every vehicle (obviously) and Sophie loved looking for clues in the pictures. We read this one until we ran out of library renewals. Very cute.

5. Little Red Gliding Hood.

I love pretty much every version of Little Red Riding Hood, but this may be my favorite in a while. Little Red’s skates are wearing out and she wants to enter the kingdom’s skating competition. The trouble is, she can’t find a partner! Little Bear has Goldilocks, the dish has the spoon, Hansel has Gretel… who can she skate with? Turns out, the Big Bad Wolf is a pretty great skater and might not be so big and bad after all. Fantastic illustrations, loved the text, loved the story.

6. Frog on a Log?

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this one before! Frogs sit on logs, cats sit on mats… it’s the rules! Your kids will love it. Like, a lot. And I wish you a lot of luck not rhyming everything for a week after you read this.

7. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. 

I love this book so much! I was a big Winnie the Pooh fan as a child and absolutely loved getting to read about the real story of the real Winnie the Pooh! It’s even better when you find out who the narrator of the book is.

Sophie loved seeing the photos and loved the story. SO DID I! She even re-christened her own teddy bear Winnie, which made my heart happy.

8. Last Stop on Market Street. 

This one has gotten a lot of buzz, and for good reason. For one, the illustrations are excellent. It’s like people watching as you’re reading the book. For another thing, I love the overall themes of optimism, kindness, and charity.

After church every sunday, CJ and his grandma climb on the bus across town. CJ has a lot of questions for his grandma, who has a wonderful way of looking at the world. This one is a great spark for conversation.

9. Zen Socks. 

Love this author and the illustrations so much. We were huge fans of Hi, Koo! and this one was fabulous, too. Leo and Molly love spending time with their next door neighbor Stillwater (who, as it happens, is a panda). Stillwater is a great playmate, and does a great job of teaching them lessons about things like sharing, being patient, and being thoughtful and compassionate.

I love the little secret stories and lessons in these books. Sophie can’t get enough. And if you like this one, be sure to check out Zen Shorts (a Caldecott Honor book) and Zen Ties.

10. Lizard from the Park. 

While walking home from school through the park, Leonard discovers a little lone egg and decides to bring it home. He’s pleased to discover that it’s a lizard, which is promptly named Buster. Buster grows up at an alarming rate and though the friends do everything together, it’s clear that Buster is getting more and more uncomfortable with city life.

My kids loved discovering that Buster is actually a dinosaur. They think it’s hilarious that Leonard never really seems to figure it out and loved seeing all the funny ways Buster tries to fit in in the city before the friends finally launch an escape to get Buster back home. We read this one over and over.

11. Who’s Next Door?

Chicken has lived next to an empty blue house for a long time. When he discovers a new neighbor has moved in, he can’t wait to meet him! The problem is…they never seem to meet! Find out just why our opposite neighbors can’t seem to catch each other in this sweet little book.

12. Strictly No Elephants. 

A pet club has started up, but our main character’s pet is a little, well, different. Anyone who has ever been part of (or excluded from) a childhood club can appreciate what it feels like to be a little different. A great solution and talking point if your child has faced being included, but also a charming story with funny illustrations of a lot of strange pets.

13. Imaginary Fred. 

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an imaginary friend? Take a peek into the come-and-go life of an imaginary friend through the loveable Fred, and find out what happens when he makes a real, true friend of his own.

Oliver Jeffers is my illustration spirit animal. I love his style. I love his handwriting. He has the ability to make me laugh and smile and tear up, sometimes all in the same book.

What are your favorites?

Shout them out in the comments and shop the widget for my picks!

p.s. Like this post? You may also like:

• 10 Kids Books We’re Loving Lately
• Animal Books We’re Loving Lately