Because of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, I find myself often with huge piles of picture books from the library that were highly recommended by fellow bloggers. I celebrate many of the nonfiction pictures books on Wednesdays, but I want to share some of the fiction picture books I have enjoyed. So, I decided to start series here on UR where I can pass on the love for these books sporadically as I read them. Here is a list of some great pictures books that I’ve read recently from my huge library pile (part 10!).
However, at the end of the year when blogs such as Kid Lit Frenzy and There’s a Book for That were sharing their favorite picture books from 2015, I realized there were some amazing books I had not read yet, but I made sure to fix that!
Float
Author and Illustrator: Daniel Miyares
Published June 9th, 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
This is one of my favorite picture books I read all year. Miyares’s illustrations don’t need words because they are just so alive with feelings and action. I love that there are directions to fold a boat and an airplane on the endsheets; I love that the story doesn’t end, the book just did; I love that the dad is there for his son when he needs it; and I love the imagination and outdoor fun that the boy has.
The Whisper
Author and Illustrator: Pamela Zagarenski
Published October 6th, 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers
This is a picture book like no other. It is a love story to words and teachers and imagination and creative writing and childhood and fables. Pamela Zagarenski soars in her writing and her illustrations. She writes lyrically and her prose is just so poetic. Her mixed media pieces of art are just so beautiful and full of what is in a child’s imagination. I also think this is a must get for the classroom because it introduces the idea of adding our own words to wordless picture books.
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich
Author and Illustrator: Julia Sarcone-Roach
Published January 6th, 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
This book cracked me up! I don’t want to give away too much about the end of this book, but this is definitely a case for an unreliable narrator. I loved the story and the colorful acrylic artwork! I think this book would be hilariously paired with Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki because in both books bears go on quite a fantastical adventure.
The Night World
Author and Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
Published June 16th, 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Nighttime is something that children are fascinated with and are also a tad afraid of. This book is a beautiful introduction to the changes that happen when the sun goes down and the moon comes up, and it truly shows that the night world is a magical place and nothing to be afraid of. Modricai Gerstein magically executes the book as well with a surprise then author’s note at the end.
Are there any 2015 fiction picture books that I missed?
Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Four? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Five: We Need Diverse Books (NF)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Six: We Need Diverse Books (F)? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Seven? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Eight: 2015 Nonfiction Titles? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Nine: 2015 Nonfiction Titles? You can view it HERE.