I’ve been hosting a Wednesday night homeschool chat on instagram since early June and this month we’re talking all things book. (one of my absolutely favorite topics).
We start this month talking about illustrated books. I asked people to share their three favorites. How many people do you think actually got three? ha, not that many, myself included! I picked three and one bonus, but really, there were so many other good ones I could have included! I guess that’s why I share so many book lists here on the blog.
You are reading: Read aloud picture books
This list today includes a number of picture books that were shared on instagram, but I couldn’t include them all, it would have taken too long! you can see everyone’s suggestions here.
This week we’ve been talking about classic books and coming soon we’ll be sharing favorite chapter books and favorite parenting/homeschooling books. I plan to share all those lists here in the future.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
other posts you might like:
- The 10 Funniest Picture Books Ever
- The Best Picture Books of 2018
- 50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Kids
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
the paper dolls
A series of paper dolls go on a fantastic adventure around the house and out into the garden. They soon escape the clutches of the toy dinosaur and the jaws of the oven mitt crocodile, but then very real scissors threaten.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
wolf the bunny
the bunny family has adopted a wolf son, and his daughter dot is the only one who realizes that the wolf can, and could, eat them all. dot tries to contact her parents, but they are too in love to listen. She takes a hard time getting used to a new brother, and when (in a twist of fate) it’s Wolfie who’s threatened, she can’t save the day?
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
engineer rosie revere
Rosie may seem calm during the day, but at night she’s a brilliant inventor of gadgets and gizmos who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When Ella Rose’s Great-Great-Aunt Ella Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes to visit and mentions Ella’s one unfinished goal: flying, Ella Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make Ella’s Aunt’s dream come true. . But when her contraption doesn’t fly but floats for a moment and then crashes, she considers the invention a failure. On the contrary, Aunt Rosa insists that Rosie’s contraption was a resounding success: You can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
I get a lump in my throat every time I read this book, it always makes me think of the day my kids will grow up and leave home.
i love you forever
A young woman holds her newborn son and looks at him fondly. softly she sings to him: “i will love you forever, i will like you forever as long as i live, my baby you will be”. Thus begins the story that has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
the gruffalo
A mouse is taking a walk in the deep dark forest when a hungry fox appears, then an owl, then a snake. the mouse is good enough to eat but smart enough to know, so he invents. . . the gruffalo! As Mouse explains, the gruffalo is a creature with terrible claws and terrible fangs in its terrible jaws, and bony knees and crooked fingers, and a poisonous wart on the tip of its nose. but the mouse has no worries to show. after all, there is no such thing as a gruffalo. . . .
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
madeline
poor miss carnation! In “an old house in Paris that was covered in vines,” Miss Carnation oversees the education of 12 girls, the youngest of whom is the mischievous Madeline. Despite her size, she fearlessly despises the zoo’s tiger and scares Miss Carnation with her adventurous antics. When she wakes the entire house to her pitiful cries in the middle of the night, Dr. Cohn takes Madeline, suffering from appendicitis, to the hospital where, about two hours later, she wakes up to find a scar on her neck! stomach! The scar (not to mention the flowers, toys, and candy her father gave Madeline) becomes quite interesting to the rest of Miss Carnation’s protégés when they make a special trip to visit her. Ludwig Bemelmans’ melodious rhymes are music to children’s ears, and the girls’ quirky and eerily perfect drawings in “two straight lines” lend an alluring Parisian flavor to this perennial children’s favorite.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
snoring bear
In a cave in the forest, in his deep, dark lair, during the long, cold winter a large brown bear sleeps.
One by one, a large number of different animals and birds find their way out of the cold and into the bear’s cave to warm up. but even after the tea has been made and the corn has been popped, the bear is still snoring!
See Also: The 30 Best Nonfiction Books of 2015 – Paste
Watch what happens when he finally wakes up to find his cave full of uninvited guests, all of them having a party without him!
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
mike mulligan and his mechanical shovel
Mike and his trusty bulldozer, Mary Anne, dig deep canals for ships to travel through, cut through mountain passes for trains, and excavate basements for city skyscrapers – the very symbol of industrial America. But with progress comes new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of a job. Mike believes that Mary Anne can dig as much in a day as a hundred men can dig in a week, and the two have one last chance to prove it and save Mary Anne from the scrap heap. What happens next in the small town of Popperville is a testament to their friendship and their hard work and old-fashioned ingenuity.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
how to catch a star
Once there was a boy, and that boy loved the stars very much. so much so that he decided to catch one of his own. but how? waiting for them to get tired of being in the sky all night doesn’t work. climb to the top of the tallest tree? no, not high enough. the boy has a rocket. . . but it’s paper and it doesn’t fly well at all. Finally, just when the child is ready to give up, he learns that sometimes things are not where or how we expect them to be.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
larf
no one believes that larf exists, and he likes it that way. larf, you see, is a sasquatch, the only sasquatch in the world (or so it seems). He has a very nice and very private life in the woods, where on any given day he can be found jogging, gardening or walking Eric, his pet bunny. But everything changes one morning when Larf discovers that another Sasquatch is scheduled to make an appearance in the nearby town of Hunderfitz. what?! that must mean he’s not the only sasquatch in the world! Excited at the prospect of having a friend to share hair care tips with (and let’s face it, stumbling around alone isn’t fun), Larf dresses up as a hipster and heads to Hunderfitz, where he’s in for a couple of huge surprises. .
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
caps for sale
Kids will love following the peddler’s efforts to outsmart the monkeys and will beg to read it again and again. caps for sale is a great easy-to-read book that includes repetition, patterns, and colors, perfect for beginning readers.
This story of a traveling salesman and a gang of mischievous monkeys is full of warmth, humor and simplicity, and also teaches children about problems and solutions.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
little blue truck
beep! beep! beep! meet blue. A muddy country road is no match for this little truck, that is, until it gets stuck while pushing a dump truck out of the mud. Fortunately, Blue has made a pack of farm animal friends along his route. and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get their friend back on the road. With text filled with truck sounds and animal noises to read aloud, this is a fun tribute to the power of friendship and the rewards of helping others.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
strega nona
strega nona, “witch grandmother”, is the source of potions, cures, magic and solace in her Calabrian town. His magical everfull pot of pasta is especially intriguing to hungry Big Anthony. She is supposed to take care of her house and take care of her garden, but one day, when she goes to the mountain to visit Amelia Strega, the great Anthony recites the magic verse over the pot of pasta, with disastrous results.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
where are the wild things
A boy named Max who, after donning his wolf costume, causes such chaos in his home that he is sent to bed without dinner. Max’s bedroom undergoes a mysterious transformation into a jungle setting and he ends up sailing to an island inhabited by malicious beasts known as “Wild Things”.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
the generous tree
A child enjoys the shade of a bountiful apple tree, plays in its branches, eats its apples, and the tree soon grows to love the child. the child demands more and more from the tree, which willingly does so. when he needs money, she gives him her apples to sell. when he needs a home, she suggests that he cut off her limbs and use them to build a house. when he is old and bored, she offers the rest of herself for a boat so he can set sail. This deeply sad story of sacrifice and love will touch your heart.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
bramble hedge
brambly hedge mice have many adventures but they also always have time to have fun. throughout the year, they mark the seasons with parties and celebrations, and of course, the mice never miss an opportunity to gather and celebrate.
In the winter story, a heavy snowfall means the mice can hold a snowball for the first time in years. in the fall story, spring befriends the harvest mice before getting lost in the chestnut forest. Wilfred gets a birthday surprise in Spring Story, when all the mice get together to throw a fantastic picnic for him; and in the summer story, dazzling poppy and dusty dogwood get engaged and all the bramble hedge mice plan a wonderful wedding.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
See Also: The Best Immanuel Kant Books – Five Books Expert Recommendations
stuck
When floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he is determined to get it out. but how? well, knocking him down with his shoe, of course. but strangely enough, he also gets stuck. and the only logical course of action. . . is throwing the other shoe at him. Only he is now stuck! surely there must be something he can use to launch his kite. an orangutan? a boat? your front door? yes, yes and yes. and that’s just the beginning.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
I want my cap back
The bear’s hat is gone and he wants it back. patiently and politely, she asks the animals she meets, one by one, if they have seen him. each animal says no, some more elaborate than others. But just as the bear begins to lose heart, a deer approaches and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews its quest with a vengeance.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
chrysanthemum
chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect, until her first day of school. you have the name of a flower! taunts victory. “Let’s smell it,” Jo says. the chrysanthemum withers. what does it take to make it bloom again?
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
something from nothing
A modern adaptation of this favorite Jewish folktale describes how the blanket Grandpa had made for young Joseph transforms over the years into a jacket, a button, and ultimately a story.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
roxaboxene
marian called it roxboxen. there, on the other side of the road, it looked like a rocky hill: nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. but it was a special place. and all the kids needed to go there was a long stick and a sky-high imagination.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
bullock cart man
Thus begins a lyrical journey through the days and weeks, months and changing seasons in the life of a New Englander and his family. the man with the oxcart packs up his goods: the wool of his sheep, the shawl his wife made, the mittens his daughter knitted, and the linen he knitted. he packs birch brooms carved by his son, and even a bag of goose feathers from the barnyard geese.
Travel through hills, valleys, streams, farms, and towns. at portsmouth market he sells his goods, one by one, including his beloved ox. then, with his pockets full of coins, he wanders through the market, buys provisions for his family and returns home. and the cycle starts again.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
the mitten
when nicki drops her white glove in the snow, she continues on without realizing it’s missing.
One by one, the forest animals find him and crawl away; first a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger, and others, each larger than the last. finally, a big brown bear is followed by a tiny brown mouse and what happens next creates a wonderfully funny climax.
As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki at the edges of each page, walking through the woods unaware of what is happening.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
possum magic
grandma poss uses her best bush magic to make silence invisible. But when Hush longs to see herself again, the two possums must cross Australia to find the magical food that will make Hush visible once more.
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice
but no elephants
Grandma Tildy lived alone, until a vendor stopped by to sell her a pet. She welcomed a canary into her home, but she made it very clear that she didn’t want elephants!
See Also: The Best Spiritual Books of 2016 | Book Feature | Spirituality & Practice