Our Very Very Favourite Books

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but this is a selection of our very very special favourite picture books, the ones we cherish the most.

Momotaro: Peach Boy, George Suyeoka (illustrated)

Momotaro is a popular hero of Japanese folk lore, and this book goes into his birth, time as a child, and his eventual heroic deeds destroying the ogres that terrorize his village. My boys adore this book, and it has long been a family favourite.

Nobody Owns the Moon - Tohby Riddle

One of my very favourite picture books, this book is superb in every way, the writing, the pictures, the combination of both. It is beautiful, it is moving, it is poignant. This could be the perfect picture book.

From the publisher

Clive Prendergast is a fox who lives successfully in the city, in a one-room apartment in a busy part of town. Humphrey is a donkey who works odd jobs and doesn’t always have a fixed address. Nobody Owns the Moon is the story of their friendship. This modern classic picture book is a perfect marriage of text and image, and timeless in its message of belonging and community.

Millions of Cats - Wanda Gag

This is book is fun to read because of its wonderfully repeated refrain:

"hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats"

Its funny, a bit crazy, and it has cats.

Catkin - Antonia Barber

This is utterly beautiful, full of folklore, deeply evocative, it is like a fairy tale. And beautifully illustrated by PJ Lynch, which really brings the story to life. Exquisite.

From the publisher

Catkin is a tiny cat given by the wise woman to protect the human child Carrie. The two love each other dearly, but one day Carrie is taken under the hill by the Little People. Sent to bring her back, Catkin finds his courage and cleverness tested to the full by the riddles and powers of enchantment of the little People's Lord and Lady

The Mousehole Cat - Antonia Barker

We like cats, and here is another beautifully told tale by Antonia Barber, and beautifully illustrated once again. It is dreamy and rich. It makes me want to live in a seaside village in England.

From the publisher

In the seaside village of Mousehole, Cornwall, Mowzer the cat lives happily with old fisherman Tom. Their life is a happy one – until one terrible winter the Great Storm-Cat comes clawing and leaping at the harbour walls so that no boat can go out to sea to fish. Soon, with Christmas coming, there is no food left in Mousehole. It is then that Mowzer and Tom set out to brave the fury of the waves, and discover that it might just need a cat’s perspective to understand – and tame – the ferocious ways of the Great Storm-Cat sea…

The Story of Ferdinand - Munro Leaf

Gorgeous story and amazing illustrations by Robert Lawson of Southern Spain. It really evokes a mood, while sharing the utterly delightful story of a sweet little bull who just want to smell flowers.

From the publisher

Ferdinand is the world's most peaceful--and--beloved little bull. While all of the other bulls snort, leap, and butt their heads, Ferdinand is content to just sit and smell the flowers under his favorite cork tree. Leaf's simple storytelling paired with Lawson's pen-and-ink drawings make The Story of Ferdinand a true classic.

I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen

Very wry, a bit black, deadpan, deceptively simple, and very funny. This one has entered into the culture of our family conversation.

"Why are you asking me? I never saw anything!"

Kids love it!

From the publisher

The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear's memory and renews his search with a vengeance...

There's a Ghost in this House - Oliver Jeffers

This book is really fun, it has hidden ghost illustrations in the semi transparent pages, so each illustration is transformed. Oliver Jeffers is always a bit off beat in such an innocent kind of way, very endearing. A major favourite in our house.

From the publisher

A captivating and utterly unique picture book with interactive, transparent pages about a girl who lives in a haunted house from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers.

A young girl lives in a haunted house, but she has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? Step inside and help the girl as she searches under the stairs, behind the sofa, and in the attic for the ghost.

From New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers comes a delightful picture book that breaks the fourth wall about young girl's determination to find the ghost haunting her house. Includes tracing paper pages that make the silly ghosts appear on each page. Perfect for Halloween!

Hello Lighthouse - Sophie Blackall

Sophie Blackall must be one of the best illustrators out there today, her illustrations are exquisite. This is a book you just want to keep looking at, poring over the details, it is so comforting and beautiful, and the story is so heartwarming and wistful. Plus it has all the romance and glory of lighthouses!

From the publisher

On the highest rock of a tiny island at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse. From dusk to dawn, the lighthouse beams, sending its light out to sea, guiding the ships on their way. As the seasons pass and the waves rise and fall, outside, the wind blows; inside, the lighthouse keeper writes, and the rhythms of his life unfold. But change is on the horizon...

Grandfather Twilight - Barbara Berger

This is such a simple story, with another story told again by the illustrations, which are dreamlike and deeply magical. A very special book you can share with very little children and older children alike.

From the publisher

When day is gone, and shadows begin to deepen, it is time for Grandfather Twilight to close his book, put on his jacket, and go for a walk through the forest.

Little birds hush as he walks by, and the rabbits and other small creatures watch in silence as he performs his very special evening task and returns to his house among the trees. Small readers and listeners, too, will sense the serenity of this poetic story, and will be comforted to learn that the twilight is a gentle, friendly time.

Exquisite pictures extend and illuminate the text, to reveal the nightly miracle so faithfully performed by Grandfather Twilight. Perfect for reading aloud and for sharing at bedtime, this beautiful and reassuring book will be cherished by old and young alike.

Samsara Dog - Helen Manos

Well I can't read this book without crying, it has always been one of my favourite books, and the very book that began my deep love of picture books, and appreciation of the picture book as an art form.

From the publisher

Based on Buddhist concepts of Samsara and Nirvana, this moving story about love and life, death and dying, will touch every reader.