5 picture books that inspire young readers to reach high
What鈥檚 your wildest dream? Can you ever fulfill it? Take a cue from the very charming protagonists of these picture books aimed at children ages 1 to 8.
The inquisitive heroine of Ada Twist, Scientist, by Andrea Beaty with illustrator David Roberts, longs to solve problems by scientific deduction and lets nothing stop her. Beaty鈥檚 zippy rhymes and Roberts鈥檚 stylish illustrations speed her on her way.
In Pond, written and illustrated by Jim LaMarche, a group of children restore a neglected pond to a landscape of beauty, depicted in gorgeous acrylic drawings.
Lord Cat, living 鈥渉igh above everyone鈥� in an opulent pagoda, didn鈥檛 know he had a dream till he lost everything and found contentment instead. Caldecott Medalist Ed Young tells Lord Cat鈥檚 story in The Cat From Hunger Mountain using stunning collages of patterned paper and photos.
In The Bossier Baby, by two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee, all the Boss Baby (eponymous star of Frazee鈥檚 earlier book) wants is to learn to live with his awful little sister. Frazee tells the story of Boss Baby鈥檚 demotion from CEO of his home 鈥� and his eventual redemption 鈥� in hilarious pencil-and-gouache drawings.
Meanwhile, five little penguins need to learn how to enjoy the first snowfall of the year. In Little Penguins, by Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Rylant with Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator 海角大神 Robinson, the baby birds don tiny mittens and scarves and head out into a winter鈥檚 day, rendered wonderfully in acrylic and cut-paper illustrations. They finally return home, because sometimes a soft bed, a warm cookie, and a good night kiss from mom are the sweetest dreams of all.
