I wanted to hear what it is about picture books that keeps you away from them before I made this post so I could address that directly. My desire would be for you to have the types of experiences with picture books we have had in our home. We have been reading picture books since the children were born. They are powerful for children and adults. I couldn't make it through Core Phase without them. Here is some of what I have found.

(Miss Tilly) was smiling at something she held in her two cupped hands. It was small and white and furry.
(To her cat) “What do you think of this, Oliver? she said. “Its name is Marshmallow.” She held the furry thing to her cheek for a moment, as though it were very nice indeed. Then she set it on the floor.
It had tall ears, pink eyes, a wiggly nose, and twitchy whiskers. And to Oliver’s dismay it was alive!
Oliver was appalled. He took one wild look at the creature, then squinched his eyes tight shut, as if he could not bear the sight of it.
“Oliver, what is the matter with you?” cried Miss Tilly. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little tiny baby bunny!”
So goes the dialog that drew me into this picture book the first time I read Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry. Her descriptive style makes it easy to imagine and feel the story. Her soft charcoal drawings are delightful and so appropriate for this gentle account of natural enemies who become friends. Marshmallow is on my Core Phase classics list because among other things, I think it is a wonderful example of great writing.

The Bear that Heard Crying by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock and Helen Kinsey is also on my CPh classics list. I found in it great lessons about obedience, unity and willingness to follow promptings. Helen Kinsey found this story while doing her genealogy. Many picture books tell true stories and allow us to learn form the real life experiences of others in an engaging way. My five year old son wanted to share this one with his friends. It’s a gem!

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart is another not-to-be-missed. I picked it up at our local library simply because I noticed the Caldecott sticker on it and thought it might be worth a try. We were richly rewarded. It is a series of letters written by a young girl as she goes through the experiences of leaving her home and family, working in a bakery, making new friends and touching lives in her very own and personal way. My five year old daughter and I cried together after reading this one. The last picture in the book (maybe it is the second-to-last picture) is worth a thousand words!

I also have a few books on my CPh classics list that have helped us communicate ideas and feelings more effectively in our family. An example of this would be The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt. It is basically the story of “the straw that broke the camel’s back” only it’s the “cricket that split the mitten”. Here is what happened to us. A few weeks ago I lost my temper with my children, one ds in particular. After I calmed down and apologized for losing my cool my son queried, “Mom why did that upset you so much. It was just a little thing.” How could I explain to my children what I was feeling? I thought of The Mitten. It wasn’t really the little cricket that split the mitten. It was the mouse, and the fox, and the frog, and the bear, and the owl, and the boar. You get the picture. It was many things together that split the mitten just as it was many prior things together pressuring me until I split. It helped them see things a little differently and hopefully, understand their mother a little better. Tell me you don’t ever have days like that! Other books that have helped us communicate are Cows in the House, Mr.Gumpy’s Outing, Tops and Bottoms, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, and other Dr. Seuss books.

One last example; after reading The Ox-cart Man my 6 year old daughter, feeling extremely inspired said, “Mom we don’t do that! We better get busy!” I wish I could have bottled her tone and expression. I could never have put that into her as the book did. She was lit head to toe. We had a fun discussion on what we could do to be producers not mere consumers. It was priceless. And I wonderd if it didn’t speak of mission for her? We’ll have to wait and see.

Oh, I could go on and on. But I won’t. Again I say, we have had awesome, profound, experiences reading picture books. We’ve covered a lot of core ground together over the years. To me they are extremely valuable. You may not like the same ones I like. Look through a couple of reference books. Honey for a Child’s Heart is a good place to start. I’m sure you will find wonderful things to share with your children.
Picture this; my almost 11 year old son trying to squish in on the couch somewhere says, “Can I sit too? I want to see the pictures.”

OTHER PICTURE BOOKS WE HAVE LOVED (some more than others of course)
The Moas
Somebody Loves you Mr. Hatch
Amos and Boris
A Tale of Two Houses
The Monster an the End of this Book
Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse
Monkey and the Crocodile
The King’s Chessboard
The Rag Coat
Owl Moon
Grandfather’s Gold Watch
Bonny’s Big Day ( and other James Herriot books)
The Spider and the Fly
The Giving Tree
The Clown of God
Rocks in his Head
The Selfish Giant
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
The Velveteen Rabbit
All the Places to Love
The Big Big Sea
Bear Snores On
The Lorax (almost anything by Dr. Suess)
Katy and the Big Snow
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
Little Toot
The Little Engine that Could
Make Way for Ducklings
Blueberries for Sal
The Little Red Hen
…and we are always looking for more!

My son, who is four, loves to be read to. He listens to all the chapter books we are reading aloud, but he adores it when his older sisters or I read picture books to him - especially ones that he can pretend he is reading, too. Here are some of his current favorites:

"I will never, not ever eat a tomato" by Lauren Child
"Danny and the Dinosaur"
"Frog and Toad" books
"Amelia Bedelia"
Eric Carle books
Magic Tree House books
children's nonfiction books - things about tools, trucks, animals, insects, body parts, etc. He likes to learn about how things work and they can have some great pictures.

I thought Jim Trelease's book "The Read Aloud Handbook" had some good resources. You might check it out from the library.