# Picture book masterpieces **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489 "2007-08-13T22:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/21 "2007-08-14T12:35:44Z")
Anything illustrated by [Quentin Blake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Blake). My favorite is the picture edition of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/22 "2007-08-14T12:53:28Z")
Last week I bought the Little Golden Book of Margaret Wise Brown’s MISTER DOG. Why? _Because Mr. Dog smokes a pipe, not only in the book, but on the very cover!_ Only a matter of time before it’s banned by Federal decree. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/23 "2007-08-14T14:32:54Z")
JUlia Donaldson and Axel Scaeffler make a great collaborative team. _The Gruffalo_ & _The Gruffalo’s Child_ are great, and will stand the test of time, IMO. Also the Rob Scotton _Russel The Sheep_ books - they’ve got a contemporary look I love. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/24 "2007-08-14T14:46:12Z")
**The Rainbow Goblins** by Ul de Rico is still one of my favorite picture books. Other favorites: **Demetrius and the Golden Goblet** by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Michael Hague **Masquerade** by Kit Williams (even apart from the whole treasure thing, the book fascinated me) **The Secret Book of Gnomes** by Wil Huygen **In Fairyland** by Andrew Lang, illustrated by Richard Doyle Anyone remember **Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs** by Judy Barrett and Jon Barrett? ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/25 "2007-08-14T14:53:29Z")
[QUOTE=kellner] [Der Struwwelpeter](http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/vorwort_dual.html), of course! Those who didn’t grow up with this book probably think I am joking. Although my suggestion isn’t completely serious in this context, I will read it to any children that I might have one day just as it was read to me and generations before me. Btw. the version on the site is a bit chopped. The real layout is much nicer and more picture-centric. [/QUOTE] Ooh! Ooh! I remember my dad showing me that book when I was little! (In both English and German, but unlike him, I speak no German…) That illustration of “Slovenly Peter” always freaked me out. And the scissors. Oh the scissors. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/26 "2007-08-14T15:12:47Z")
**The Five Chinese Brothers** was always my favorite. The picture of the brother who could swallow the ocean is priceless, as is the picture of the brother who coulud streeeeeettttttttttccccccccchhhhhhhhhhhh. You’re movign through the book and then you have to turn the whole thing to see his picture. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/27 "2007-08-14T15:20:51Z")
I love picture books with good art! Here is a [list](http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecottwinners/caldecottmedal.htm) of the Caldecott medal winners . When I asked my daughter, now 13, what her favorite picture book was, she mentioned David Wiesner’s _Tuesday_. _Tuesday_ has no text; it’s just a story about a night when frogs could fly. I notice the latest Caldecott winner is also illustrated by Wiesner. Other notables on the list: _Snowflake Bentley_–illustrations are done with block printing _Mirette on the High Wire_–set in Paris…illustrations are impressionistic. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/28 "2007-08-14T15:25:45Z")
Oh, I just remembered another book that is relatively new, and really excellent: **Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic** by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul Zelinsky. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/29 "2007-08-14T15:28:45Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] [Arrow To The Sun](http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Sun-30th-Anniversary-Editio/dp/0670059382/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-7990668-5908725?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187061268&sr=1-2) [/QUOTE] I loved this book when I was a kid. I happened across it again a year or so ago and I’d agree that it verges on “masterpiece.” One of the definitive books of its subgenre. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but [The Cinder-Eyed Cats](http://www.amazon.com/Cinder-Eyed-Cats-Eric-Rohmann/dp/0440417430/ref=sr_1_1/002-6381859-9931241?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187105155&sr=1-1) deserves consideration; the “meh” story is more than made up for by utterly breathtaking artwork. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/30 "2007-08-14T15:29:27Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] JUlia Donaldson and Axel Scaeffler make a great collaborative team. _The Gruffalo_ & _The Gruffalo’s Child_ are great, and will stand the test of time, IMO. Also the Rob Scotton _Russel The Sheep_ books - they’ve got a contemporary look I love. [/QUOTE] I came in to say _The Gruffalo_ but I had no idea there even was such a thing as _The Gruffalo’s Child_! I am so excited I don’t even know what to do. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/31 "2007-08-14T15:39:23Z")
[QUOTE=FriarTed] Last week I bought the Little Golden Book of Margaret Wise Brown’s MISTER DOG. Why? _Because Mr. Dog smokes a pipe, not only in the book, but on the very cover!_ Only a matter of time before it’s banned by Federal decree. [/QUOTE] Heavens! Won’t someone think of the children?! I think I might run out and buy that one, too, because you are probably right about its imminent banning. I recently discovered **Make Way for Ducklings** , which I don’t remember reading as a child. GREAT book with terrific artwork! My daughter is into **Corduroy** right now, and it’s just as charming as I remember it. I don’t like when original books are turned into series by new authors/artists. They tend to get very formulaic, and the Curious George books are a perfect example. **Chicka Chicka Boom Boom** has cool art…small toddlers love to look at it with all the bright colors & patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/32 "2007-08-14T15:40:56Z")
[QUOTE=Gail] When I asked my daughter, now 13, what her favorite picture book was, she mentioned David Wiesner’s _Tuesday_. _Tuesday_ has no text; it’s just a story about a night when frogs could fly. I notice the latest Caldecott winner is also illustrated by Wiesner. [/QUOTE] My family doesn’t have any Wiesner books yet, but I came in here to mention Flotsam, which I now see is the one that won the Caldecott. My boss (also a doper) bought it for her grandkids, and brought it to the office to show us before giving it to them. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/33 "2007-08-14T15:47:34Z")
[A Dark, Dark Tale, by Ruth Brown](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Tale-Picture-Puffins/dp/0140546219/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3280352-3052108?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187103755&sr=1-1) and [A Big Spooky House by Donna L. Washington](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Spooky-House-carries-0-7868-0349-5/dp/0786812311/ref=sr_1_1/102-3280352-3052108?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187106325&sr=1-1). Lovely pictures in both of these. The second has more text, but it’s a great read-aloud type of book, and there are hidden cat-face details everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/34 "2007-08-14T16:58:32Z")
_If You’re Afraid of the Dark Remember the Night Rainbow & Caretakers of Wonder_ by Cooper Edens. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/35 "2007-08-14T17:07:45Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] I loved this book when I was a kid. I happened across it again a year or so ago and I’d agree that it verges on “masterpiece.” One of the definitive books of its subgenre. [/QUOTE] I don’t remember that book, but when I saw it pictured at **Jodi** ’s link, I realized right away that it must be the same guy who did **Anansi** , which I loved as a kid. My daughter wasn’t impressed with that one last time I had it out of the library, but it’s been a while. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/36 "2007-08-14T17:11:09Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] Heavens! Won’t someone think of the children?! I think I might run out and buy that one, too, because you are probably right about its imminent banning. [/quote] In the first book, Curious George smokes a pipe before bed. And I seem to recall a dramatic “experimentation with ether” moment in a later book. > [@Sarahfeena](#): > > My daughter is into **Corduroy** right now, and it’s just as charming as I remember it. I don’t like when original books are turned into series by new authors/artists. I find **Corduroy** especially awful because the new versions take a quintessentially urban character – bought at a big department store, moves to a little apartment – and plop him into the suburbs. There’s really no similarity aside from him being a bear in overalls. Really galling? Lisa, the little black girl who becomes Corduroy’s friend, is completely AWOL, and he hangs out with a bunch of multicultural stuffed animals all the time. Bleh. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/37 "2007-08-14T17:16:20Z")
We like Jan Brett’s books, especially her versions of Goldilocks and _The Owl and the Pussycat_. Also, the Max and Ruby books and others by Rosemary Wells. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/38 "2007-08-14T17:22:40Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] Also, the Max and Ruby books and others by Rosemary Wells. [/QUOTE] I like those too. Max and Ruby are so cute! ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/39 "2007-08-14T17:56:49Z")
The Stinky Cheese Man - Scieszka and Smith The Z was Zapped - Chris Van Allsburg (gorgeous artwork and morbid) Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears got a Caldecott, but no one seems to know it. Kitten’s First Full Moon is going to last. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489/40 "2007-08-14T18:21:38Z")
[QUOTE=Judith Prietht] **The Rainbow Goblins** by Ul de Rico is still one of my favorite picture books. [/QUOTE] Yes! This book has stayed with me throughout my life, just lovely…usually when I try to describe it to others, they give me a look like they’re wondering what kind of Kool-Aid I’ve been drinking. Does anyone remember a picture book about this whole town working together to build a giant sandwich to trap a bunch of bees or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picture-book-masterpieces/415489.md?page=3)