To stimulate the imagination (albeit in sort of a “Twilight Zone” way) is Chris VanAllsburg’s “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick”.
Oh, man… all my beautiful links, lost! Trying this again, now.
Classic:
- A Time of Wonder
- East of the Sun, West of the Moon (illustrated by Michael Hague)
- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
- Georgie
- The Polar Express
- Amelia Bedelia
- There are several illustrated collections of the Just So Stories that are fantastic.
Contemporary: - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- Davy’s Dream
- Olivia and Olivia Saves the Circus
- The Jolly Postman, Or, Other People’s Letters
Nitpick:
That’s Katy No-Pocket. One of my personal faves
As far as classics from my youth, I’ll nominate the following:
Simple Pictures are Best
One Monday Morning (another classic Sendak tale)
any of the Billy and Blaze books
any of the Frog and Toad books
The Giant Jam Sandwich
The Runaway Rollerskate
and… my all time favorite
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day (already mentioned but worth mentioning again…and again…)
As far as what I read to my boys, there are very few that I can handle after the 309th time. Now I finally know why my mom hates Alexander so much! Anyways, here are a few that I really like.
Slugs - great pictures, great rhymes, and the look on my 3-year-old’s face at the end when the slugs revolt is great.
Big Black Bear - more great rhymes and illustrations.
Pink and Say - only picture that has ever brought a tear to my eye (still does). It is a difficult (emotionally) book to read but well worth it.
Well, to paraphrase Frank N. Furter: “They didn’t make it for you.” 
If you’re eighteen months old, Teletubbies is Da Bomb.
If you want something that will really push you over the edge, try watching a few Spot videos. Spot makes Teletubbies look like Vin Diesel on crack. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an entire spot cartoon from start to finish … I always pass out from brain-numbing boredom about three minutes in.
BTW, the Spot books themselves are very sweet … .
I’ll toss in seconds (thirds…whatever) for **Polar Express, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day,**and Goodnight Moon.
I hated Curious George. (Strange, my being a monkey and all) When I read it to my daughter I used to skip paragraphs and even whole pages just to finish more quickly. Loved The Runaway Bunny, however, and can’t finish it without choking up.
I’ll submit The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst. If you haven’t read it, you must! Especially if you’ve ever lost a pet–I dare you to read it without crying.
I love picture books. I teach fifth grade and read lots of literature aimed at that age, but my students still love picture books and there are some that just capture a feeling or message like nothing else can.
Pokey Little Puppy
**Frog and Toad are Friends **(and Together, and whatever the ohter ones are)
There’s a Monster at the end of this book (original, no Elmo enhancements)
Stand back, said the Elephant, i’m going to sneeze!
The Bereinstein Bears and politeness. (or insert your random BB book here)
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Miss Nelson is Missing
The Magic School Bus (all of 'em)
All of the McBroom books (especially McBroom’s Zoo!!)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
I’ve gotta vote for Good Night Gorilla. I read it while waiting at the pediatrician’s and it made me laugh out loud!
In reading that previous sentence, I realize that it probably says too much about the limits of my intelligence. But still, it’s a great book.
Richard Scarry’s Things That Go
plus two more for
Where the Wild Things Are
Green Eggs and Ham
Make Way for Ducklings
The Snowy Day
Ferdinand the Bull
The Cat in the Hat
Horton Hears a Who
Where the Wild Things Are
Edward Lear’s Nonsense ABC
Frederick by Leo Leonni
Previous reply swallowed.
Watership Down
and
Everybody Poops
The line between classic and contemporary is a little blurred for me, since I pay absolutely no attention to stuff most of the time. I see books, I buy books. So I’m guessing as to the age of these.
Classic:
Green Eggs and Ham
Horton Hears a Who
Where The Wild Things Are
Harold & The Purple Crayon
The Giving Tree
ALL the “Little Critter” books by Mercer Mayer
Goodnight Moon
Contemporary:
Chick-a Chick-a Boom Boom (impossible to read without doing the sing-song rhythm, which will stick in your head for weeks)
Harvey Potter’s Balloon Farm (wonderfully surreal artwork)
William’s Ninth Life (will make you cry)
I’ll think of more, I’m sure.
The line between classic and contemporary is a little blurred for me, since I pay absolutely no attention to stuff most of the time. I see books, I buy books. So I’m guessing as to the age of these.
Classic:
Green Eggs and Ham
Horton Hears a Who
Where The Wild Things Are
Harold & The Purple Crayon
The Giving Tree
ALL the “Little Critter” books by Mercer Mayer
Goodnight Moon
Contemporary:
Chick-a Chick-a Boom Boom (impossible to read without doing the sing-song rhythm, which will stick in your head for weeks)
Harvey Potter’s Balloon Farm (wonderfully surreal artwork)
William’s Ninth Life (will make you cry)
I’ll think of more, I’m sure.
How about the James Herriot books? He’s the Yorkshire veterinarian who wrote the “All Creatures Great and Small” series. I loved them when I was young and I still sometimes will reread them now.
My father used to read to us from D’aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths every night. He also read from a children’s book of Norse mythology. I’m sorry, I can’t remember the name but it was definitely a children’s book. Happy times…
Max & Ruby books by Rosemary Wells.
In the Night Kitchen – heck, Sendak, period.
Tomie DePaola. Fin M’Coul, Strega Nona, his version: The Teeny Tiny Woman.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Officer Buckle & Gloria & Ten Minutes til Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann. Second vote for Good Night, Gorilla.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Numeroff.
A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce.
Tuesday - Wiesner.
Polar Express.
Freight Train – Donald Crews.
Almost anything by Sandra Boynton, esp. Blue Hat, Green Hat.
Rotten Ralph books - Gantos.
I Spy books.
The Spooky Old Tree & other Berenstain books.
Anansi the spider folktales.
I also like One Grain of Rice and almost everything Demi has
done.
Another vote for Frog & Toad, too!
Mrs. Furthur
THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
by MARGERY WILLIAMS!!!
DO not get it if there is another author listed as retelling it. There is NOTHING too sophisticated in the original!
FAKE AUTHORS RETELLING THE VELVETEEN RABBIT BURN IN HELL!
does this now go to The Pit? G
Gotta be “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”
I remember that one from my childhood quite well…
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Harry Potter books
The Phantom Tollbooth
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
The Winnie the Pooh books
The Night Before Christmas
Noah’s Ark
Not from this side, but I’m pretty sure I was about that age when Mom first read me (and my sister) The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. But since this is a thread about picture books specifically:
Make Way for Ducklings, Robert McClosky
One Morning in Maine, Robert McClosky
Blueberries for Sal, Robert McClosky
The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss
Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
Fox in Socks, Dr. Seuss
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
Jumanji
The Very Hungry Catepillar
The Monster at the End of This Book
Bert’s Hall of Great Inventions
Sheep in a Jeep
Sheep on a Ship
Sheep in a Shop
Sheep out to Eat
Frog and Toad
Frog and Toad are Friends
Frog and Toad Together
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Mostly “classic” books, as I’ven’t any children of mine own yet.
And while you’re at it, take a look at the Caldecott winners.
Mine all time favorites are…
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day
The Giving Tree
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Jumanji
The Polar Express
The Story of Jumping Mouse
The Cat in the Hat
All of the Berenstein Bears books
The Velveteen Rabbit
Pancakes for Breakfast
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
The Chronicles of Narnia
Books by Roald Dahl
The Clifford books
Goodnight Moon
That’s all I’ve got.