Picture books are amazing! They are a kid's first real introduction to storytelling and literature. They should be fun, have strong morals, and help spark interest in art. Here are some new books that we have in store that I like to suggest to customers. They each have amazing illustrations and diverse authors. It is very important that you read picture books from all over the world to our kids to make sure they grow up to have well rounded world views. This is only the first step, but why not take the right step?

Over The Rooftops, Under The Moon

by JonArno Lawson and Nahid Kazemi

Alone with himself, even among his flock, a young bird finds an unexpected connection in the eyes of a little girl. He begins to wonder about the nature of life: What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a bird? Swept up in his exploration of the human world, he doesn’t notice that his flock has already migrated south for the season. Written by JonArno Lawson and beautifully illustrated by Nahid Kazemi, this sparse, lyrical story is about community lost and found, and what it means to know one’s self.

Cats' Night Out

by Caroline Stutson and Jon Klassen

From two cats waltzing to twenty cats in a conga line, dancing felines take to the streets, the fire escapes, and the rooftops in this charming concept picture book that is part counting and part introduction to music, dance, and rhythm. The short rhyming text makes it a perfect read-aloud treat, and with vivid illustrations from a breakout DreamWorks animator, readers and listeners alike will be thrilled to see what happens one night on Easy Street when a pair of cats start to groove to the beat.

Not Your Nest!

by Gideon Sterer and Andrea Tsurumi

Bird is just about to put the finishing touches on her new home when she suddenly finds that her nest is already full--of someone else. So she reluctantly builds another nest. But Fox finds this new nest quite comfy, and Brush Hog loves the view from Bird's next attempt. Soon the Acacia tree is bursting with happily nested animals of all shapes and stripes--everyone except bird!

But when Bird finally finds a way to evict her unwelcome guests, the animals realize their mistake and build a nest that's big enough for all of them. Well, almost...

New York: Day & Night

by Aurelie Pollet and Vincent Bergier 

Sometimes your eyes can play tricks on you, especially in the dark. This enchanting picture book shows how New York City can look quite peculiar at night. Each brightly colored spread is overlaid with a sheet of translucent blue paper and when lifted, voilà! A space ship and Martian become The Guggenheim, a giant serpent is actually the subway, King Kong's jungle turns into Central Park, and a superhero takes on the shape of a construction worker. Exhilarating and captivating, all the scenes are easily switched between day and night and will take the reader on a unique journey that lets imaginations run wild while revealing that some things at night aren't as scary as they seem.

Emile

by Tomi Ungerer

When Captain Samofar is threatened by a ferocious shark during a deep-sea dive, Emile comes to his rescue. The grateful captain invites the friendly octopus to come live with him, which Emile does happily! He becomes a lifeguard by day, and sleeps in a bathtub fill of salt water each night. But after Emile saves the captain and his cohorts by capturing a dangerous group of sea-faring smugglers, he decides that the spotlight is not for him, and returns to his quieter life underwater. 

Cat and Mouse

by Britta Teckentrup 

This charming book about a cat and a mouse features cut-outs that help teach young readers about prepositions in a fresh, innovative way.

The perfect place for a mouse is inside a cozy, warm house, but a cat lives there too, and once the cat sees the mouse, a chase ensues. As the cat and mouse scurry about--on top of a chair, inside a box, outside a window, through a hole--young readers will learn about important prepositions that help them understand where one object is in relation to another. At the end of this colorful chase, the cat and mouse curl up together and nap until they're ready to start the whole thing again. Britta Teckentrup's eye-catching, simple illustrations are cleverly enhanced with cut-outs that help reinforce the words, providing a unique and fun interactive experience that teaches young readers about basic prepositions.

Bamboo and me: Exploring Bamboo's Many Uses in Daily Life

by Xu Bin and Yuan Yahuan 

Is bamboo a food, a grass, or a wood? One little boy knows that it's all three!

Told in both English and Chinese, Bamboo and Me is the story of a little boy whose house was surrounded by many bamboo forests and streams. He lived with bamboo all year round. In spring, he ate delicate and delicious bamboo shoots; in summer, he crafted pliant bamboo stalks into baskets and brooms that he used as tools for fishing; in fall, he used mature bamboo to build kites that flew high and far; in winter, pork cooked with bamboo shoots was the celebratory dish for his family's New Year's Eve dinner. Even the special gift he received from his grandfather on New Year's Eve was made of bamboo.

Winsomely told and delightfully illustrated, Bamboo and Me is a tale that will enchant readers of all ages.

In Blossom

by Cheon Yooju 

One day, a cat and dog meet on a bench. The cat eats her lunch. The dog reads his book. But the sun twinkles, the breeze blows, and there’s something sweet in the air…

This is a beautifully illustrated story of the joys of spring and finding a new friend. 

Toto's Apple

by Mathieu Lavoie

Creativity and perseverance lead to unexpected success for a little worm who goes after an apple high up in a tree

The apple is up high. Toto is down low.
A bird flies by. Toto has an idea.

And so this hilariously expressive little worm gets busy creating plan after plan to reach his desired meal. His crafty strategies are successfully executed but miserably unproductive... until the opportunity presents itself and Toto seizes the moment without foresight. With just the perfect balance of predictability and surprise, this tale reads like an animated short that the reader will want to see again and again.

The Girl and the Wolf

by Katherena Vermette and Julie Flett

While picking berries with her mother, a little girl wanders too far into the woods. When she realizes she is lost, she begins to panic. A large grey wolf makes a sudden appearance between some distant trees. Using his sense of smell, he determines where she came from and decides to help her. Through a series of questions from the wolf, the little girl realizes she had the knowledge and skill to navigate herself—she just needed to remember that those abilities were there all along.