Book picks similar to
Grandpa and Bo by Kevin Henkes


picture-books
picture-book
children-s
children-s-books

The Not-So-Faraway Adventure


Andrew Larsen - 2016
    He had been everywhere. He kept an old trunk packed with the pictures, postcards, maps and menus that he had collected on his adventures. Someday, Theo wants to be an explorer, too. For now, it's Poppa's birthday, and Theo has planned a special trip to the beach with him to celebrate. They plot out their course on a map they've drawn and then take the streetcar to the local beach, where they stroll in the sand, hunt for stones and slurp gazpacho at the beachside restaurant. It's a perfect day, and Theo is so happy to have given Poppa just the right gift. But best of all, Theo has also had her first lesson in being an explorer: you don't have to travel far from home to have an adventure! In this heartwarming picture book, popular author Andrew Larsen has created a rich story that captures the magic of turning an ordinary day into an adventure. The closeness between Theo and Poppa is touching, and offers a terrific opportunity for classroom discussions about family relationships. The emphasis on discovering the world right outside your door is a wonderful springboard for projects in which children can do the same in their own communities. With subtle and imaginative details in the cityscape, the beach and Poppa's home, Irene Luxbacher's fresh and expressive illustrations add depth to the story. The endearing Poppa and Theo also star in The Imaginary Garden, written and illustrated by the same creators.

Oh, Look!


Patricia Polacco - 2004
    The famous Polacco goats are back! In this playful interactive chant, three mischievous little goats find their way out of the gate (squeak, squeak, squeak!), over a bridge (click, click, click!) through some mud (squish, squish, squish!), onto a carousel (um pah pah pah, um pah pah!)...and right into the path of an angry ogre! Of course, they are happy to turn right around and run straight back over the path they traveled, until at last they are back home gain, safe and sound.Patricia Polacco's color palette is bright and springlike in her second goat adventure for very young readers.

When Charley Met Grampa


Amy Hest - 2013
    Henry can’t wait! He sets out with Charley, his beloved pup, pulling a sled for Grampa’s suitcase. To pass time at the station, Henry tells Charley about Grampa -- how he has the longest feet and snores wild, and how he doesn’t know how to be friends with a dog. At last Grampa arrives, but when a sudden gust of wind blows his hat away, Charley disappears into the whirling snow -- and returns, to their relief, carrying Grampa’s green cap! With lyrical simplicity, Amy Hest narrates a small, turning moment in the life of a child and a grandparent, while Helen Oxenbury renders every gesture and detail with signature warmth and charm.

Daddy Honk Honk!


Rosalinde Bonnet - 2017
    He doesn't know anything about babies and he certainly doesn't know what to do when the gosling hatches and mistakes him for its daddy. So he decides to find the gosling a home. But with each page turn, Aput learns more about caring for a baby and, with a little help from his friends, he discovers what a baby needs most is love.

The Fathers Are Coming Home


Margaret Wise Brown - 2007
    A never-before published work from one of children’s literature’s greatest writers and masterfully illustrated by a New York Times bestselling artist, this poignant story concludes with a young boy whose father is a sailor coming home from the sea to his son.

Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth


Kate Klise - 2010
    He really wants to go to the circus! His mother says he may go, but only after he cleans his playroom. Little Rabbit tries, but it’s no use. There’s only one thing to do: Join the circus and sell one hundred tickets to see the Meanest Mother on Earth! She’s terrifying! She’s not fair!Mother Rabbit is tough, but only because she loves her Little Rabbit. He starts to understand this at the last sleepy moment, as he snuggles up under a homemade circus tent in his now clean playroom.

Hide-and-Squeak


Heather Vogel Frederick - 2011
    He hides in the garden, hides in the kitchen, hides his little whiskers anywhere he can. Anything to keep from going to bed. But daddy is right behind him --"Mousebaby mousebaby, where can you be?"-- trying to get this little scamp all tucked in and ready to sleep.. Who will win at this adorable game of hide and squeak? Only time will tail...tell.

The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight


Jennifer L. Holm - 2019
    Sort of.Meet the Evil Princess and the Brave Knight. She casts terrible spells, while he fights dragons. He rescues cats in distress, while she makes mischief. No wonder there isn't much peace in this kingdom! But is the Evil Princess really so evil? And is the Brave Knight truly as chivalrous as he seems? Children and parents will laugh at seeing familiar family dynamics play out in this charming and imaginative new story.

Jethro and Joel Were a Troll


Bill Peet - 1987
    The good half of a two-headed troll gets them both in trouble when he lets the bad side rule for a day.

Melvin and the Boy


Lauren Castillo - 2011
    But when they get home, the boy soon discovers that the only time the turtle comes out of his shell is at bath time. Is it possible that the turtle would be happiest back in the pond? After all, it's always bath time there!Lauren Castillo's beautiful art gives this gentle story about finding the right pet--and, in the end, doing what's right for that pet—a timeless, classic feel.

Ladybug Girl's Day Out with Grandpa


David Soman - 2017
    Even Ladybug Girl may never see it all. Then Grandpa shows her something extra special: the butterfly room! Inside, Lulu slows down. She looks and listens. And she realizes that Ladybug Girl can be like a flower if she holds very still and thinks flower thoughts. When a shining blue butterfly lands on her finger, she understands that even if she can't learn everything in one day, she can learn so much from each moment, if she only takes the time to look around.

Harris Finds His Feet


Catherine Rayner - 2008
    "Why do I have such enormous feet, Grandad?" he sighed. "All hares have big feet, young Harris," said Grandad. And so begins a beautiful and remarkable story about a child's journey to independence. With help from his grandfather, Harris learns how to use his enormous feet to hop high into the sky. He climbs to the tops of mountains and runs really fast until suddenly he is on his own. Gorgeous and highly imaginative watercolors illustrate how Harris not only learns about the world around him, but also discovers the importance of finding his own feet. From the author and illustrator of Augustus and His Smile, winner of one of Child Magazine's Best Children's Book Awards.

The Big Trip


Valeri Gorbachev - 2004
    What could be more fun than a big trip?  Pig can't wait to go, but Goat is worried.  How will Pig get there?  Bicycles are unsteady, horses can throw you off.  Cars can break down and trains get stuck in tunnels.  A trip can be no vacation at all...but leave it to Pig to send Goat's worries packing and turn tricky travel into smooth sailing!Valeri Gorbachev has brought his comic characters from Where is the Apple Pie? and One Rainy Day to another neighborly story of fun and friendship.

A Balloon for Isabel


Deborah Underwood - 2009
    Everyone will get one on Graduation Day—everyone except the porcupines, because Porcupines + Balloons = TroubleBut Isabel isn't going to settle for another boring bookmark. She has a plan. . . .

The Baby That Roared


Simon Puttock - 2012
    and Mrs. Deer find a little antlered bundle on the doorstep, Mrs. Deer thinks their wish for a baby has come true; Mr. Deer thinks that the baby is very, very peculiar. It won’t stop roaring, so they ask advice from friends and family, who in turn send them off to fetch what they think the baby needs. But each time Mr. and Mrs. Deer return home from an errand, someone is missing and the baby is still roaring. It takes wise old Granny Bear to spot the problem. The baby’s not a baby - it’s a little monster! A very hungry monster at that. . . .