Book picks similar to
Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen
picture-books
art
picture-book
animals
Pandora
Victoria Turnbull - 2017
She makes herself a handsome home, but no one ever comes to visit. Then one day something falls from the sky . . . a bird with a broken wing. Little by little, Pandora helps the bird grow stronger. Little by little, the bird helps Pandora feel less lonely. The bird begins to fly again, and always comes back—bringing seeds and flowers and other small gifts. But then one day, it flies away and doesn't return. Pandora is heartbroken. Until things begin to grow . . . Here is a stunningly illustrated celebration of connection and renewal.
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Christine Baldacchino - 2014
He paints amazing pictures and he loves his classroom's dress-up center, especially the tangerine dress. It reminds him of tigers, the sun and his mother's hair. The other children don't understand--dresses, they say, are for girls. And Morris certainly isn't welcome in the spaceship his classmates are building--astronauts, they say, don't wear dresses. One day Morris has a tummy ache, and his mother lets him stay home from school. He stays in bed reading about elephants, and her dreams about a space adventure with his cat, Moo. Inspired by his dream, Morris paints a fantastic picture, and everything begins to change when he takes it to school.
An Ordinary Day
Elana K. Arnold - 2020
But then two visitors arrive at two houses, one to help a family say hello to a new baby and one to help a family say goodbye to a beloved pet.
Where Happiness Begins
Eva Eland - 2020
You can try to chase it, control it or capture it, but even if it seems like it’s gone for a while, you’ll know it’s never far away...This is the second of Eva Eland's picture books that helps little ones deal with big emotions. Start on your journey with happiness... who knows where it could take you?
Hum and Swish
Matt Myers - 2019
But everyone around keeps asking her pesky questions she doesn't know how to answer: what are you making? Aren't you clever?Jamie does her best to tune it all out and focus on her creation . . . until she finds a like-minded friend.Widely respected artist Matt Myers makes his debut as an author in this story that celebrates creativity, introversion, and the beauty of a little peace and quiet.
Swashby and the Sea
Beth Ferry - 2020
This hilarious picture book will keep emerging readers laughing, and the message-related mishaps in the story create an opportunity for spelling and sounding out new words while learning from home! Captain Swashby loves the sea, his oldest friend. And he loves his life by the sea just as it is: salty and sandy and serene. One day, much to Swashby’s chagrin, a young girl and her granny commandeer the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to GO AWAY and take their ruckus with them. When Swashby begins to leave notes in the sand for his noisy neighbors, however, the beach interferes with the messages that are getting across. Could it be that the captain’s oldest friend, the sea, knows what Swashby needs even better than he knows himself?
Kiyoshi's Walk
Mark Karlins - 2021
As Kiyoshi discovers that poems come from the way the world outside of us meets the world within each of us, he also finds the courage to write a haiku of his own. This lovely book will speak to any reader who treasures poetry, city life, grandparents, or the beauty of the everyday.
Hungry Bunny
Claudia Rueda - 2018
The only problem? These apples are hard to reach! But Bunny has some ideas. Young readers will delight in using the red ribbon to help Bunny reach new heights and pick those tasty apples. But the fun doesn't end there! Readers will also rock the book back and forth and turn it round and round for a one-of-a-kind roller-coaster adventure on Bunny's way home. Claudia Rueda shakes up the reading experience once again in this delightful sequel to Bunny Slopes.
Small World
Ishta Mercurio - 2019
But as she grows, the world grows too. It expands outward—from her family, to her friends, to the city, to the countryside. And as it expands, so does Nanda’s wonder in the underlying shapes and structures patterning it: cogs and wheels, fractals in snowflakes. Eventually, Nanda’s studies lead her to become an astronaut and see the small, round shape of Earth far away. A geometric meditation on wonder, Small World is a modern classic that expresses our big and small place in the vast universe.
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles
Michelle Cuevas - 2016
It is his task to open any bottles found at sea and make sure that the messages are delivered. He loves his job, though he has always wished that, someday, one of the letters would be addressed to him. One day he opens a party invitation—but there’s no name attached. As he devotes himself to the mystery of the intended recipient, he ends up finding something even more special: the possibility of new friends.
I See Kitty
Yasmine Surovec - 2013
She wants a cat so much that she sees Kitty everywhere she goes: at the bus stop, in her backyard, in the starry night sky, even in her dreams. From debut children's book illustrator Yasmine Surovec comes a story so adorable that if you don't already love cats you will by the time you're done reading it. In the tradition of iconic preschool books like Where's Spot?, I See Kitty uses bright, bold artwork to appeal to very young readers and charm them for generations to come.
Hugs from Pearl
Paul Schmid - 2011
. . except when they come from a porcupine.Pearl tries and tries to solve her problem and finally fixes it in her very own way.From the author-artist of A Pet for Petunia comes a prickly new character with a great big heart. Paul Schmid paints Pearl’s world with soft and dreamy colors that reflect just how sweet she is beneath her sharp-quilled porcupine exterior.
The Lion Inside
Rachel Bright - 2015
A rhyming story about one little mouse trying to make himself heard and discovering along the way that even the smallest of us has the heart of a lion.
Claymates
Dev Petty - 2017
Things might get a little crazy.In this photographic friendship adventure, the claymates squish, smash, and sculpt themselves into the funniest shapes imaginable. But can they fix a giant mess before they're caught in the act?
Journey
Aaron Becker - 2013
Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.