Book picks similar to
Tom and Pippo in the Garden by Helen Oxenbury


picture-book
children-s
baby-toddler
picture-books

Rhubarb


Stephen Cosgrove - 1988
    The farm animals learn that their possessive love for their dog friend Rhubarb is exhausting her and that friendships must be shared.

Up in the Tree


Margaret Atwood - 1978
    The perfect integration of words and pictures creates a coherent and delightful whole.When this charming book was first published in 1978, there was a widespread idea that it was too expensive and risky to publish a children's book in Canada. And so Margaret Atwood not only wrote and illustrated the book, she handlettered the type! The book was created in the old-fashioned way, using only two colors that mixed together to produce a surprisingly large range of tones and textures. The delightful result reminds us that technology hasn't necessarily made things better. This facsimile edition renders intact the unique pleasures of the original.

The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip


George Saunders - 2000
    In the seaside village of Frip live three families: the Romos, the Ronsens, and a little girl named Capable and her father. The economy of Frip is based solely on goat’s milk, and this is a problem because the village is plagued by gappers: bright orange, many-eyed creatures the size of softballs that love to attach themselves to goats. When a gapper gets near a goat, it lets out a high-pitched shriek of joy that puts the goats off giving milk, which means that every few hours the children of Frip have to go outside, brush the gappers off their goats, and toss them into the sea. The gappers have always been everyone’s problem, until one day they get a little smarter, and instead of spreading out, they gang up: on Capable’s goats. Free at last of the tyranny of the gappers, will her neighbors rally to help her? Or will they turn their backs, forcing Capable to bear the misfortune alone? Featuring fifty-two haunting and hilarious illustrations by Lane Smith and a brilliant story by George Saunders that explores universal themes of community and kindness, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip is a rich and resonant story for those that have all and those that have not.

The Curious Garden


Peter Brown - 2009
    one garden at a time.While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world. This is an enchanting tale with environmental themes and breathtaking illustrations that become more vibrant as the garden blooms. Red-headed Liam can also be spotted on every page, adding a clever seek-and-find element to this captivating picture book.

The Odd One Out


Britta Teckentrup - 2014
    Each spread features rhyming couplets, patterned artwork, and a hidden surprise.

The Night Before Christmas


Clement C. Moore - 1823
    Nicholas". No one claimed authorship until 13 years later. Clement Clarke Moore, a professor and poet, said that he wrote the piece for his children. Unbeknownst to him, his housekeeper had sent it to the newspaper to be published. However, the family of Henry Livingston Jr. contended that their father had been reciting “A Visit from St. Nicholas” for 15 years prior to publication. Regardless of the true author, the poem is now a Christmas classic.

Wee Gillis


Munro Leaf - 1938
    He is an orphan, and he spends half of each year with his mother's people in the Lowlands, while the other half finds him in the Highlands with his father's kin. Both sides of Gillis's family are eager for him to settle down and adopt their ways. In the Lowlands, he is taught to herd cattle, learning how to call them to him in even the heaviest of evening fogs. In the rocky Highlands, he stalks stags from outcrop to outcrop, holding his breath so as not to make a sound. Wee Gillis is a quick study, and he soon picks up what his elders can teach him. And yet he is unprepared when the day comes for him to decide, once and for all, whether it will be the Lowlands or the Highlands that he will call his home.Robert Lawson and Munro Leaf's classic picture book is a tribute to the powers of the imagination and a triumph of the storyteller's and illustrator's art.

The Bear and the Piano


David Litchfield - 2015
    As time passes, he teaches himself how to play the strange instrument, and eventually the beautiful sounds are heard by a father and son who are picnicking in the woods. The bear goes with them on an incredible journey to New York, where his piano playing makes him a huge star. He has fame, fortune and all the music in the world, but he misses the friends and family he has left behind. A moving tale of exploration and belonging from an exciting debut author-illustrator.

Dasher


Matt Tavares - 2019
    She spends her days with her family under the hot sun in a traveling circus, but she longs for a different life -- one where there is snow beneath her hooves and the North Star above her head. One day, when the opportunity arises, Dasher seizes her destiny and takes off in pursuit of the life she wants to live. It's not long before she meets a nice man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh -- a man named Santa. And soon, with the help of a powerful Christmas wish, nothing will be the same.

Just Grandma and Me


Mercer Mayer - 1983
    Celebrating the special bond between a grandparent and grandchild, this beloved story is the perfect gift for Mother's Day . . . or any day!

Sparky!


Jenny Offill - 2014
    Like the Caldecott Medal-winning Officer Buckle and Gloria, Sparky stars a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. When our narrator orders a sloth through the mail, the creature that arrives isn't good at tricks or hide-and-seek . . . or much of anything. Still, there's something about Sparky that is irresistible.Winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man


Michael Chabon - 2011
    . . . Can you guess what it is?

Friends


Eric Carle - 2013
    But the spunky boy in this upbeat story makes up his mind to find his missing playmate. Young readers will cheer on the boy as he braves currents, climbs mountains, and dashes through rain before, finally, reuniting with his friend. A story alive with love and perseverance, brightened with vibrant art and Eric Carle's trademark fostering of imagination.This deeply personal story for Eric is dedicated to his longtime wife, Bobbie, and it is their bond that inspired the book. For anyone who has ever scaled mountains to be with the one he loves, or for anyone who has simply known the love and joy of a great friendship, this book will strike a resonant chord.“This story of love and determination is illustrated with Carle's extraordinary signature artwork. For anyone who would cross rivers and scale mountains for a beloved friend, this warmhearted story will create an emotional response. Young readers will learn the value of friendship and its many challenges.” —School Library Journal “Often dynamic and quite beautiful, these colorful illustrations of the river, the meadow, and so on are abstract in style and show up well from a distance. A picture-book tribute to the strength of childhood friendships.” —Booklist "The images are beautiful and evocative." —Publishers Weekly

Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School


Herman Parish - 2004
    But don't give Amelia Bedelia any problems. Or ask her to take her seat. Or tell her to paint anything. Amelia Bedelia is ready to learn, but it's the class that getsa lesson -- in reading, writing, and ridiculousness! Pull back the flaps to peek at Amelia Bedelia's school day.

Angelina Ballerina


Katharine Holabird - 1983
    Her parents are in despair until they send her to ballet school.