Book picks similar to
The Paradise Garden by Colin Thompson


picture-books
picture-book
childrens
picturebooks

I Am a Story


Dan Yaccarino - 2016
    It’s always been around, making us happy, sad, excited, or scared and bringing people together. With simple text and delightful illustrations, Dan Yaccarino reminds us of the power of story.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey


Susan Wojciechowski - 1995
    And now this stunning gift set invites friends and family to gather and enjoy the magic of holiday storytelling at its finest.

It's All About Me-Ow


Hudson Talbott - 2012
    Do you ever wonder how cats achieve the perfect blend of catitude and cuteness; how they can be both mild and wild? Here all the tricks of their trade are revealed as an alpha cat passes his wisdom to a new generation. Entertaining lessons abound, including a crash course on what to eat (mouse=do, gerbil=don't) and the importance of purr therapy to keep the humans calm. Hudson Talbott's spot-on humor celebrates everything we love about our fabulous feline friends, as well as the little things we put up with because we love them.

Max's Words


Kate Banks - 2006
    Benjamin collects stamps and Karl collects coins, and neither one will share with their little brother. So Max decides to start a collection of his own. He’s going to collect words. He starts with small words that he cuts out of newspapers and magazines, but soon his collection has spilled out into the hall. All the while, his brothers are watching. Benjamin brags that he has one thousand stamps. Karl is just a few coins short of five hundred. But a thousand stamps is really just a bunch of stamps, and a lot of coins is only a heap of money. A pile of words, however, can make a story.  Bright, bold pictures incorporating clever wordplay accompany this highly original tale about a younger brother’s ingenuity. Max's Words is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

The Christmas Quiet Book


Deborah Underwood - 2012
    But Christmas is sometimes wrapped in quiet: “Searching for presents quiet,” “Getting caught quiet,” and “Hoping for a snow day quiet.” Irresistibly cute, soft colored pencil illustrations of bunnies, bears, and more paint a magical holiday picture indeed.

The Whispering Town


Jennifer Riesmeyer Elvgren - 2014
     It is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to neutral Sweden. The soldiers patrolling their street are growing suspicious, so Carl and his mama must make their way to the harbor despite a cloudy sky with no moon to guide them. Worried about their safety, Anett devises a clever and unusual plan for their safe passage to the harbor. Based on a true story.

I Want My Hat Back


Jon Klassen - 2011
    Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor—and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke.

Listen, Buddy


Helen Lester - 1995
    He was a great sniffer. Buddy's mother had beautiful big teeth. She was a great chomper. Buddy had beautiful big ears. It didn't matter. Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger have created eight children's books together. Munsinger's unparalleled animal characters and Lester's hysterical text have joined together to create another silly tale about a bunny who just can't seem to listen.Featuring bonus audio!

Curious George Goes to the Hospital


Margret Rey - 1966
    Readers learn all about the hospital as George goes in for an operation to remove a puzzle piece he has eaten.

Pecos Bill: A Tall Tale


Steven Kellogg - 1986
    "A read-aloud treat....One of Kellogg's best."—Booklist.

There's No Such Thing as a Dragon


Jack Kent - 1975
    Billy Bixbee's mother won't admit that dragons exist until it is nearly too late.

Charley's First Night


Amy Hest - 2012
    He shows Charley every room, saying, "This is home, Charley." He says that a lot so that Charley will know that he is home. Henry’s parents are very clear about who will be walking and feeding Charley (Henry will, and he can’t wait). They are also very clear about where Charley will be sleeping: Charley will be sleeping in the kitchen. But when the crying starts in the middle of the night, Henry knows right away that it’s Charley! And it looks like his parents’ idea about where Charley is going to sleep may have to change. With warmth, humor, and endearing simplicity, Amy Hest tells a tale familiar to everyone who has loved a puppy, while Helen Oxenbury renders each tender gesture and charming detail in a beauty of a book that children will be eager to take home.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle


Amy Young - 2016
    She imagines the flowers that she'll braid into his beautiful pink mane, and she even picks the perfect name for him: Sparkle. But when Sparkle arrives, his ears are too long, his horn is too short, he smells funny--and oh, he has fleas. Lucy isn't pleased, but in the end she warms up to Sparkle and realizes that even though he wasn't exactly the unicorn she wanted, he might be just the one she needs.

Little Red Gliding Hood


Tara Lazar - 2015
    But who will be her partner? The Dish is already dancing with the Spoon, and Hansel is spinning Gretel like sugar. You won’t believe what big eyes, sharp teeth, and long snout her partner has…all the better to spin her with!

One Cool Friend


Toni Buzzeo - 2012
    It's just proper enough for a straight-laced boy like him. And when he asks his father if he may have one (please and thank you), his father says yes. Elliot should have realized that Dad probably thought he meant a stuffed penguin and not a real one . . . Clever illustrations and a wild surprise ending make this sly, silly tale of friendship and wish fulfillment a kid-pleaser from start to finish.