Henri's Walk to Paris by Saul Bass and Leonore Klein
As graphic designers, we're attracted to anything by Saul Bass. Fortunately, the children's book he illustrated isn't just visually gorgeous; our kids love the imaginative story too. In it, Henri, a little boy who lives in a little town, dreams of seeing Paris. So, one day he takes off for the big city. And when he wakes up from a nap under a tree, his journey takes him somewhere unexpected, but familiar. It's about the joys of adventure and having a place to call home. Challenge: read with French accent.
Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
Leonardo is a not-so-terrible monster who really wants to be scary. That's until he meets Sam, an easy target with troubles of his own. When faced with the dilemma of scaring or comforting the little boy, Leonardo decides he'd rather make a friend. We love monsters that teach kindness. This sweet story with adorable illustrations is in regular bedtime-book rotation.
Out of Sight by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
Go on a reading safari with this beautiful exploration of the animal kingdom. More than 50 boldly illustrated animals hide behind paw prints, cutouts, pop-ups and patterns, each waiting to reveal a simple, random fact about itself. It's a wonderfully surprising take on a typical animal tale—one that our kids never seem to tire of.
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
What should you do when your toddler freaks out about wanting mama? Take a page out of this charming tale, in which a little llama gets tucked into bed only to quickly call for his mom. When mama llama fails to immediately return, drama ensues with whimpers, pouts and shouts. "Please stop all this llama drama, and be patient with your mama," is a phrase from the book we've adopted at our house. It sometimes works.
Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier and Suzy Lee
This is a sweet story about animal friends (and a blue giant) who share a love of reading. But what makes it really special is the inventive way it's presented. When you open the book, you're invited to open another, smaller book inside that, and another, and another, and so on. It's charming, beautifully illustrated, and celebrates the art of bookmaking in a way that inspires little imaginations. Long live books on paper!
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham
Harry, a white dog with black spots, escapes the yard and has adventures that make him filthy enough to turn into a black dog with white spots. He becomes unrecognizable to his own family until he cleverly gets them to give him a good bath. Written in 1956, the book still holds up with its universal themes: rebellion, the fun of getting really dirty, the importance of bathing, and belonging. We loved this book as kids, and now we love reading it to our own.
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
This book about bedtime at the zoo was an early favorite at our house. Many an evening has been spent following this unobservant zookeeper—identifying animals, finding the little mouse, banana and balloon on each spread, and hysterically giggling when the zookeeper's wife wakes to find a gorilla in her bed. We've probably read it more than a thousand times, and it's yet to get old.
365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet
A family receives a surprise delivery on January 1: a penguin. Another penguin arrives each day of the year, until the house is stuffed full of them. This silly story is entertaining, and it has an ecological message in its surprise ending. Bold illustrations make it a beautiful read, scoring a spot as one of our coffee table books.
