The cover of the picture book I, Rock: A Geology Tale, written by Katie Slivensky and illustrated by Steph Stilwell. A rock with big eyes and arms raised to the sky sits atop dirt that is full of hidden things, like worms and gemstones.

I, Rock: A Geology Tale, words by Katie Slivensky and pictures by Steph Stilwell, takes the reader on a very long journey of a rock's life. It's a master class in the interplay between the words, the illustrations, and text features. Fun and full of information!
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The cover of the picture book Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story by Salina Yoon. A cartoon penguin wearing an orange scarf reaches for a pinecone in the snow.

Salina Yoon's books are a treasure. They feel like a warm hug, but they can also be deeply profound. Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story is a great example of this.
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The cover of the picture book Spooky by Sally Anne Garland. The illustration shows a cat peeking down from the top of a staircase, spying on a family with moving boxes and coming in the front door.

Spooky by Sally Anne Garland reminds us that not everything that seems scary actually is.

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The cover of the picture book The Search for Our Cosmic Neighbors by Chloe Savage. The cover is an astronaut using a scientific device on a pink, rocky planet. Little yellow aliens are sneaking up on her.

The Search for Our Cosmic Neighbors by Chloe Savage is a delight for the eyes! There is a lot to explore in the illustrations, and this quirky book has a sweet message.

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The cover of the picture book Misunderstood Shark written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Scott Magoon. The illustration shows a shark holding a nervous jellyfish with a hat and microphone.

I know I just posted Misunderstood Shark written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Scott Magoon the other day. That's how much we love this book!

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The cover of the picture book There's Something Odd About the Babysitter by Elayne Crain and illustrated by John Ledda. The illustration shows a boy and a dog looking at the babysitter suspiciously. The babysitter is three raccoons in a trench coat.

The title and cover say all you need to know about There's Something Odd About the Babysitter by Elayne Crain and illustrated by John Ledda. I was hooked at the three raccoons in a trench coat!

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The cover of the picture book Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends by Mike Reiss and illustrated by Ashley Spires. The illustration shows a turtle and a tortoise glaring at each other.

Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends by Mike Reiss and illustrated by Ashley Spires tackles the rivals to friends topic in an unexpected way.

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The cover of the picture book Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise. The cover depicts and owl dressed as a knight talking to a small bird with a rucksack. They sit on the parapets of a castle with a sunrise in the background.

Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise is a cute sequel. The interplay between Owl and Early Bird is really well done.

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The cover of the picture book Misunderstood Shark, written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Scott Magoon. The illustration shows a shark holding a jellyfish. The jellyfish is holding microphone and has a hat and glasses on, and looks apprehensive. The shark has a quirked eyebrow and looks like he might be up to something.

Misunderstood Shark, written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Scott Magoon, is such a favorite in our house that my middle kiddo picked it as the library book to have his name in it when he read his 1,000 books before kindergarten.

Hilarious and playful with fun facts thrown in!

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The cover of the nonfiction children's book Cassini's Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth by Katie Venit, illustrated by Julia Blattman. The illustration shows the Cassinis space probe flying in front of a very large Saturn.

Cassini's Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth by Katie Venit, illustrated by Julia Blattman.

As someone who also writes children's nonfiction about NASA space missions, this was right up my alley. The kiddo enjoyed it, too!

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The cover of the picture book We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. The illustration shows a young t-rex dinosaur in a disheveled classroom. Drool drips from her mouth to a shoe on the floor.

Reread We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. If you've been following along with my reads this year, you can tell anything by Ryan T. Higgins is a hit in my house.

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The cover of the picture book Goodnight Already! by Jory John and Benji Davies. A sleepy looking bears holds a tiny stuffed animal. A duck peeks out from behind the bear.

Goodnight Already! by Jory John and Benji Davies is a fun bedtime read.

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The cover of the picture book Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales. The illustration is 3D style with a doll created in the likeness of Frida Kahlo.

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales is a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Pura Belpré Award for illustrations. The illustrations are so unique and really embody the spirit of the book.

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The cover of the picture book Falling Star by Linda Liu. The illustration has a night sky background with a big falling star with eyes front and center.

Falling Star by Linda Liu has more complexity than at first glance and is one of those books that works on different levels for each age group.
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The cover of the picture book Cats Are a Liquid by Rebecca Donnelly and illustrated Misa Saburi. The illustration has a yellow background with a girl holding up a large measuring cup with 2 cats in it.

Cats Are a Liquid by Rebecca Donnelly and illustrated by Misa Saburi.

The short, punchy text and expressive characters work really well together.

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The cover of the picture book Duckie & Snaps: We Cannot Be Friends by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Tim Miller. The illustration shows a cartoon duckling and alligator. The duckling looked excited, while the alligator looks apprehensive.

Next up is Duckie & Snaps: We Cannot Be Friends by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Tom Miller.

Very funny with a few surprises!

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The cover of the picture book Knight Owl by Christopher Denise. The illustration shows a big moon and the shadow of a dragon on the background Front and center is an owl dressed as a knight.

Read a special signed copy of Knight Owl by Christopher Denise. I was lucky enough to meet him at a conference a few years ago.

We love the detailed illustrations, the humor, and the overall theme of this book!

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The cover of the picture book Look, words by Gabi Snyder and pictures by Samantha Cotterill. The illustrations are in a cut paper style. The cover depicts a boys writing in a book, surrounded by trees and flowers.

I was looking for examples of picture book illustrations in 3D style and came across Look, words by Gabi Snyder and pictures by Samantha Cotterill. Love the use of shadow and light in this book.
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The cover of the picture book Duck & Goose by Tad Hills. The illustration shows a young duck and goose sitting back to back on a large polka-dot patterned ball.

Duck & Goose by Tad Hills is a favorite in our house.
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The cover of the picture book Norman and the Smell of Adventure by Ryan T. Higgins. The illustration shows Norman the porcupine with a backpack and walking stick, trekking across a hilly landscape.

Norman and the Smell of Adventure by Ryan T. Higgins. Who doesn't love a story about a porcupine who is best friends with a tree? A thoughtful continuation of this series.

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The cover of the picture book The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey. A man tends to a horse pulling a sleigh with a boy and logs in it. They are on snowy hills.

Lots of nostalgia in The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey.

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The cover of the picture book Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley. The cover illustration is a photograph of miniatures. A small bear like creature in a forest standa over a tiny egg.

Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley is a wordless picture book. It's always fascinating to see a story told only with images.
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The cover of the nonfiction children's book Stalactite & Stalagmite by Drew Beckmeyer. The illustration depicts an anthropomorphized Stalactite and Stalagmite in a cave.

Another Caldecott Honor book with Stalactite & Stalagmite by Drew Beckmeyer.

I did not expect to get so emotional over anthropomorphized mineral deposits that experience the evolution of the planet and themselves throughout time.

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The cover of the picture book What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive? by Mark Lee and Brian Biggs. The illustration depicts a very large T. Rex at a car lot.

What Kind of Car Does a T. Rex Drive? by Mark Lee and Brian Biggs is very silly. I liked how the kids were so much smarter than the grown-up.

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The cover of the picture book School's First Day of School by Adam Rex and illustrated by Christian Robinson. The illustration shows a smiling school at the center of a bustling neighborhood full of houses, a school bus, and children.

School's First Day of School by Adam Rex and illustrated by Christian Robinson is a fun variation on a perennial topic.

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The cover of the picture book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. The illustration has a green background with a mama duck and 7 ducklings drawn in the foreground.

The cover of the picture book The Digger and the Duckling by Joseph Kuefler. The illustration shows anthropomorphized construction trucks. The crane truck holds up a beam where a duckling waves hello.

I read aloud Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey and The Digger and the Duckling by Joseph Kuefler in my adult education class on writing & publishing children's books.

We discuss the similarities and differences between the classic and the more modern picture book.

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The cover of the picture book Frederick by Leo Lionni. The illustration shows a sleepy mouse standing on a rock and holding a red flower.

Frederick by Leo Lionni is one of those classics that is a favorite of mine. The illustrations still feel worthy of the Caldecott Honor.

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The cover the picture book Octopus Moves by Bab Barner. The illustration shows a smiling and colorful octopus floating in the ocean.

Octopus Moves by Bob Barner is more of an early reader than a traditional picture book. I loved the illustrations.

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The cover of the picture book Hotel Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins. The illustration shows an annoyed black bear staring down at two mice, the bear's house in the background with a hotel sign on it. A duck dressed as a bellhop is next to them.

The cover of the picture book Bruce's Big Storm by Ryan T. Higgins. The illustration shows a bear being blown away on a rainy, windy day. A bunny is on his head with a mouse on the bunny's head. The mouse holds an umbrella.

Read a couple more Bruce books in one sitting so putting them together. My kiddo really likes the Bruce books!

Hotel Bruce and Bruce's Big Storm by Ryan T. Higgins
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The cover of the picture book Fireworks, written by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Cátia Chien. The illustration depicts a night sky full of fireworks and two children watching them. A good Caldecott Medal decorates the cover.

Fireworks, written by Matthew Burgess with pictures by Cátia Chien, just won the Caldecott Medal.

I can see why with the unique and expressive illustrations that feel like they explode out of the pages!

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