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100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know

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Prepared by the Office of Children's Services at the New York Public Library.

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Mr. Gumpy's Outing

by: John Burningham
Mr. Gumpy's Outing

Mr. Gumpy lives by a river. One sunny day he decides to take a ride in his small boat.

It is such a perfect idea, for such a perfect summer day, that he soon has company: first the children, then the rabbit, the cat, the dog, the pig, the sheep, the chickens, and still others until-- Mr. Gumpy's outing comes to an inevitable but not unhappy, conclusion.

With Mr. Gumpy's Outing, John Burningham became the first artist ever to win England's Kate Greenaway Medal twice. In America, the book was a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner and an American Library Association Notable Children's Book of 1971.

"Come for a ride another day," says Mr. Gumpy at the book's end. And young readers will return again and again to this sprightly story with its clever, captivating illustrations that reflect the sunlit quality of a lazy summer afternoon.

Winner of the 1972 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Picture Books
An ALA Notable Children's Book
Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal
A 1971 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book
A Child Study Association Children's Book of the Year
A Library of Congress Children's Book of the Year

Miss Nelson is Missing! Book & CD (Read Along Book & CD)

by: Harry G. Allard Jr.
release date: Aug 20, 2007
Miss Nelson is Missing! Book & CD (Read Along Book & CD)

The kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.

So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don't proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. James Marshall's scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial!

Millions of Cats

by: Wanda Gag
release date: Jan 01, 1988
Millions of Cats
Millions of Cats is a wonderful tale of vanity versus humility, written and illustrated by the singular Wanda Gag. An old man and his wife decide to get a cat, so the old man goes out in search of the prettiest cat of all. When he is forced to choose from "hundreds, thousands, millions and billions and trillions" of cats, he (naturally) brings them all home. When the wife points out their inability to support the legion of felines, it is left to the cats to decide who among them is the prettiest. Anyone who has ever owned more than a single cat can tell you what happens next. Gag's simple, appealing black ink drawings are perfect for the story, somehow capturing at least the idea of millions of cats in a single page. Repeated lines and the sing-song title refrain make this a read-aloud natural.(Ages 4 to 8) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. "This Newbery Honor winner is distinguished by innovative design and a strong storyteller's cadence." (School Library Journal's "One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century")

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

by: Virginia L. Burton
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
When Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Ann, lose their jobs to the gasoline, electric, and diesel motor shovels, they go to a little country town where they find that one new job leads to another.

Martha Speaks

by: Susan Meddaugh
Martha Speaks
"The football team's coach goes missing before the final game! Can Martha save the day before the Wagstaff dogs end up in the doghouse?"--P. [4] of cover.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

by: Mordicai Gerstein
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
A lyrical evocation of Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers.

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens

by: Denise Fleming
Mama Cat Has Three Kittens
Mama Cat has three kittens: Fluffy, Skinny, and Boris. When Mama Cat washes her paws, Fluffy and Skinny wash their paws. Boris naps. When Mama Cat walks the stone wall, Fluffy and Skinny walk the stone wall. Boris naps. When Mama Cat sharpens her claws, Fluffy and Skinny sharpen their claws. Boris naps. - p. 2-15.

Make Way for Ducklings

by: Robert McCloskey
Make Way for Ducklings
First published in 1941, the book tells the story of a pair of mallard ducks who decide to raise their family on an island in the lagoon in Boston Public Garden, a park in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. [1][1] [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Way_for_Ducklings

Maisy Goes Swimming

by: Lucy Cousins
release date: Jan 11, 2011
Maisy Goes Swimming
Kids go crazy for Maisy's lift-the-flap books Two of Lucy Cousins's very first Maisy books are now reissued by Candlewick in a bold new design. At the swimming pool, Maisy takes off her blue hat and scarf, her red coat, her gray cardigan, her green pants, her brown boots, her purple T-shirt, and her yellow socks. Whew Now she can put on her multicolored swimsuit and go for a swim. Faucets turn, doors open, and clothes go up and down in this hands-on story about a favorite childhood pastime.

Madeline

by: Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline
Nothing frightens Madeline—not tigers, not even mice. With its endearing, courageous heroine, cheerful humor, and wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris, the Madeline stories are true classics that continue to charm readers, even after 75 years! Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) was the author of the beloved Madeline books, including Madeline, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Madeline's Rescue, winner of the Caldecott Medal.

Machines at Work

by: Byron Barton
release date: Jan 01, 1997
Machines at Work
During a busy day at the construction site, the workers use a variety of machines to knock down a building and begin constructing a new one.

Mabela the Clever

by: Margaret Read MacDonald
Mabela the Clever
An African folktale about a mouse who pays close attention to her surroundings and avoids being tricked by the cat.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Storybook Treasury

by: Bernard Waber
release date: Mar 06, 2012
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Storybook Treasury
The house on East 88th Street: A family moving into a new house discovers in their bathtub a talented crocodile named Lyle, who soon becomes an important part of the family. [Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1503162W): Lyle is perfectly happy living with the Primms on East 88th Street in New York City until Mr. Grumps, their irritable neighbor, has Lyle put in the zoo. Lyle and the birthday party: Lyle the crocodile becomes so jealous of Joshua's birthday party and presents that it makes him feel ill, and he ends up in the hospital, where he recovers his good nature by entertaining the children there. Lyle walks the dogs: Count the dogs as Lyle the crocodile's dog walking business grows.

Lon Po Po

by: Ed Young
release date: Apr 01, 1996
Lon Po Po
Three sisters staying home alone are endangered by a hungry wolf who is disguised as their grandmother.
Other List with This Book:

The Little Red Hen

by: Margot Zemach
The Little Red Hen
The little red hen finds none of her lazy friends willing to help her plant, harvest, or grind wheat into flour, but all are eager to eat the bread she makes from it.

The Line Up Book

by: Marisabina Russo
release date: Jan 01, 1992
The Line Up Book
Sam lines up blocks, books, boots, cars, and other objects, all the way from his room to his mother in the kitchen.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

by: Kevin Henkes
release date: May 01, 2001
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.

Kitten's First Full Moon

by: Kevin Henkes
release date: Jan 01, 2004
Kitten's First Full Moon
When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it.

Julius

by: Angela Johnson
release date: Jan 01, 1997
Julius
When Maya's grandfather comes for a visit, he brings a surprise in a crate--something, he says, to teach her fun and sharing. Maya hopes it's a horse or a big brother. But instead it's Julius, a big, cool pig. Maya's parents see Julius as a slob, but Maya herself sees another Julius altogether. She sees a playmate, a protector, and sharer in all that's magical and wild. Full color.

John Henry

by: Julius Lester
release date: Dec 01, 1999
John Henry
Retells the life of the legendary African American hero who raced against a steam drill to cut through a mountain.

It Could Always Be Worse

by: Margot Zemach
It Could Always Be Worse
When a peasant complains to his rabbi about his family's cramped house, he's told to bring his farm animals inside.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...)

by: Laura Joffe Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...)
Relating the cycle of requests a mouse is likely to make after you give him a cookie takes the reader through a young child's day.

I Kissed the Baby!

by: Mary Murphy
release date: Jan 01, 2004
I Kissed the Baby!
Finally -- the perfect first book for baby is available in board!

"I saw the baby!
Did you see the baby?"
"Yes! I saw the baby, the teeny weeny thing."

It's so exciting! News of the baby is buzzing from animal to animal, with each one -- fish, bird, squirrel, insect, frog -- boasting of seeing, feeding, singing to, tickling, and kissing the tiny little thing. With bold, graphic black-and-white illustrations, Mary Murphy's simple, singsong story captures the giddy commotion that only a baby can bring.

"An animal cast so elated that they seem on the verge of jumping into readers' laps. . . . The high-contrast pictures and exclamatory text are guaranteed eye and ear magnets for the littlest ones." -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

by: Jane Yolen
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
Mother and child ponder the different ways a dinosaur can say goodnight, from slamming his tail and pouting to giving a big hug and kiss.

Horton Hatches the Egg

by: Dr. Seuss
Horton Hatches the Egg
When a lazy bird hatching an egg wants a vacation, she asks Horton, the elephant, to sit on her egg--which he does through all sorts of hazards until he is rewarded for doing what he said he would.

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

by: D.B. Johnson
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
While his friend works hard to earn the train fare to Fitchburg, a bear, modeled on a young Henry Thoreau, walks the thirty miles through woods and fields, enjoying nature and the time to think great thoughts. Includes biographical information about Thoreau.

Harry the Dirty Dog

by: Gene Zion
Harry the Dirty Dog
When a white dog with black spots runs away from home, he gets so dirty his family doesn't recognize him as a black dog with white spots.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

by: Crockett Johnson
Harold and the Purple Crayon
"Harold loves animals so much that he decides to find out what it's like to be one. Join Harold and an elephant, a camel, a herd of cheetahs, and a slippery bunch of penguins on this wildlife adventure in his imagination."--P. [4] cover.

Grandfather's Journey

by: Allen Say
release date: Oct 27, 2008
Grandfather's Journey
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries.

Gossie and Friends

by: Olivier Dunrea
release date: Mar 06, 2012
Gossie and Friends
Take a romp around the barnyard with Gossie and her friends. This charming set
includes five unabridged chunky board books and two double-sided puzzle tiles that
are just right for the littlest gosling fans. It's all packaged in a beautiful lidded gift box
featuring Dunrea's sweet, seasonal artwork that is a keepsake in and of itself. Fans of
Gossie & Friends will covet this lovely box and the treasures inside! For ages 18 months and up.
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