Best illustrated books all over the world
In this Caldecott-winning book, Ed Young works simultaneously as author and illustrator, offering his own retelling of the traditional Chinese “Granny Wolf” story — a tale that shares roots with the European Little Red Riding Hood but unfolds with different dynamics. Instead of one child walking through a forest, Young […]
The Little Island is a classic picture book written by Margaret Wise Brown under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. Released in 1946, it won the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1947. The story centers on a small island in the ocean and the creatures that inhabit […]
Black and White is a postmodern picture book and recipient of the 1991 Caldecott Medal. Each two-page spread is divided into four quadrants, with each quadrant presenting a separate story: Seeing Things, Problem Parents, A Waiting Game, and Udder Chaos. While the stories can be read independently, they are interconnected […]
The Egg Tree is a quiet, classic picture book built around a family memory. Katy and Carl arrive at their grandmother’s Pennsylvania farm for Easter, and during the egg hunt Katy ends up in the attic. The six painted eggs she discovers there become the center of the story. They […]
Published in 2003, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers tells the story of Philippe Petit, a French street performer who walked a high wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Gerstein captures both the daring of the feat and the poetry of the moment […]
A Tree Is Nice is a small book about something we usually walk past without thinking. Janice May Udry simply lists what a tree gives us — shade, fruit, a place to sit, branches to climb, leaves to play with. There’s no moral spelled out, no dramatic message. Just everyday […]
Sylvester loves collecting pebbles — small treasures that usually don’t change anything. But one day he finds a red one, and the world shifts just a little: suddenly any wish can take shape. In a moment of fear things go wrong, and Sylvester ends up quite literally out of reach. […]
A timeless picture book where poetry, color, and kindness meet. Beni Montresor’s jewel-like illustrations turn a simple story into a royal celebration — full of rhythm, wit, and a touch of absurd charm. Every page glows with rich, theatrical color, as if lit from within by stage lights. You can […]
A Story, a Story is a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Gail E. Haley. It retells an African tale about how the trickster Anansi, the Spider Man, obtained stories from Nyame, the Sky God, so that children on Earth could hear them. To succeed, Anansi must capture three […]
A rhythmic, explosive picture book where pattern, sound, and color march together. Drummer Hoff retells an old folk rhyme about soldiers who build a grand cannon — the Sultan — and the drummer who fires it. Ed Emberley’s woodcut illustrations pulse with energy: bright blocks of red, blue, and yellow […]
The Hello, Goodbye Window was written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. The story is told by a little girl who describes the special kitchen window at her grandparents’ house. It’s the place where she waves hello, says goodbye, and sometimes imagines whole adventures while looking through it. […]
A timeless picture book about Max, a boy who sails to the land of the Wild Things and becomes their king. Maurice Sendak’s iconic story, blending sparse text with powerful illustrations, captures childhood imagination, mischief, and the comfort of home. Winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal, it remains one of […]
Thomas Handforth was not Chinese, but that did not stop him from publishing one of the most iconic children’s books of the time in 1939, dedicated to the peculiarities of Chinese culture and tradition. A successful American engraver and artist, Handforth traveled a lot, having traveled almost half the world. […]
Woodcut illustrations and brief text from an American folk song relate the story of the animals on Noah’s ark.
The classic Caldecott Medal–winning picture book about a neighborhood transformed by a delightful snowfall, from the legendary picture book duo Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin. When the first flakes fell from the grey sky, the postman and the farmer and the policeman and his wife scurried about doing all the […]
“There was a girl in the village who loved horses… She led the horses to drink at the river. She spoke softly and they followed. People noticed that she understood horses in a special way.” And so begins the story of a young Native American girl devoted to the care […]
A classic picture book biography of the 16th President of the United States. With luminous lithograph illustrations and a warm narrative, the d’Aulaires bring to life Lincoln’s childhood on the frontier, his love of learning, and his journey toward leadership. Winner of the 1940 Caldecott Medal, this book remains a […]
David Wiesner is known for his surreal, wordless picture books. One of his most celebrated works is “Tuesday”. On a Tuesday evening, around eight o’clock, a group of frogs suddenly takes off from their swamp and soar over the town, flying into houses and scaring people around — only to […]
The Little House is a 1942 children’s picture book written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. Published by Houghton Mifflin, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1943. Author Virginia Lee Burton has stated that “The Little House was based on our own little house which […]
“Finders Keepers” is a joint effort between artist Nicholas Mordvinov and writer William Lipkind; the book was published in 1951 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1952. Stylish illustrations in four colors – gold, red, white and black – were drawn by the American artist of Russian origin Nicholas Mordvinov. […]