20+ Best Picture Books for Kids and Adults

It’s no secret we love to read in our house. I have vivid memories of reading by flashlight as a child long after my parents thought I was asleep. At the time, I thought I was so rebellious and now, as a parent, I realize my parents likely knew exactly what I was doing and also very likely fully supported my not-so-rebellious rebellion.

When I first became pregnant, I remember feeling so excited about reading to our baby. I couldn’t wait for cozy cuddle time with our little one in a comfy rocker as we flipped through book after book of literary favorites. And then I had a child and I realized this peaceful reading time was not something I could fully expect from a toddler unless the book was actually GOOD. Who knew kids would have such strong preferences? Not this first-time mama!

Fast forward 9+ years and three kid later, we’ve read hundreds of books with our boys and some are admittedly way better than others. For younger children, beautifully captivating illustrations add so much to a story and seem to make reading a lot more fun. I’m all about finding any way to make books interesting to kids and want our boys to love and enjoy books not only in their early years but through adulthood, too. (To quickly browse some of our favorite books to read to our kids, you may check out my Amazon storefront here: Favorite Children’s Books.)

Also, if you’d like some of our favorite early reader chapter book recommendations, let me know, as I’m happy to share some of our favorites for young readers just getting into chapter books!

Best Picture Books for Kids and Adults

Through the years, Ryan and I have read our fair share of not-so-great books with our boys whether they be a little odd from a storytelling standpoint, dull from an illustrations standpoint or just plain boring. Thankfully there is no shortage of incredible picture books out there for little ones and grown ups to enjoy reading together and for today’s post that’s where I’m putting my focus: On the best picture books for kids and adults. These are the “unicorn books” that both our kids and the adults in our home both enjoy reading together. The stories are creative and the illustrations are captivating. To put it simply: These are the picture books we reach for again and again. They’re the winners we love and the books we gift most often to friends and family. I hope a few of the books below make it onto your family reading list and become favorites in your house, too!

What is a Picture Book?

First, a qualifier: What is a picture book? It’s likely exactly what you’re thinking! It’s simply a book where illustrations help tell a story. The illustrations on the pages of a picture book often play a crucial role in contributing to understanding the narrative, particularly for children, and words and illustrations work together to tell the story.

Best Picture Books for Kids

Our boys are 9, 6 and 4 years old and these are the best picture books every single one of our children have loved! They’re also the beautifully illustrated picture books Ryan and I have found the most interesting and fun to read. As many adults out there who read tons of books with little ones know, when you find a book you genuinely enjoy as an adult, it feels like a mini victory, especially if you know you’ll be reading it on repeat.

The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

You all knew this one was going to make my list, didn’t you!? I adore The Circus Ship and it’s a book all three of our boys continue to love. (It’s also the book Chase and Rhett chose for me to read aloud to their classes for their birthdays.) It’s a particularly big hit among the 4-to-8-year-old crowd and, as a parent, it’s one I enjoy reading because the story is clever, the rhymes are fun and it includes a tricky page where kids have to locate a bunch of different animals at the very end of the book which always keeps them engaged. It’s an under-the-radar gem!

Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems

The love our family has for this silly little best friend duo is so strong. Elephant and Piggie books get laugh-out-loud reactions from our kids and the stories are short, sweet, clever and genuinely funny. The illustrations are simple but the animated expressions on the faces of Elephant and Piggie add so much to the stories. We have all of the “Biggie” collections of Elephant and Piggie books because we love them so much. Also worth mentioning: These have been a focus in both Chase and Ryder’s kindergarten classrooms and seem to be books kids 4-to-6-years-old especially adore.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Axel Sheffler

The Gruffalo earned a spot on my recommended books for 4 year olds list after we discovered it at our local library. (I ended up ordering it off Amazon because we loved it so much!) I admittedly get a little too into this one when I read it and love making up funny voices for each of the animals, which only adds to the entertainment factor of this funny and imaginative book. As an adult, I adore the creative ending and clever rhyming in this one!

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, Illustrated by David Messing

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? is one of our family’s all-time favorite kid books because it does a fantastic job highlighting the importance of being kind to others in a way that makes sense to children. It encourages “filling the buckets” of those around you through various positive actions, words and kind gestures. (You can also be a “bucket dipper” when you do something not so nice to others.) Not only does it encourage kindness but it brings everything back to the way being kind to others makes you feel and how it only increases your personal happiness. Our family regularly references being a “bucket filler” and have found that it’s a term that seems to stick with our boys and resonate more with them than other ways we’ve found to discuss kindness.

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

The Snail and the Whale is written and illustrated by the same duo responsible for The Gruffalo and is a beautifully entertaining read. It moves along well and inspires discussions about seeing the world and helping animals amid a backdrop of gorgeous colorful illustrations.

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Is Your Mama a Llama? is a short but sweet book about a curious little llama who questions other young animals about whether their mama is a llama, too. As adult, it’s a pleasant one to read, as the rhymes are creative and flow well. They also allow kids to be able to predict the animal that will pop up in the story next, as the rhymes gently lead young listeners to be able to guess the upcoming animals featured on each page. This is clearly one of my personal favorites, as I’m always happy when it’s one of the books our boys pull off of their bookshelf before bed at night.

Excellent Ed by Stacy McAnulty, Illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach

This book is so sweet and follows Ed, the Ellis family dog, who believes everyone in the family is excellent at something but him. Ed is determined to find something to excel at only to be outdone by each of the Ellis children. As the book continues, it ever-so-subtly offers a glimpse into sibling rivalry and feeling good about yourself even if you’re not always the best at everything.

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, Illustrated by Jill McElmurry

I think most of us out there who had babies (or grandbabies!) within the past 10 years fully understand the magic of Little Blue Truck. With creative rhymes, bright illustrations, a kid-friendly combination of a blue truck + lots of animals, and a sweet underlying message about helping others, it’s a favorite for a reason. We’ve also loved most of the spin-off Little Blue Truck books!

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Chase jokes that I have a Jan Brett obsession and he may very well be right. I adore her stunning illustrations and her books are a nostalgic favorite of mine, as I loved them as a little girl, too. The Mitten is one of her best pictures books for kids, as it includes stunningly realistic animal illustrations as a bunch of animals try to smoosh their way into a little boy’s lost mitten to stay warm on a cold winter day.

Otis and the Kittens by Loren Long

Though there are a handful of Otis books out there, Otis and the Kittens is by far our family’s favorite. The illustrations are truly stunning and it’s a book that entertains a decent span of ages. Rhett (4) and Chase (9) both equally seem to enjoy listening to this book about a tractor determined to save kittens from a barn fire.

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Jon Klassen

This book has minimal words but the illustrations add so much context to the story, making it a fun one for kids who don’t want to listen to a long story and really enjoy looking at pictures in a book more than anything. As Sam and Dave set out to find something spectacular, the illustrations reveal just how close they are to achieving their mission… and yet this special something continues to elude them in a way that makes kids giggle!

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Chase, our oldest son, received Dragons Love Tacos as a birthday gift when he turned three and it was wonderfully silly and fell right in line with his dragon obsession. It’s the kind of book that begs to be read with over-the-top enthusiasm and always results in giggles from all of our boys.

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, Illustrated by Dan Hanna

There’s a reason The Pout Pout Fish has 3,000+ positive reviews! The playful rhymes about a grumpy fish who believes he’s destined to be “pouty” are clever and simply fun to read while the illustrations are interesting and beautiful. This is another book with lots of spin-off versions, but the original cannot be beat for our crew!

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees

Giraffes Can’t Dance is a book we’ve loved for years about a self-conscious giraffe named Gerald. He loves music and longs to dance but his awkward moves cause the other animals make fun of him… that is until he finds a different tune that allows him to move in his own unique, confident way. The pictures in this book are colorful and vibrant and a hit with our animal-loving kids.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

Are You My Mother? was one of my favorite childhood books and it’s clearly held up well because all three of our boys have giggled their way through this one. When a tiny bird falls out of his nest, he’s on a mission to find his mother, questioning whether everything from a kitten to a tractor he calls a “Snort” might be his mother.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

The mischievous cows in this book are a riot as they learn to type, “Click, clack, moo.” Farmer Brown is shocked his cows learned to type and is even more surprised when they start leaving him demanding notes! This book is one of those perfect picture books that is so creatively cute, and our whole family has enjoyed it for years.

What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry

My goodness, the chokehold this book had on Chase and Ryder for a solid year! They requested this book every single night and loved learning more about various jobs grownup do and how things work. (One caveat to this book: It is quite dated in some parts, especially the section about mothers which I adapt to my own liking when I read it aloud. Ha!) There is so, so much detail in the illustrations and text and it truly captivates our boys.

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry

If you have kids who love vehicles, this book is a guaranteed hit. Ryan and I said this book is the gift that keeps on giving to our boys, as it’s a picture book they truly pour over. It’s a LONG book which is great when you need a book to bring somewhere where you need a kid to be entertained for a while. (Tip: Don’t grab this one before bed unless you want your bedtime routine to last an additional 30 minutes — haha!) It’s another book with lots of details and illustrations on each page and our boys love searching for the hidden Goldbug on each page!

Dogs Don’t Wear Sneakers by Laura Numeroff, Illustrated by Joe Mathieu

This book is a quick, silly read all three of our boys giggled their way through during their younger years. (It’s a great one for ages 2-5.) It’s filled with fun, cheerful rhymes and happy, silly pictures of animals doing things only humans can do which is kid gold!

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw

My friend Laurel gifted this book to our boys during their toddler years and it’s such a quick, cute read. It’s silly and the pictures are fun and funny, making it a book our boys all enjoyed and one we enjoyed reading during their preschool years. (Rhett still loves it!)

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

We have the huge slide-and-find board book edition of this Eric Carle classic and I have vivid memories of finding a way to jam it into whatever bag I using for the day when Chase was a toddler because he was completely obsessed. I remember reading something about how reading the same books over and over to toddlers is actually good for their brains and if that’s the case, we certainly did a lot of that with this book. (I’m 99.9% certain all three of our boys still have this one memorized.)

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