The Top 11 Children's Picture Books (According to My Emiline!)

Who doesn't love reading a great children's picture book?  How can you not love one with a sweet story, a cheeky main character, great illustrations, a touching message, or one that sparks the imagination of your toddler that's cuddled up next to you?  We go through reading spurts at our house.  Sometimes we are at the library weekly, picking stacks of books to plow through at home.  Other times we'll just stick with our favorites that are stacked in our play room book shelf.  Recently, we've been introducing our 4 year old, William, to chapter books.  We just finished reading How to Train Your Dragon (which we loved!), and now we are reading Peter Pan.  It's been really fun to transition to chapter books with Will.  It was a little difficult for him at first, but he is loving it now.  I look forward to many more years of reading chapter books before bedtime with him, but at the same time we won't give up our picture books!

Anyway, as I've thought about reading with my children, and as I've looked through our bookshelves at the books that we always seem to go back to, I thought it would be fun to do a little round-up of our 11 favorite picture books.  I was going to stick with 10, but then I just couldn't decide which one to not include, so you're getting 11!  These are books that I enjoy, but more importantly, these are 11 books that my favorite little 4 year old absolutely loves.  I also made sure to include some classics that we love as well as some that may not be quite as well-known.  Here they are, in no particular order, The Top 11 Children's Picture Books according to yours truly!

1. If... by Sarah Perry

2. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

3. Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic

4. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

5. How do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? by Jane Yolen

6. Press Here by Herve Tullet

7. A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood

8. Little Tug by Stephen Savage

9. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood

10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

11. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner