The New York Public Library compiled this list of 100 picture books everyone should know.
1:
Abuela
by Arthur Dorros
Recommended Age: 4
2:
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 6-8 Literature Package
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
3:
Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock
by Eric A. Kimmel
Recommended Age: 4
4:
Andy and the Lion
by James Daugherty
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
5:
Bark, George
by Jules Feiffer
Recommended Age: 3
6:
The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale
by Lucia M. Gonzalez; illustrated by Lulu Delacre
Recommended Age: 6
Also: What We Read: Central America and the Caribbean
7:
Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell Hoban; illustrated by Lillian Hoban
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Memoria Press Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
8:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Eric Carle
Recommended Age: 1
Also: Top 10 Books for Babies
9:
Bruno Munari's ABC
by Bruno Munari
Recommended Age: 2
10:
Buz
by Richard Egielski
Recommended Age: 4
11:
Caps for Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Harper Collins Treasury of Picture Book Classics)
12:
The Carrot Seed
by Ruth Krauss
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
13:
A Chair for My Mother
by Vera Williams
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
14:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert
Recommended Age: 2
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: Trucks and Construction
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
15:
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
by Doreen Cronin
Recommended Age: 3
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
16:
Come Along, Daisy!
by Jane Simmons
Recommended Age: 3
17:
Corduroy
by Don Freeman
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
18:
Curious George
by H.A. Rey
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
19:
Dinosaur Roar!
by Paul Stickland and Henrietta Stickland
Recommended Age: 2
20:
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
by Mo Willems
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
21:
Duck on a Bike
by David Shannon
Recommended Age: 3
22:
Fire Truck
by Peter Sis
Recommended Age: 2
23:
Freight Train
by Donald Crews
Recommended Age: 2
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
24:
Froggy Gets Dressed
by Jonathan London
Recommended Age: 3
25:
The Gardener
by Sarah Stewart
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Memoria Press 2nd Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
26:
George and Martha
by James Marshall
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
27:
Go Away, Big Green Monster!
by Ed Emberly
Recommended Age: 3
28:
Goin' Someplace Special
by Patricia McKissack
Recommended Age: 6
29:
Good Night, Gorilla
by Peggy Rathmann
Recommended Age: 1
Also: Top 10 Books for Babies
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
30:
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown
Recommended Age: 1
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Top 10 Books for Babies
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
31:
Gossie
by Dunrea Olivier
Recommended Age: 2
32:
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Kindergarten Book List for Ages 5-6
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: Japan
33:
Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 4-5 Literature Package
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Top 10 Books for Toddlers
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Harper Collins Treasury of Picture Book Classics)
34:
Harry the Dirty Dog
by Gene Zion; illustrated by Margaret Graham
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Top 10 Books for Toddlers
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
35:
Henry Hikes To Fitchburg
by D.B. Johnson
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Ezra Jack Keats Award Winners
36:
Horton Hatches the Egg
by Dr. Seuss
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4
37:
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
by Jane Yolen
Recommended Age: 2
38:
I Kissed The Baby!
by Mary Murphy
Recommended Age: 1
39:
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
by Laura Numeroff
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 5-7 Literature Package
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Harper Collins Treasury of Picture Book Classics)
40:
It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folktale
Retold And Illustrated by Margot Zemach
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Former Sonlight Books
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
41:
John Henry
by Lester Julius; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Recommended Age: 10
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
42:
Julius
by Angela Johnson; Illustrated By Dav Pilkey
Recommended Age: 3
43:
Kitten's First Full Moon
by Kevin Henkes
Recommended Age: 2
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
44:
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 6-8 Literature Package
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
45:
The Line-Up Book
by Russo Marisabina
Recommended Age: 3
46:
The Little Red Hen: An Old Story
by Margot Zemach
Recommended Age: 4
47:
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young
Recommended Age: 8
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: China
48:
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
by Bernard Waber
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
49:
Mabela The Clever
by Margaret Read Macdonald
Recommended Age: 4
Also: What We Read: West Africa
50:
Machines At Work
by Byron Barton
Recommended Age: 3
51:
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Kindergarten Book List for Ages 5-6
Also: Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: What We Read: France
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
52:
Maisy Goes Swimming
by Lucy Cousins
Recommended Age: 2
53:
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: My Father's World Kindergarten Literature Collection
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Make Way for McCloskey: A Robert McCloskey Treasury)
54:
Mama Cat Has Three Kittens
by Denise Fleming
Recommended Age: 3
55:
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
56:
Martha Speaks
by Susan Meddaugh
Recommended Age: 4
57:
Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: Trucks and Construction
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Mike Mulligan and More)
58:
Millions Of Cats
by Wanda Gág
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 4-5 Literature Package
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
59:
Miss Nelson Is Missing!
by Harry Allard and James Marshall
Recommended Age: 4
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
60:
Mr. Gumpy's Outing
by John Birmingham
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
61:
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
Retold And Illustrated By John Steptoe
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Mater Amabilis Kindergarten Book List for Ages 5-6
Also: What We Read: Southern Africa
62:
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
by Candace Fleming
Recommended Age: 4
63:
My Friend Rabbit
by Eric Rohmann
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
64:
The Napping House
by Audrey Wood
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Top 10 Books for Toddlers
65:
No, David!
by David Shannon
Recommended Age: 3
66:
Off To School, Baby Duck!
by Amy Hest
Recommended Age: 4
67:
Old Black Fly
by Jim Aylesworth
Recommended Age: 3
68:
Olivia
by Ian Falconer
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
69:
Owen
by Kevin Henkes
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
70:
Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me
by Eric Carle
Recommended Age: 2
71:
Pierre: A Cautionary Tale
by Maurice Sendak
Recommended Age: 3
72:
The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Top 25 Christmas Picture Books
73:
Puss In Boots
by Charles Perrault
Recommended Age: 4
74:
The Random House Book Of Mother Goose: A Treasury Of 386 Timeless Nursery Rhymes
by Arnold Lobel
Recommended Age: 4
75:
Round Trip
by Ann Jonas
Recommended Age: 5
76:
Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. Zelinsky
Recommended Age: 5
77:
The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
Recommended Age: 2
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Top 10 Books for Toddlers
Also: What We Read: Winter and Snow
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
78:
Spots, Feathers And Curly Tails
by Nancy Tafuri
Recommended Age: 3
79:
The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Memoria Press Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: My Father's World Kindergarten Literature Collection
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: Spain and Portugal
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
80:
The Stray Dog
by Simont Marc
Recommended Age: 3
81:
Strega Nona
by Tomie DePaola
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
82:
Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: My Father's World Kindergarten Literature Collection
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
83:
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 6-8 Literature Package
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
84:
The Tale Of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: My Father's World Kindergarten Literature Collection
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5 (in The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit)
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime (in Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales)
85:
Tar Beach
by Faith Ringgold
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Ezra Jack Keats Award Winners
86:
Ten, Nine, Eight
by Molly Bang
Recommended Age: 2
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
87:
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly
by Simms Taback
Recommended Age: 3
88:
The Three Bears
by Paul Galdone
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
89:
Trashy Town
by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman
Recommended Age: 2
90:
The True Story Of The Three Little Pigs
by John A. Wolf Scieszka
Recommended Age: 4
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
91:
Tuesday
by David Wiesner
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
92:
Uptown
by Collier Bryan
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Ezra Jack Keats Award Winners
93:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle
Recommended Age: 1
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Top 10 Books for Babies
94:
The Wheels On The Bus
Adapted And Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Recommended Age: 2
95:
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Caldecott Medal Winners
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
96:
Where's Spot?
by Eric Hill
Recommended Age: 2
97:
Whistle For Willie
by Ezra Jack Keats
Recommended Age: 3
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: Music
98:
The Wolf’s Chicken Stew
by Keiko Kasza
Recommended Age: 4
99:
Yoko
by Rosemary Wells
Recommended Age: 3
100:
Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale From West Africa
Retold And Illustrated by Gerald Mcdermott
Recommended Age: 5
Also: What We Read: West Africa
The New York Public Library compiled this list of 100 picture books everyone should know.