Picture Book Club

One of my all-time favorite books as a child was A Pocket for Corduroy. Why this book stood out among the other Corduroy adventures with Lisa, I’m not sure; perhaps it’s because their reuniting comforted me as a child, making me feel as if I, too, if ever lost, would be reunited with my mother. Or maybe it symbolized my own relationship with my sisters, whom I felt responsible for, as Lisa feels responsible for Corduroy. At any rate, it’s a fantastic book to read with children.

Read more >

One of the most beloved pieces of children’s literature from my childhood that I can recollect is Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Perhaps one of the first renderings of anthropomorphic creatures wearing clothes and behaving humanly, it was among my inspirational treasure trove of literature that made me, too, wish to be an artist and author. In fact, I remember drawing my own personified creatures—such as cats, birds, dogs, and the like—after entering Potter’s extraordinary world.

Read more >

 With the film adaptation still awing audiences in theaters, Where the Wild Things Are has been in the limelight since the beginning of fall—or even earlier, given the anticipation Spike Jonze’s film aroused. But even without the film, the merchandise, the super cool costumes and bobble heads and t-shirts, the book is a masterpiece all on its own.

Unlike the film, Maurice Sendak’s amazing story involves the land of the wild things growing in Max’s actual bedroom. Rather than externalizing the wildness found within him, the wildness is actually in his own room, in his own home—stemming from his very life rather than an outside force. Sure, this might be a bit philosophical for children, but it’s a bit scary for them, too—and neither make it less enjoyable on the whole.

Read more >

 Margaret Wise Brown—is there any other name as synonymous with brilliant picture books and warm childhood memories? Though most readers are more familiar with the much-loved Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny is my favorite Brown book by far.

Written in 1942 (and still a timeless classic today; it’s never been out of print), The Runaway Bunny, illustrated by Clement Hurd, tells the story of a young bunny who intends to run away from home. (How many of us have threatened to run away at such an early age, multiple times even?) His sagacious mother, however, informs him that wherever he goes, he’ll never be far from her: “If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.”

Read more >