Personal Childhood Favorites: Picture Books #2

Here are some more of my favorite picture books from my childhood:

Thy Friend, Obadiah
Author and Illustrator: Brinton Turkle
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Obadiah is a young Quaker boy living on Nantucket Island, and he has a friend. To the amusement of his family, a seagull has been following Obadiah everywhere he goes. Obadiah, however, is not amused; he is annoyed. But when the seagull disappears for several days, Obadiah begins to miss him. When the seagull reappears and is injured, Obadiah helps him and realizes the importance of friendship.

Thy Friend Obadiah is a Caldecott Honor Book. It is a heart-warming tale of friendship and a boy learning to respect God's creatures. If you enjoy this story, there are three other books about Obadiah that you may want to explore: Rachel and Obadiah, The Adventures of Obadiah, and Obadiah the Bold.

Ira Sleeps Over
Author and Illustrator: Bernard Waber
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Ira has been invited to his friend's house for his very first sleepover. He is very excited, but he faces a dilemma - should he take his teddy bear or not? Will Reggie laugh at him for having a teddy bear named Tah Tah? You may be surprised by what helps Ira finally make up his mind.

Ira Sleeps Over is a great read-aloud book. It encourages children by helping them to realize that everyone has fears and that the need for comfort and reassurance is not shameful.

A word of warning for parents: During the sleepover, Reggie begins to tell a ghost story which may be a bit frightening for younger children. I skip this part when reading this book to our young children. They ask about it, but I have just told them that they can read this part when they get a little older.

Strega Nona
Author and Illustrator: Tomie de Paola
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Strega Nona ("Grandma Witch") is spoken of in whispers, yet everyone goes to see her for their various ailments, for Strega Nona has a magic touch. When Big Anthony goes to work for her, Strega Nona warns him never to touch her pasta pot. Unfortunately, Big Anthony has a reputation for being a poor listener. He discovers one day that her pasta pot is magical, and he listens to Strega Nona sing to make it start cooking. Unfortunately, in his excitement, he doesn't pay attention to how to tell the pot to stop (blow it three kisses).

When Strega Nona announces a few days later that she is going to visit a friend in the next town, Big Anthony seizes this opportunity to impress the townspeople. He invites everyone over for pasta. However, when all have eaten their fill and Big Anthony sings to the pot so that it will stop cooking pasta, he forgets to blow the three kisses, and the pasta keeps coming out of the pot so that it eventually threatens to strangle the whole town. How will Big Anthony get out of this mess?

Tomie de Paola has always been one of my favorite author/illustrators and Strega Nona is probably one of his most popular books. It has a great lesson. In the end, Big Anthony learns that he must take responsibility for his actions.

The Snowy Day
Author and Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 2-6 years

Peter wakes up to discover that snow has fallen during the night, so he goes outside to play in it. He makes tracks, snowmen, and angels. He slides down hills of snow and tries to take home a pocketful to save for the next day. On the morrow, when he sees that it is still snowing, he goes outside to do it all over again.

This sweet, simple story won Mr. Keats a Caldecott Medal for his unique illustrations. It captures a young boy's wonder and excitement over a snowy day.

Harry and the Terrible Whatzit
Author and Illustrator: Dick Gackenbach
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 5-9 years

Harry is afraid of the cellar: It is dark, damp, smelly, and there is something terrible down there. When his mother goes down and doesn't return, Harry decides he will have to save her. He encounters the terrible Whatzit and bravely confronts his fears in order to find his mother.

Even as a child, I understood that this was a story about needing to face into one's fears in order to be able to conquer them. Every time I read it I was so proud of Harry for standing up to the Whatzit. This book empowers children to do the same in their own lives.


Other personal favorites, that I will not take the time to review here, include:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

If you have never read these, you may want to check them out. Happy reading!