Top Three Books of the Year

Need some last minute gift ideas? Here are my three favorite picture books for 2008. You can't go wrong with any of these.:

Title: Wave
Author/Illustrator: Suzy Lee
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Buy It Here
Wave is a wordless narrative of a young girl on the beach, playing in the waves. Ms. Lee paints delightful and expressive images; pictures a child could get lost in for a long time. The seagulls are hilarious, the little girl is a delight, and the swirls of wave are as mesmerizing as the ocean itself. Give it with a Conch Shell, and let your child delight in the sights and sounds of the ocean, even if you're landlocked.


Title: Charley Harper's ABC's
Author/Illustrator: Charley Harper
Publisher: Ammo Books
Buy It Here
This board book is a true delight. Harper, a Ohio based mid-century illustrator, dabbled in illustrating Children's books in the 60's, including, most famously, The Giant Golden Book of Biology: An Introduction to the Science of Life. Now Ammo Books, with the help of Todd Olhman, has been producing board books with his iconic images. Each page is a delight, and this book will be treasured into adulthood.

Title: Little Hoot
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrator: Jen Corace
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Buy It Here
I first fell in love with Jen Corace and Amy Rosenthal when I bought Little Pea for a friend. The story was silly, and perfect to read aloud, and the illustrations were charming and witty. Little Hoot is a similar tale, only instead of eating dinner, the child (in this case an owl), needs to go to bed. It's a really delight!