March’s Top Picks in Picture Books

Pete the Cat: Rock On, Mom and Dad!, by James Dean
If you and your kids are avid readers of the Pete the Cat series, then you’re no stranger to Pete’s groovy outlook on life. He’s a cool cat—but he’s also grateful and self-aware. Pete is thankful for all that his mom and dad do for him, and in this story, he searches high and low for a way to demonstrate his appreciation in a meaningful way.

I Wish You More, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
As the title suggests, well wishes abound in this tender book. There are wishes for friendship and strength, as well as for laughter and peace. As in their earlier collaborations, Rosenthal and Lichtenheld pair quirky text with exuberant artwork, and happiness nearly leaps off every page. Wishers and dreamers of all age will delight in this compact volume.

Once Upon a Cloud, by Claire Keane
While Once Upon a Cloud is her debut children’s book, writer and illustrator Claire Keane has been a Disney artist for years. In fact, if your little reader is a fan of Tangled or Frozen, then she’s likely familiar with Keane’s highly nuanced, visually stunning work. In this book, B&N’s Picture Book of the Month pick for March, Celeste takes a magical journey through the clouds as she searches the heavens for a heartfelt present for her mother.

How to Surprise a Dad, by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish
Everybody loves surprises. But surprising dads can be a little tricky. Luckily, this manual, from the creators of How to Babysit a Grandma and How to Babysit a Grandpa, is filled with tips and tactics that will help. From where to stand, to what to make, to managing Dad’s suspicions, you’ll find everything you need to make your surprise a success!

Mustache Baby Meets His Match, by Bridget Heos and Joy Ang
In this hilarious picture book follow-up to Mustache Baby, we are reunited with Baby Billy, the toddler whose range of emotions is revealed in his ever-changing facial hair. When Baby Javier arrives for a play date one morning, his full beard signals him as a rival. Heos’ wit and Ang’s ingenious cartoons blend seamlessly to create a story to be relished on many levels: the youngest readers will enjoy the goofy story and understand the useful lesson, and older readers will appreciate the subtext and gut-splitting details in each cinematic illustration.

Goodnight Tractor: The Perfect Bedtime Book!, by Michelle Robinson and Nick East
Sometimes saying good night to our favorite things can be hard, but even tractors need rest! Through accessible rhymes and delightful illustrations, Robinson and East make it easy for us to help our little ones wind down and slip into a peaceful slumber.

Peppa Pig and the Vegetable Garden, by Candlewick Press
Peppa Pig lovers will engage with this wonderful story of patience, hard work, and the joy of discovering the world around us. Peppa Pig and her brother George get to help Granny and Grandpa Pig tend their vegetable garden. It’s hard to wait for the plants to grow, but there’s plenty of work to keep everybody busy in the meantime, and snail-catching and scarecrow-building are the perfect diversions until it’s time to start picking blackberries for the pie. Brush up on your British accent for a reading of this sweet tale.

You Nest Here with Me, by Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple and Melissa Sweet
Mother-daughter collaborators Yolen and Stemple describe, in lilting verse and soothing refrain, the nesting habits of 14 winged friends. Readers will learn that building even the smallest nests take a lot of love and effort. From barn doors to concrete ledges, bird homes of all kinds are included in this story, and rendered in broad watercolor swaths. Budding ornithologists will delight in the portraits of familiar birds, and even as their eyelids droop, their curiosity will be piqued by the rarer specimens that Sweet includes.

Little Blue Truck Lap Board Book, by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry
Lovable Little Blue Truck is now available as a sturdy, oversized volume, perfect for little fingers. There’s always plenty of opportunity to chime in with Little Blue’s rumbling engine and with the cheerful farm animals he meets as he lumbers down the bumpy country roads. Ideal for playtime, naptime, or any time, the Little Blue Truck Lap Board Book edition spells nonstop fun for the littlest readers.

Wish, by Matthew Cordell
In the opening of this exceptional picture book, we meet a young elephant couple. They are perfectly compatible, and their life together promises to be a joyful one. Soon they both long for a baby elephant. They embark on a journey to find their missing piece, but their efforts are unsuccessful, and their deepest wish remains unfulfilled. Crushed, but still hopeful, the pair returns home, and attempts to move forward. Finally, a sailboat carrying a wee pachyderm arrives. Spare prose and pen and ink illustrations render this book accessible to younger readers, and the narrative reminds parents to talk about how profoundly wished-for our children really are.

Pinkalicious: Mother’s Day Surprise, by Victoria Kann
It’s almost Mom’s big day, and adorably precocious Pinkalicious has a wonderful idea: breakfast in bed and a personalized poem! Unfortunately, Pinkalicious soon finds out that, while breakfast is easy, expressing emotion through poetry can be hard. Will she overcome her writer’s block in time to surprise Mom? Perfect for a mother-daughter read-aloud, and augmented by a pullout poster and picture frames, Pinkalicious: Mother’s Day Surprise is a springtime treat for everyone.

Edmund Unravels, by Andrew Kolb
Edmund is a turquoise ball of yarn wearing a matching blue baseball cap, but he’s faces the same struggles kids do. As he grows up, he longs for adventure and the thrill of discovering new friends. His parents have always encouraged his curiosity, but they’re also the first to call him home when it’s time to rest. Full of wordplay and illustrations that will remind young readers of their favorite animated tales, Edmund Unravels is a delightful extended metaphor that will help us all remember that rushing out to see the world and periodically rolling back in to those we love is part of life’s bouncy journey.

Mom School, by Rebecca Van Slyke and Priscilla Burris
Moms are multi-talented, handling everything from patching bicycle tires to baking cupcakes. Where did they learn to do all that stuff? Mom School, of course! This charming role-reversal picture book will have you and your kiddos guffawing at the social and classroom scenarios that unfold when Mom eagerly dons a backpack (after enjoying a nourishing breakfast) and heads to Mom School.
Which books are you reading to your little ones this spring?