Picture Books: K is for Kate's Favorites

When I was growing up, I adored Steven Kellogg's The Island of the Skog. 

A large part of my enchantment was the wealth of detail--the signs on the wall, for instance. Part of it was the smooth link between image and illustration, which I count as one of the markers of a "good" picture book (both in terms of readability and artistic merit). 

I confess, as a kid, I barely noticed the enlightened message at the end. 

But I loved the joyfulness of the final images. Rereading it, I was captivated by how little background Kellogg gives--no explanatory notes. Here's Jenny. Here's Bouncer and his crew. Here's the problem. No apologies for not providing a twenty-page summary of their ancestry, childhoods, and previous adventures. Great storytelling!

I'm guessing that I also liked seeing small beings survive in large, human worlds. Another favorite series from my childhood is The Littles. 

Snowy Day by Ezra John Keats is an another favorite. It effortlessly and beautifully captures the thrill of "Snow Days," a thrill that I still have even while the adult-part of my brain is grumbling about all the shoveling work. 

Since I am posting this in December--winter weather is on its way!--I must also mention another picture book, Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. It wasn't necessarily a favorite when I was growing up, but it evokes deep nostalgia from me now.