Picture Books

For ages around 2 years to 7 years. Click on any title in this list to see a brief critique, publishing information and the cover, or scroll down and browse!

Page Contents

Bunting, Eve. Illustrated by Kay Life My Red Balloon Boyds Mills Press. 2005 ISBN: 1590782631

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Tomp, Sarah Wones. Illustrated by Ann Barrow Red, White, and Blue Good-bye Walker, 2005 (April 30, 2005)ISBN: 0802789617

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McElroy, Lisa Tucker Love Lizzie: Letters to a Military Mom Albert Whitman & Company Morton Grove, IL

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Duble, Kathleen Benner. Illustrator: Marks, Alan (2003) Pilot Mom. Watertown, MA.Charlesbridge Publishing.

IN PRINT
ISBN: 1570915555

Jenny’s mother is a tanker pilot in the Air Force and is about to leave for training for two weeks. Jenny is proud of her Mom, but also worried about the dangers she is in, so her mother has arranged to take Jenny and her friend K.C. to the air base to show them what Jenny’s mother does. They start by helping Jenny’s Mom fill up the pockets on her flight suit, and Jenny gets to add her lucky silver dollar. Then at the base they go inside a KC-135 and talk about how the refueling is done. At the end Jenny’s father’s arrival shows that the family unit will still be intact and strong despite Jenny’s mother’s absence. The watercolor and ink illustrations emphasize the sky and the majesty of flying but also capture the characters’ range of emotions.

Recommended.

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Hoff, Syd. (1993). Captain Cat. Harper Trophy.

IN PRINT
ISBN: 0-06-444176-8 (Paperback)
ISBN:  0-606-06267-X (Turtleback Books Library Binding)

This is not a book about the experiences of military children but it is a rarity – a picture book depicting everyday life on an army base. It is a warm, gently humorous book about a stray cat who wanders onto an army base. The soldiers who feed and care for him treat him kindly. Some of the events are factually unlikely such as a General giving an order to march (rather than delegating it to a sergeant) and it appears to be depicting basic training rather than the ongoing life in the military (because of details such as the soldiers sleeping in multi-bedded dormitories). It could be a useful book because it depicts the everyday world of many military children who live on a base in a straightforward and positive way with an animal as a protagonist.

Recommended.

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McKinley, Robin, (1992). Illustrator: Gourbault, Martine. My Father Is in the Navy. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

OUT OF PRINT
ISBN: 0-688-10639-0  (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0-688-10640-4  (Library Binding)

Sara’s father is in the Navy and away on his ship. In this calm story Sara goes about her daily life with her mother. She knows that her father is coming home and that her mother is excited but she is worried because, “I didn’t remember him”. In the satisfying ending she finally sees her father and remembers him. This book was written about the childhood experiences of popular fantasy writer and Newbery winner Robin McKinley whose father was in the navy. Martine Gourbault’s pastel colored pencil illustrations complement the text about Sara’s secure life with her mother and her kitten.

Highly recommended.

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Pelton, Mindy L. Illustrator:  Steele, Robert Gantt. (2004)When Dad’s at Sea. Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 2004)

IN PRNT
ISBN: 0807563390

Emily’s Dad is a Navy Pilot and is away for months at a time. Emily and her parents make her a paper chain with as many links as days her father will be absent. Emily is so angry that she destroys it but her parents make another one. Time is shown passing with events such as Halloween and then Emily makes a friend who has a father on the same ship. The warm colors of the watercolor illustrations almost glow on some pages.

Recommended.

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Ray, Deborah Kogan. (1990).  My Daddy Was a Soldier: A World War II Story. Holiday House, New York, N.Y.

OUT OF PRINT
ISBN: 0-8234-0795-0 (Hardcover)

Jeannie’s father has gone away to fight in World War II and Jeannie is scared; "the war came into my house to take Daddy away." Everything changes for Jeannie. Her mother gets a job, there are blackouts and air raid sirens, food is rationed and they grow a Victory Garden.  Time passes, helped by Jeannie’s third grade scrap drive for metal and rubber but Christmas arrives without a letter and Jeannie cries. Finally when Jeannie is half way through fifth grade her father returns. The soft black and white drawings capture the reflective mood of the book.

Recommended.

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Spinelli, Eileen. Illustrator: Graef, Renee. (2004)While You Are Away.  Hyperion

IN PRINT
ISBN: 0786809728

Three different children with parents in three different branches of the military (the Navy, Air Force and Army) talk about the things they miss doing with their parents and wonder if their parents are missing them. The flowing, melodious text reads like poetry. Slight inaccuracies include saying the Army Papa is driving a jeep when the illustration appears to show a Hum Vee (and a Hum Vee is a more likely vehicle in this situation). Also the three parents are shown being reunited with their children at the same place and it is unlikely that this would happen. The muted colors of the illustrations complement the warmth of the text.

Recommended

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Wetzel, Jo Anne Stewart, (1992). Illustrator: Root, Barry. The Christmas Box. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. Illustrated by Barry Root.

OUT OF PRINT
ISBN: 0-679-81789-1 (Hardcover)

It is 1952 and Daddy has gone to Japan without his family to be a soldier. It is exciting for his two children to get his letters, imagine him living in a tent and even sending him Christmas cookies in October but as Christmas nears his absence is felt strongly. Then a box arrives from him with Japanese things in it, “But the best present was for all of us – a photo album filled with pictures of Daddy.” This book captures the way loved ones are missed more on special occasions. The mention of a new school, October then Christmas show the passage of many months in way children can understand. Barry Root’s illustrations capture a warm family life even with an absent father.

Recommended.

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Yolen, Jane, (1991). Illustrator: Baker, Leslie. All Those Secrets of the World. Boston, PA: Little Brown and Company. Illustrated by Leslie Baker.

ISBN: 0-316-96895-1 (Soft cover- Out of Print)
ISBN: 0-316-96891-9 (First Edition Hardcover - Out of Print)
IN PRINT
ISBN: 0-606-05113-9 (Turtleback Books Reprint)

Janie’s father is going off on a big ship to World War II. Four-year-old Janie doesn’t really know where her father is going but she is happy about the excitement of seeing the ship off and getting an ice-cream. Playing with her cousin later he shows her that things that are farther away look smaller, so her father’s ship on the horizon looks tiny. When her father returns two years later he tells her she is bigger and she points out that it is because he is closer to her now. There are poignant details like the brother who was a baby in arms when his father left not knowing his father on his return. The butterfly kisses and hugs Janie gets as her father leaves and returns make the story circularly complete and very satisfying. This book is about popular children’s writer Jane Yolen’s own childhood. Leslie Baker’s watercolor paintings capture the details of childhood in a tender but unsentimental way. This was a Reading Rainbow book.

Highly Recommended.

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