The Little House

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

A family builds a little house in the country and promises to keep it in the family for multiple generations. The house is interested in the city. Soon the city comes to the house. Roads, tall buildings trains and subways all get built around the building. Finally some descendants come and move the house out to the country where it can be back to a situation similar to where it started. It shows gradual city development in the pre-suburban era. A return to the original country is a little far fetched.

Make Way for Ducklings

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

A family of ducks makes a home in Boston. After the ducklings hatch, they march down the road to return to their favorite water. The police force all scramble to help them cross the road. It has nice stories and illustration.

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

A kitten sees the moon and thinks it is a bowl of milk. She goes chasing after it, but never quite makes it. Finally she goes home and finds a bowl of real milk waiting for her. Pictures are mostly greyscale and do a good job showing the adventures of the kitten.

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner by Charlotte Zolotow (Author), Maurice Sendak (Illustrator)

A girl wants to get a present for her mother. She asks Mr. Rabbit for help. She wants something for various colors, but her initial options don't work. They are too expensive, or birds that would be better in trees. She finally settles on fruit for each item. In the end Mr. Rabbit has helped her assemble a fruit basket. The book is charming for it's straightforward seriousness. Even talking with a rabbit is just passed off as perfectly normal.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

As the bus driver walks away, he asks the reader to watch things and "don't let the pigeon drive the bus". The pigeon appears and pleads with the reader for a chance to drive the bus. He doesn't get his way. The bus driver returns. In the end, the pigeon gets the idea of driving something else.

The book can be heavily interactive if desired. There is a "no response" for each of the Pigeon's intreaties. I can't help but include a few sound effects as I am reading it. Mo Willems came from a TV background, and this could easily be a visual short.

Olivia

Olivia by Ian Falconer

Olivia is a rambunctious young humanoid pig that is loaded with energy and opinions. She loves trying things (and can get really good and building sand castles.) She spends a long time picking out her clothes. After seeing a Jackson Pollock painting at the museum, she tries to paint a similar one herself - and gets in trouble. The art is fairly sparse, with mostly greys and red, but an occasional photograph of a real painting. Both the art and the story are refreshingly good for both adults and children.

Blueberries for Sal

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

A mother goes up the hill with her daughter to pick blueberries for winter canning. The daughter eats more berries than she gathers and eventually wanders off a bit. Meanwhile, a mother bear and her cub wander the same hill to eat berries in preparation for hibernation. The bear takes a break to sit and gorge himself. Eventually the cub starts trailing the human mother and the girl starts trailing the bear mother. The mothers eventually turn around and realize they are not being followed by their progeny. They slowly move away and then find their actual children. Both the bears and humans end up with plenty of berries and return home safely.

The book is nicely illustrated with a single color. The characters all have a degree of innocence and are willing to accept strange situations without getting stressed.

The Snowy Day

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

It snows. A kid plays in the snow. The snowball he brings inside melts. He dreams the snow is gone, but it is still there. This book is a classic award winner, but seems pretty generic by today's standards.