The best picture books can be the start to a lifelong love of reading. Read more picture books and get 2x points per dollar on every book by our Top 15 Picture Book authors below through 2/4. Explore the creators behind universally beloved characters, you might just be surprised by how many stories came from the same minds!
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Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss (b. Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2nd, 1904 in Springfield, Massahcusetts--d. September 24th, 1991) was an American writer, cartoonist, and poet best known for his children's books. Seuss' best known books include Green Eggs and Ham (1960), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957), The Cat in the Hat (1957), and Horton Hears a Who! (1955), for which he provided the illustrations and text. Seuss received the Pulitzer Prize Committee's award for a Lifetime of Contribution to Children's Literature in 1984.
Mo Willems
Mo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, has been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions (for Don t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity). Other favorites include Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed and Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. Mo began his career on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. Visit Mo on the web at www.pigeonpresents.com.
Stan & Jan Berenstain
A two-for-one top author, Stan and Jan Berenstain were already successful cartoonists for magazines and adult humor books when they began writing children's books. The first story starring the bear family, The Big Honey Hunt, appeared in 1962. Since then, more than 250 Berenstain Bears books have been published, and more than 260 million copies have been sold. What began as an idea sparked by their young sons' interest in children's books has become over the years arguably the best-selling children's book series ever. Their son Mike continues the series.
Eric Carle
Eric Carle (1929 – 2021) was a highly acclaimed and beloved author, illustrator, and creator of more than seventy picture books for young children. Carle illustrated Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, a collaboration with writer Bill Martin Jr., in 1967. The book became a bestseller and established Carle's career. Carle's work has been honored with numerous awards, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his contributions to American children's literature.
Ezra Jack Keats
Admired as much for his inventive, colorful illustrations as his simple, earnest stories, Ezra Jack Keats literally changed the face of children s literature by introducing African-American characters into a mostly white genre. His gentle, big-hearted books have been loved by generations of children of all races.
A.A. Milne
A. A. Milne was born in 1882 in London. He was a playwright and journalist as well as a poet and storyteller. His classic children's books were inspired by his son, Christopher Robin. Milne died in 1956.
Sandra Boynton
Cartoonist/author Sandra Boynton infuses her books with a sense of joy, silliness, and -- well, lots of farm animals. With her fun board books, the woman famous for the adults' mantra "Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down" has become a natural favorite for toddlers.
James Dean
James Dean is the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. He published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first children's book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now dozens of published Pete the Cat titles, all inspired by James's real-life rescue pet.
Roger Priddy
Roger Priddy's passion for educating children through fun, informative and engaging books has led him to create some of publishing's most enduring and successful nonfiction early learning books. Bestselling titles include First 100 Words and See Touch Feel. Roger lives in London and has three children, who have been the inspiration behind many of his best publishing ideas.
Anna Dewdney
Anna Dewdney was a teacher, mother, and enthusiastic proponent of reading aloud to children. She continually honed her skills as an artist and writer and published her first Llama Llama book in 2005. Her passion for creating extended to home and garden and she lovingly restored an 18th century farmhouse in southern Vermont. She wrote, painted, gardened, and lived there with her partner, Reed, her two daughters, two wirehaired pointing griffons, and one bulldog. Anna passed away in 2016, but her spirit will live on in her books.
Alice Schertle
Alice Schertle is an award-winning poet whose much-loved books for children include All You Need for a Beach and All You Need for a Snowman. She lives in Plainfield, Massachusetts.
Laura Joffe Numeroff
Laura Numeroff is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for young readers in addition to the If You Give...series, including The Chicken Sisters and Laura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster. She lives in Los Angeles, California, and is involved with several children's charities, including First Book. You can visit her online at www.lauranumeroff.com.
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak's books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages. He received the 1964 Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are and is the creator of such classics as In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, Higglety Pigglety Pop!, and Nutshell Library. In 1970 he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration, in 1983 he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association, and in 1996 he received a National Medal of Arts in recognition of his contribution to the arts in America. In 2003, Sendak received the first Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, an annual international prize for children's literature established by the Swedish government.
Jory John
Jory John is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time E. B. White Read Aloud Honor recipient. Jory's work includes the award-winning Goodnight Already! series; the bestselling Terrible Two series; the popular picture books The Bad Seed, Penguin Problems, and Quit Calling Me a Monster!; and the national bestseller All My Friends Are Dead, among other books. He lives in Oregon. You can visit him online at www.joryjohn.com.
Drew Daywalt
Drew Daywalt grew up in a haunted house, but now lives in a Southern California home haunted only by his wife, two kids, and a German shepherd. A Hollywood screenwriter when he is not writing for young readers, Drew's favorite crayon is Black. He is the #1 bestselling author of The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, in addition to many other titles.
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