Delectable “D” Authors {Picture Book Tour}

The “D” shelves are filled with delectable choices for your bookworms! Although it’s a huge undertaking, I am so glad that I decided to take on this “picture book tour” project! Exploring each area has reminded me of titles I have overlooked in my bookworms’ reading exposure. For example: Jamberry! It would have been such a shame for my berry-loving boys to miss this one, yet I hadn’t thought to share it with them until researching for this post! We now read it approximately 5 times a day, and I have a feeling we’ll be purchasing this one. (My purchase of berries has increased, too. #costco)

The “D” shelves in particular I’ve found to have a fantastic variety of old classics (so many Caldecott awards and other titles beloved for generations) and “new classics” (Pete the Cat! Mercy Watson! The Gruffalo!). I hope you find as many treasures as we have.

If you’re just joining, I’ve begun a shelf-by-shelf tour of the picture book section as a way to systematically expose my kids to the canon of children’s literature, both timeless classics and newcomers alike. We’ve read our way through the A Authors, B Authors, and C Authors.

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Delectable Reads from “D” Authors

Here are my top five favorites and links to authors I’ve shared about in the past. See below for a printable list of more authors to look for in the “D” shelves, including the featured authors below as well as more than a dozen others.

dePaola, Tomie. (preschool-elementary school) I hardly know where to start with Tomie dePaola. And if I started, where I would end! He is a children’s lit superstar. Get to know him! He will be an author to grow with, too, as he has simple picture books to more complex, early reader series, treasuries of fairy tales, nursery rhymes and legends, autobiographies, biographies, and a host of seasonal/holiday/religious books. Some of our family’s current favorites are Strega Nona (Caldecott Honor), The Knight and the Dragon, and Pancakes for Breakfast. I blogged about Strega Nona here.

DiCamillo, Kate. (preschool-middle school) Another author to grow with! We began reading The Mercy Watson series to our bookworms around age 2 as their first exposure to “chapter books.” They’re on my list of Chapter Books for Preschoolers (Really!) and I can’t say enough about that series. A spin-off to that series is “Tales from Deckawoo Drive” which we’ve also enjoyed, but are for a longer attention span. “Bink & Gollie” is a fun early reader series that we’ve used as read alouds at preschool level, too. Beyond those, I am chomping at the bit for the day when we can read her longer chapter books! (I tried a few chapters of Newbery Award winning The Tale of Despereaux before realizing the themes were too mature for my 4yo, but we WILL get there!) If you have an older bookworm (mid-late elementary), look for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Because of Winn-Dixie (Newbery Honor), and Flora & Ulysses in addition to The Tale of Despereaux. *Her books may be in the early reader or chapter book section of your library, but I couldn’t neglect to include her in my “D” roundup since my toddler/preschoolers have enjoyed her so much!*

DiSalvo-Ryan, Dyanne. (older preschool-mid elementary) I had the pleasure of hosting Dyanne DiSalvo as our visiting author at my elementary school a few years back. What a treat! Preparing the kids for her visit was such as fun time as we immersed ourselves in her rich books: Spaghetti Park, City Green, Grandpa’s Corner Store, Grandma’s Smile. I love the themes of community and family that weave through her stories.

Dunrea, Olivier. (baby-preschool; early reader) We were gifted a copy of Gossie at our first bookworm’s baby shower, with an inscription that it was a favorite of the gifter’s family. It’s become a favorite in our home, too. I was surprised to find many of Dunrea’s titles shelved in our library’s early reader section, as they don’t have the feel of a “controlled vocabulary” but are just fun! Good even for babies, or just short attention spans, as the text is short, the pictures bright, the storylines simple but warm. Look also for Ollie and BooBoo.

Dudley, Rebecca. (preschool-early elementary) Although she only has two published books to date, I put Rebecca Dudley on my short list because her work is so unique, creative, fun, and provokes imagination and conversation with young readers. In form, her artwork is created through dioramas: she makes everything that appears in the illustrations. On her blog, she published a story (in pictures) each month for three years; these became the basis for her two picture books, Hank Finds an Egg and Hank Has a Dream. The first reading of (wordless book) Hank Finds an Egg is a special treat, to watch little bookworms’ brains process the story, putting together the pieces, predicting, and testing their ideas. I love that it expresses the power in even the smallest creature’s ability to help another being and to think creatively to solve a problem.

“D” Authors Who Are in the Blog Archives

Day, Alexandra. (toddler-early elementary) Carl series from Throwback Thursday: Vintage Reads.

Dykman, Ame. (toddler-early elementary) Wolfie the Bunny from New Sibling, New Problems: Books for Bumps in the New Sibling Road

Demi. (older preschool-mid elementary) The Empty Pot from Books About Strong Girls That I Read With My Sons.

de La Pena, Matt. (preschool-mid elementary) Last Stop on Market Street from Redeeming a Bad Day: 5 Books to Turn Around One of “Those Days”

Dewdney, Anna (baby-preschool) Llama Llama series from Books for a Two Minute Attention Span 

Demarest, Chris (toddler-preschool) Firefighters A to Z from Obsession, Meet Book Series

 

 

 

 

For a printable version to take to your library or bookstore, click here. This printable includes the featured authors above as well as more than a dozen others that time and space simply didn’t allow me to expound upon.

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Books mentioned in this post should be readily available at your library, or at the affiliate links provided.