Picture Book Tour: A to Z Don’t Miss These {“C” Authors}

Despite the lag time since I published my “B” list, I have just a handful of “C” authors to recommend. I’ll let you practice your powers of inference along with assurance that we haven’t neglected reading the last many weeks… Sigh. (My poor bookworms. Learning the art of analysis early.)

In case you’re just joining, I’m working my way through 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.

The “C” shelf booklist may be short, but it contains a few heavy hitters (ah hem, see my baby shower and newborn photoshoot themes!):

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Creative Authors from the “C” Shelves:

My top six favorites with some annotations are below. See my printable list at the bottom of this post for an expanded list of fourteen authors and suggested titles to look for.

Cannon, Janell. (older preschool-early elementary) Cannon beautifully weaves information about the natural world into her fictional stories. You may be reading a dramatic, emotional story about a baby’s separation and survival apart from her mother in Stellaluna, but you’re also learning to compare and contrast the behavior and characteristics of two species. It’s Cannon’s way– gorgeous, gripping stories that inform, without ever being heavy handed. Each contain notes at the conclusion of the story to further learning. We love Stellaluna, Crickwing, and Verdi.

Carle, Eric. (toddler-early elementary) I don’t think Eric Carle really needs introduction, nor can I do him justice within a short paragraph! He’s illustrated over 70 books which have sold over 55 million copies worldwide. And to think, it never occurred to him to write and illustrate children’s books until Bill Martin Jr asked him to illustrate Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? in 1967 (according to The Essential Guide to Children’s Books and Their Creators by Silvey). Well, thank you, Bill Martin, Jr! Be sure to look for From Head to Toe, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, and Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.

Cherry, Lynne. (older preschool-elementary) Though nearly 20 years old, Cherry’s conservation themed books are so timely and needed more than ever. Perhaps most famous is The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest; The Dragon and the Unicorn and A River Ran Wild have similar environmental themes that clearly teach how interwoven all life is, illustrated with superb detail.

Cleary, Beverly. Okay, so Beverly Clearly doesn’t really belong on a picture book list, but she DID publish 4 picture books that have been released in one volume; Two Times the Fun, in classic Cleary realistic fiction style, is the story of the everyday antics of a set of twins (written by twin mom Cleary!). Preschool Bookworm enjoyed these when he was 3. Still squarely in the “preschool” camp, he has begun listening to Cleary’s audiobooks and begs for those on our car rides: Ribsy was our first, Henry Huggins next. Give these classics a try!

Cooney, Barbara. (older preschool-mid elementary) I hope you won’t miss out on Miss Rumphius! This was a yearly read aloud as part of the character education program at my school and is paired with the tags “beauty of simplicity,” “family,” “discipline,” “environment,” and “strong character.” It’s a classic– 35 years old, with a message that never ages: do something to make the world more beautiful. (FYI, Cooney illustrated two Caldecott winning titles, authored by others: Chanticleer and the Fox, from Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall.)

Crews, Donald. Another Caldecott winner in the “C” section! I blogged about Freight Train in my Vintage Reads for Modern Kids series, and in Using Scarves for Storytime Fun. Toddler Bookworm took to Bigmama’s immediately (and I find it completely adorable when he requests it by title) along with Sail Away since he loves all things water (see my post here in the series Obsession, Meet Book).

Click here for the printable list of our other “C” shelf recommendations, including Peter Catalanotto, Andrea Cheng, Lauren Child, Margaret Chodos-Irvine, Carolyn Crimi, Doreen Cronin, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ying Chang Compestine.

See also “A” Shelf Recommendations and “B” Shelf Recommendations.

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