The best picture books parents will also love

Heather Hartt-Sussman Author Of Noni Says No
By Heather Hartt-Sussman

Who am I?

I have written seven picture books, one of which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and many of which have been award nominees. My books have been translated into five languages and are enjoyed by kids from Denmark to Korea. As a mom, I know that when a child loves a book they want it read to them repeatedly. That’s why I admire books that are written for the enjoyment of both the adult and the child. I dislike preachy books filled with lessons. I prefer when books entertain and contain a nugget of gold that readers can take with them when the book is done.

I wrote...

Noni Says No

By Heather Hartt-Sussman, Geneviève Côté

Book cover of Noni Says No

What is my book about?

Noni Says No is about a people-pleasing girl who can’t say “no”, even when it means she has to share a special toy or agree to a hideous haircut. When Noni finally finds her voice, the reaction is not what she (or you) might expect.

As an overly accommodating adult, I too have trouble saying “no!" I find myself agreeing to events and workloads that I know I don’t have the time, or the inclination, to handle. In this book, I wanted both parents and children to find comfort in Noni’s experience of standing up for herself while still being a good friend.

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The Books I Picked & Why

The Seven Silly Eaters

By Mary Ann Hoberman, Marla Frazee

Book cover of The Seven Silly Eaters

Why this book?

I love this book as a parent because it is a joy to read. Its rhyme is sheer perfection (which is hard to pull off) and the conclusion is pure genius, as Hoberman deftly weaves a tapestry out of seemingly random strings. This is a hilarious book about a mother who grows more and more weary from the demands of her seven children and their very particular and fussy eating habits. This kitchen-bound, short-order-chef hero of a mom gets a lovely surprise at the end that makes all the chaos seem worth it. Kids will giggle, moms (or dads or other caregivers) will relate.

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The Word Collector

By Peter H. Reynolds

Book cover of The Word Collector

Why this book?

This is another fave of mine because the protagonist is a boy who collects words (rather than stamps or baseball cards). He saves the words he’s learned in a scrapbook until one day, he trips and his words go flying into the air and land in a jumble on the floor. What he discovers are odd and interesting pairings of words he wouldn’t have thought go together. The result is poetic. Finally, he takes a big sack of words to the top of a hill and scatters them into the wind so other kids will make their own connections. This book is fantastic for kids and adults who love words.

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The Day the Crayons Quit

By Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers

Book cover of The Day the Crayons Quit

Why this book?

Parents will enjoy this funny book about a packet of crayons going on strike. Red feels overworked, Black doesn’t want to simply be used for outlining anymore, and Yellow and Orange are having a disagreement over which of them is the real color of the sun. They need Duncan to sort this all out. Illustrated in a unique style as handwritten letters, parents and kids will find the story humorous and the illustrations original.

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The Incredible Book Eating Boy

By Oliver Jeffers

Book cover of The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Why this book?

This time Oliver Jeffers shows that he is not only a fantastic illustrator (see above) but a storyteller in his own right. Once again the pictures say so much more than the words alone could convey as the boy who eats books learns that reading them is so much better. However, the bite taken out of the last page cleverly shows that sometimes he slips up. And parents are not to worry, because there is a disclaimer on the back cover warning to kids to “please do not try to eat this book at home”!

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Waiting Is Not Easy!

By Mo Willems

Book cover of Waiting Is Not Easy!

Why this book?

Any impatient adult or child will tell you that waiting is indeed not for the faint of heart. In this book, which is a part of the early reader Elephant and Piggie series, Piggie has a surprise for Gerald the Elephant. But he must wait for it, and wait and wait and wait. As he waits, Gerald’s groans grow louder, illustrated typographically with ever-enlarging speech bubbles. The ending shows previously frustrated Gerald the Elephant proclaiming that the surprise was well worth the wait. And indeed it is!!

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