100 books like Art

By Patrick McDonnell,

Here are 100 books that Art fans have personally recommended if you like Art. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems & Drawings

Elyssa Dorf Author Of Being Your Mama

From my list on books for babies with rhyming stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author and illustrator of the baby book listed below. As a mom of a 1-year-old, I am no stranger to kids’ books. After 1 year of going through my baby’s bookshelf and finding my own personal favorites, I realized that the common theme amongst all of my favorites is that all my selects happen to rhyme. Therefore, when I set out to write my own book, it was a given that this would be a rhyming story. Since then, I have been reading and researching all of the rhyming books to create my own. After all this research, these top five books are my top picks.

Elyssa's book list on books for babies with rhyming stories

Elyssa Dorf Why did Elyssa love this book?

The only book you need! Compiled over several short stories, you can pack just this one book with you on a trip and be set for your entire trip. It is so fun to have short stories as an option—you can read one if the baby is tired or five if the baby needs time to wind down before bedtime.

By Shel Silverstein,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Where the Sidewalk Ends as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Shel Silverstein, the New York Times bestselling author of The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and Every Thing On It, has created a poetry collection that is outrageously funny and deeply profound. Come in...for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein's world begins. This special edition contains 12 extra poems. You'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow…


Book cover of It's Spring!

Pam Spremulli Author Of Letter Birds

From my list on for children with whimsical and fun Illustrations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Graphic Illustrator, Muralist, and Educator, serving as an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and I love birds! I was born and raised in the Chautauqua Lake Region of Western, NY and I find myself very much at home with our feathered friends. My passion for color, shape, and nature enables me to draw the viewer's eye to things that otherwise might go unnoticed. Letter Birds was created when my children were 5 and 7 and I would draw while they slept. When they awoke they would find a colorful drawing of a feathered friend along with a new letter to learn. My children continue to be my creative muses - even as teenagers!

Pam's book list on for children with whimsical and fun Illustrations

Pam Spremulli Why did Pam love this book?

This lovely book captures the beautiful sounds, sights, and smells of Spring with charming and whimsical illustrations by Melissa Sweet. Her charming work transports you into the book, flying through each colorful spread with glee  A celebration of community and mother nature and an absolute favorite of my children, not only growing up but to this day!

By Samantha Berger, Pamela Chanko, Melissa Sweet (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It's Spring! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

StoryPlay (TM) Books -- the best new way to engage with your little one during story time -- continues with four new stories!

StoryPlay Books is the smart way to read and play together! StoryPlay Books offer fun ways to engage with little ones during story time and playtime with prompts and activities that everyone will love! Each quality story will delight readers while building early literacy skills for ages 3-5 by helping them develop: problem-solving abilities, reading comprehension, social development, pre-reading skills, memory strength and more! Each book includes story-related games and crafts to extend the reading experience. Teachers…


Book cover of Beetle Bop

Dandi Daley Mackall Author Of Christmas In The Barnyard

From my list on rhyming books for animal-loving kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in rural Missouri, where my best friends were horses, dogs, cats, ducks, and an occasional squirrel or injured bird. I developed rhyming and rhythm at an early age, and I got my first newspaper byline with a rhyming opinion piece. When I grew up, I became a writer. Then, when I had kids, I discovered the joy of writing children’s books, starting with rhyming board books and animals. To date, I’ve had over 500 books published, with at least one rhyming book annually for the past 40 years. The joy comes from writing my heart—my love for animals, rhyme, children, and God (not in that order).

Dandi's book list on rhyming books for animal-loving kids

Dandi Daley Mackall Why did Dandi love this book?

Denise Fleming has a wonderful way with words—unexpected rhymes, internal rhymes, repetition. I love animals, and beetles will do, especially these beetles—striped, spotted, all-over dotted. These beetles are super interesting, too. They creep and crawl, hide in cracks, and even crash. They are noisy, gnawing beetles, and you will love them. I’m no fan of bugs, but I love these guys. They bop and bring joy...especially if they stay inside of the pages of this book.

By Denise Fleming,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Beetle Bop as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

They crawl up walls, they hide in cracks, they flip, they fly, and sometimes...Crrrash. Beetles some in all shapes and sizes, and they are everywhere in this thoroughly buggy, beautifully designed book. There are striped beetles, spotted beetles, all-over-dotted beetles - and don't forget the noisily gnawing beetles! Whether you love bugs or whether the sight of them makes you itch, you will adore this infested offering from the beloved Denise Fleming.


Book cover of The Easter Egg Artists

Pam Spremulli Author Of Letter Birds

From my list on for children with whimsical and fun Illustrations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Graphic Illustrator, Muralist, and Educator, serving as an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and I love birds! I was born and raised in the Chautauqua Lake Region of Western, NY and I find myself very much at home with our feathered friends. My passion for color, shape, and nature enables me to draw the viewer's eye to things that otherwise might go unnoticed. Letter Birds was created when my children were 5 and 7 and I would draw while they slept. When they awoke they would find a colorful drawing of a feathered friend along with a new letter to learn. My children continue to be my creative muses - even as teenagers!

Pam's book list on for children with whimsical and fun Illustrations

Pam Spremulli Why did Pam love this book?

This book touches the soul and imagination of all artists. Following a young (bunny) Artist as they make their mark within an adventurous creative family that travels the world. Each spread transports you to a world of chance where art brings together not only communities but families. An absolute joy for creative minds!

By Adrienne Adams,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Easter Egg Artists as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

The Abbotts, established Easter egg artists, let their son develop a style of his own when he shows interest in painting.


Book cover of Help Mom Work from Home!

Charlotte Offsay Author Of A Grandma's Magic

From my list on picture books to gift for Mother's Day.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a picture book author living in Los Angeles with my husband and two children. I love seeing the world through my children’s eyes and began writing stories for and inspired by them after they were born. Watching their relationships flourish with their grandparents and the grown-ups in their lives inspired me to write books that celebrate family and foster connection. My grandmas both live overseas and I treasure the time I spend with them. Just like my own children, the simplest moments together are the ones I hold onto and carry with me the most. I love books that celebrate these magical relationships and hope these books encourage readers to celebrate their own relationships.  

Charlotte's book list on picture books to gift for Mother's Day

Charlotte Offsay Why did Charlotte love this book?

Have you ever had children around while trying to work from home? Thanks to the pandemic, many working parents have had to juggle even more than usual over the past couple of years. Help Mom Work from Home! is a brilliant ode to that frazzled, sometimes-humorous often-hair-pulling juggling act. Formatted as a step-by-step guide from the kid’s perspective on how to ‘help’ mom while she works from home, it includes tips such as bedazzling her business cards and helping her relax with some yoga moves. This adorable book had my kids and me in giggles and is a lovely way to recognize and show appreciation for all that working moms juggle. ⁠ 

By Diana Murray, Cori Doerrfeld (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Help Mom Work from Home! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Mom works at home all week long, and her little one is right by her side. After all, she's a natural boss at organizing, leading meetings, and making calls-or so it seems. But when Mom starts looking frazzled, her little helper knows just how to make it all better.

Diana Murray's rollicking rhyme paired with Cori Doerrfeld's energetic and adorable illustrations will bring parent and child together after a long work day.


Book cover of The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly

Carole McDonnell Author Of The Constant Tower

From my list on unplanned or obsessively-planned journeys.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a wife, mother, writer—and the mother of a disabled non-verbal thirty-three-year-old man. I'm also Black and a Christian, both of which can be problematic to many readers. I write fantasy and mainstream stories, Christian and non-Christian. Some fantasy readers have certain fears, stereotypes, and expectations of fantasy books written by minorities. Others have those same fears, stereotypes, and expectations of books written by Christian writers. I'm very good at accommodating my readers. For the most part, my readers never feel as if they’re being preached at or lectured. Some aren’t even aware that I'm Black or a Christian, even though my concernsimperialism, injustice, spirituality, ethnicity, disability, and feminismare throughout my stories.

Carole's book list on unplanned or obsessively-planned journeys

Carole McDonnell Why did Carole love this book?

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is a fable, and as with all good fables, you’re going to find yourself commiserating with an animal. Sprout is a hen who is past her childbearing years. There is no rooster around. Well, there’s one. But he’s got a partner. Childlessness is an unplanned journey for some, and the book shows the grief that many people in this situation might deal with. Just as we’re feeling there is absolutely no hope for our infertile, partner-less, hen, she ends up becoming a mother. But now another unplanned journey pops up. Well, decisions and sacrifices have to be made. 

There are so many reasons why I like this book. After my son was born, I was suddenly on an unplanned journey. I didn’t expect my son to be sickly and developmentally delayed and even now I still pray for a miracle for him. The…

By Sun-mi Hwang, Nomoco (illustrator), Chi-Young Kim (translator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A TOP TEN INDIE PUBLISHERS' FICTION BESTSELLER FOR 2014

AN INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 PICK

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014 PICK

A BOOKSELLER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 PICK

This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses her future every morning through the barn doors, where the other animals roam free, and comes up with a plan to escape into the wild-and to hatch an egg of her own. An anthem for individuality and motherhood,…


Book cover of What My Mother and I Don't Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence

Rica Keenum Author Of Petals of Rain: A Mother's Memoir

From my list on for daughters with toxic or complicated mothers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, my mother refused to acknowledge that my stepfather sexually abused me for many years. I was forced to call him “Dad” and I was told to “forgive and forget.” It took me decades to understand that while I could teach my mind to deny my pain and grief, trauma stayed embedded within my heart and shaped my life, relationships, internal beliefs, and decisions. After a triggering event, it ultimately morphed into depression, which I’m now battling in my forties. Having written two memoirs on the impact of trauma, I am only now finding the wisdom and courage to distance myself from my mother and stepfather. The books I’ve recommended have brought me comfort and a sense of relief. 

Rica's book list on for daughters with toxic or complicated mothers

Rica Keenum Why did Rica love this book?

This vulnerable collection of essays drew me in with the words, “Our mothers are our first homes, and that’s why we’re always trying to return to them.” As I continued to read, I had the eerie feeling that the author had read my diary (although I don’t actually have a diary), had met my mother, and had lived my life in so many ways. And while this book contains stories from many authors, the single thread of longing for mothers who’ve loved and hurt us ties them together seamlessly. They are beautifully expressed, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes humorous, but ultimately worthy of savoring. 

By Michele Filgate (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What My Mother and I Don't Talk About as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


In the early 2000's, as an undergraduate, Michele Filgate started writing an essay about being abused by her stepfather. It took many years for her to realize what she was actually trying to write about: the fracture this caused in her relationship with her mother. When her essay, "What My Mother and I Don't Talk About," was published by Longreads in October of 2017, it went on to become one of the most popular Longreads exclusives of the year and was shared on social media by Anne Lamott, Rebecca Solnit, Lidia Yuknavitch, and other writers, some of whom had their…


Book cover of Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love

Koa Lou Whittingham Author Of Becoming Mum

From my list on for new and expectant mothers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a clinical and developmental psychologist, a parenting researcher at the University of Queensland, and a mother. My research is focused on applying and commitment therapy (ACT) to parenting including the parenting of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. I wrote Becoming Mum while becoming a mother for the first time. In fact, much of the book was written while I cuddled my new baby, my laptop propped up on my knees so I could write! I am also the first author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy the Clinician’s Guide to Supporting Parents. It is the first clinical manual on using ACT with parents.

Koa's book list on for new and expectant mothers

Koa Lou Whittingham Why did Koa love this book?

Becoming Attached chronicles the conception and rise of one of the most important psychological theories: attachment theory. In doing so, it also tells the story of the mother-child bond and how our earliest relationships shape who we are and how we love. This book will delight and fascinate you. It will also leave you with clear, evidence-based knowledge of how to build and maintain a strong and loving relationship with your baby.

By Robert Karen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Becoming Attached as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The struggle to understand the infant-parent bond ranks as one of the great quests of modern psychology, one that touches us deeply because it holds so many clues to how we become who we are. How are our personalities formed? How do our early struggles with our parents reappear in the way we relate to others as adults? Why do we repeat with our own children--seemingly against our will--the very behaviors we most disliked about our parents? In Becoming Attached, psychologist and noted journalist Robert Karen offers fresh insight into some of the most fundamental and fascinating questions of emotional…


Book cover of Owl Babies

Why am I passionate about this?

Lots of us rely occasionally on technology to help us entertain a young child, but the connection we form when looking at a book together cannot be beaten. I have found, both personally and professionally, that great books are born when a kind of magical mix-up is created in a child’s imagination between the words you read and the pictures they see. It feels so wonderful when this happens that they want to revisit the book again and again. I have written many books for young children over more than 20 years, and I am always striving to help cast that magical spell.

Fiona's book list on families and growing up–the funny bits, the comforting bits. . .and the scary bits

Fiona Munro Why did Fiona love this book?

At some point, every child is in a situation, maybe just for a few seconds, where they are not totally sure that their parent is coming back. I can still remember the look on my kids’ faces on their first day at nursery school! That feeling is no different for the young owl siblings in this story, left alone in the dark woods when their mother flies off in search of food. 

I love the simplicity of this tale, and the language is beautiful. We often turned to it at bedtime in our house, and no matter how many times I read, “Soft and silent, she swooped through the trees to Sarah and Percy and Bill,” it never got old.

By Martin Waddell, Patrick Benson (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Owl Babies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A special 25th anniversary edition of a modern classic, Owl Babies reassures young children that Mummy will always come home.

"The perfect picture book" Guardian

A special 25th anniversary board book edition of a bestselling modern classic, Owl Babies is a comforting read for any toddler who has ever worried about mum leaving them alone, or any child starting pre-school for the very first time. Sarah, Percy and Bill the baby owls wake one night to find their mother gone. And as the darkness gathers and they perch patiently on their branch waiting for her return, oh how they worry!…


Book cover of Are You My Mother?

Tina Koopersmith Author Of What Am I?

From my list on young children to build self compassion.

Why am I passionate about this?

Children feel all their emotions, but I learned to suppress many emotions to avoid criticism. The youngest, I learned to not trust my intuition. I was taught that the mind was the path to success. In my chosen medical profession, physicians use intellect to heal bodies. The interconnection of thoughts, emotions, energy as well as interconnections between people and the environment are ignored. This separation from all of me was sapping me of the joy of living a full life. During my self healing integration journey: I uncovered limiting beliefs, reconnected with my heart, and dove deep into the source of my pleasure. Bringing this awareness to light should be healing.

Tina's book list on young children to build self compassion

Tina Koopersmith Why did Tina love this book?

Dr. Seuss is a master author. This book reminds readers that all children desire to be seen, heard and develop deep connections and love.

Children are blind to differences: it is adults who are much more keenly aware of our differences and often separate us from love. In this book, we appreciate both sameness and differences. 

By P.D. Eastman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Are You My Mother? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic illustrated children's book, ideal for reluctant readers and children just beginning to read on their own.

This beautifully illustrated story of a baby bird's journey to find his mother is a timeless classic from beloved author P.D.Eastman.

Reluctant readers and children who have just started to read on their own will love joining the baby bird on his quest as he asks everyone (from a kitten to a cow) and everything (from a plane to a tugboat) that he meets, 'Are You My Mother?'

Beginner Books are designed to encourage even 'non-reading' children to read. This Green Back…


Book cover of Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems & Drawings
Book cover of It's Spring!
Book cover of Beetle Bop

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