Fans pick 100 books like Meet the Planets

I love how this beautiful picture book teaches us to value trees as precious life forms that watch over and outlive us. I am fascinated by how the simple life story of a particular oak tree, from acorn to majestic ancient landmark, tells us so much about the passage of time and the changes our planet has seen over the centuries regarding farming, industrialization, and environmental damage.

I’m simply blown away by the wonderful rhyming text and sensitive, detailed illustrations, which work together to present the young reader with a relatable timeline from the distant past stretching far ahead into a hopefully more positive future.

I have always loved this book as it makes me laugh (a lot) while teaching me some interesting things about cats and how they behave. Published in 1990, it is still as fresh as it was back in the day. I can’t get enough of how zany text full of invented words (told from an alien’s perspective) is ‘translated’ by hilarious illustrations that anyone who ever owned a cat knows to ring true.

I love how you have to pore over the illustrations to get the jokes and, most importantly, to learn about cats, what they are like, and the funny things they do. In this wonderful picture book (and series of picture books), you really learn through laughter.

I am captivated by this original take on the environmental problems we face and love that so much is communicated here through a simple story. This important picture book views problems such as pollution and deforestation from the Earth’s perspective, challenging the reader to show empathy for our planet as though it were another human being.

Given the potentially gloomy subject matter, this amazing story succeeds in being uplifting and optimistic. It engages us directly and makes us see our world as something to be cherished and cared for. The inclusive illustrations celebrate global diversity and challenge us to connect in a practical way with our endangered world. The future is in the hands of the young, who should definitely be holding this book.

I am a big fan of this imaginative, time-traveling picture book, which transports the young reader back to prehistoric times. The Stone Age is not always the most accessible subject for little ones, but there is nothing dry about the bones seen here.

The story is told in a fun, relatable text, with expressive language perfect for reading aloud—‘Water dripping! The wind moaning!’ etc. Supporting explanations are added in italic text, which I found fascinating. Direct invitations immediately grab attention, such as ‘Make tricky traps and track wild animals. An ambush…Shhh!’

I love how the language and illustrations complement each other perfectly in this little gem of a book, which is both immersive and hugely informative. I would definitely recommend it!

A charming book about a stick and stone who become friends. Told with very simple language we follow the story of Stone from when he was alone to being teased by Pinecone and having Stick stand up for him (because that’s what sticks do!). They play and go on adventures to the shore when a big hurricane sweeps them away, and Stone must save his best friend, Stick!

The illustrations are wonderfully crafted in colored pencil and watercolor. This is a beautifully done book that works extremely well in storytimes with small children. My class loves this one.

This quiet yet thought-provoking picture book invites readers to explore the world all around them as a young child embarks on a kayaking trip with their mother and father in Monterey Bay, California. From seabirds soaring above them, to sea lions barking from nearby rocks to leopard sharks prowling the sea floor, this book is a comforting read-aloud kids will want to return to again and again.

The mixed-media illustrations have an enchanting simplicity that captures the ocean environment and its wonder. The illustrated backmatter reflects on each unique creature and what makes them important to their ecosystem. I highly recommend all the books in the Over and Under series by Messner and Neal, but if you love the ocean, you won’t want to miss this one!

This is a classic. The enchanting illustrations and delightful humor mesmerized my 3-year-old, who kept asking to read it over and over throughout his childhood and insisted on buying the rest of the books in the series.

The interactive lift-the-flap elements really capture young readers' attention, and the character, Spot, is simply irresistible.

The premise of this book is just hilarious. On their first day of school, a class thinks their teacher is a sandwich sitting on the desk at the front of the class. What?! Hilarious!

Because we see the scene through the classroom window, the reader knows that the teacher’s car was smashed by a fallen tree, and he’s stuck in the parking lot dealing with it. But the twist at the end has the reader questioning how much they actually knew all along! 

Stereotypes aren’t just for people. As a science teacher, I want my students to look beyond their initial perceptions of animals and plants, and this book helps young readers do just that.

Kate Gardner and illustrator Heidi Smith cleverly and effectively use the book’s layout (a single stereotypical word and a black-and-white illustration of an animal followed by a colorful illustration paired with facts that surprise and challenge) to encourage readers to think again.

As we dive into the difficult work of enemy love and peacemaking, we quickly discover that loving someone often begins with forgiving them. And further, once you forgive someone, this opens the door to authentic friendship.

I have some comical memories of saying “bless you” to a particular bully in school as though this were a magic trick that would completely change the situation. While it may have been a good start, I now realize that forgiveness is more about an ongoing posture of the heart than it is about using “magic words” to fix everything.

This book doesn’t just show us how Jesus forgives us (through the story of Peter’s restoration), it also gives kids a roadmap to understand the deeper realities of forgiveness.