Fans pick 98 books like The New Baby Calf

First and foremost, as an artist/illustrator, I maintain that as artists, it is our job to create work that evokes emotion. This book makes the mark.

I am a fan of Stephen Gammell’s illustration. He pulls out all the stops with colour and character. Liz Rosenberg’s simplistic yet delicate story hangs us in suspense between fear and love, made whimsical by Gammell’s illustrations.

I  think this is a very powerful book and a perfect match for Gammell’s artwork. 

This is a book that someone gifted me for college graduation, and although I had no aspirations of becoming a children’s book author at the time, I loved the inspirational message of the story. 

What will I do? Where will I live? Who will I become? These are questions that most young people ask themselves, especially at a milestone moment in their lives, like graduation. In this book—with its lyrically wonderful rhyming words and otherworldly illustrations—Dr. Seuss reminded me that I am in control of my destiny.

The book does a good job of blending the realities of life with the possibilities of what life can become. It taught me that, although there will be ups and downs, twists and turns, and a few dead ends, ultimately, I can choose which way to go in life. What an empowering message to read at any age or stage in life!

I love this book because I love books whose illustrations are as enticing as the text.

“Silly” is a quality I look for in a book to share with little kids. Silly certainly applies to Gammell’s splashy, exquisite illustrations. The cadence of the text invites the reader (of any age) to engage with the rhyme and not just read it but perform it!

It also teaches the alphabet. Who knew that going through the alphabet could be such messy fun? 

Every page of this book by Shel Silverstein holds a new surprise.

When writing and illustrating my own books, I've learned to enjoy creating surprises for my readers, whether in the text or the illustrations. I love it when readers ask me, "How did you think that up?" That is exactly what I would love to ask Shel Silverstein. With his endlessly playful imagination, each poem and each page of drawing takes you to a land of ideas you didn't know existed.

There is a certain level of sophistication in children's books where age-appropriate recommendations fall away. This is one of them. For a bedtime read-aloud, it is just as much fun for the parent or grandparent as for the child. It invites them to laugh together. Reading to kids doesn't get better than that.

This Panda is very certain about what he likes and doesn’t like.

You could say he’s very black and white about his opinions. And that’s why the mostly black-and-white paper cut illustrations work even more! Panda’s house is stark as well.

Then one day he begrudgingly accepts a red flower from an elephant which throws him off. But in the end he makes it work. I love the graphic look of the art. 

This book is an enduring memory from my own childhood. I remember my parents used to read this to me, and they put on funny voices for each of the characters. I love the message of this book, that even though you are different from others, we can all coexist and learn to celebrate our differences. The illustrations are also so charming and really bring the story to life. 

After discovering that whales sing to each other, Katy turned her attention to elephants. Silent Thunder chronicles Katy’s work before she founded the Elephant Listening Project. In essence, it is the prequel to Eavesdropping on Elephants. Katy’s evocative prose puts you on the plains of Africa. I love the way she approached her research without any preconceived notions and let the elephants tell her what was important.

I love children’s books, especially when they capture the emotional depth of a child’s mind.

Mo Willems does this beautifully in My Friend is Sad, one of the first books in his best-selling Elephant & Piggie series. The story depicts Piggie’s unsuccessful efforts to cheer up his friend, Elephant, by dressing up as a cowboy, a clown, a robot.

Elephant doesn’t recognize Piggie under the costumes, though, and it isn’t until Piggie reveals himself that Elephant feels happy. “I need my friends,” he says.

Willems’ storyline delivers important lessons about mental health: emotions are complicated, relationships are life-sustaining, and genius is sometimes very simple. 

Most books about train journeys follow the same pattern – off goes the writer, describing destinations, meeting characters, learning about or interpreting the world. But here comes John Burningham from an entirely different angle, with a charming children’s book that uses the train to weave together a story about species survival. The characters are all endangered animals, attempting to board a little boy’s fantasy dream train as he chugs through different landscapes, playing with his pyjama-case dog. And what do you do when an elephant or a sea lion tries to get on? Well, no idea what Paul Theroux would do, but any right-thinking child joins in with bellowing “Oi, get off our train!” until we learn the reasons why we have to let them climb aboard.

This beautifully illustrated Babar book does not disappoint. It is a fun and playful visit with a beloved childhood favorite and includes a bonus chart of basic yoga poses performed by elephants. Children and their adult friends and family will be charmed by the invitation to join the family of elephants in finding tranquility through yoga poses and breathing exercises.