🥁 The Best Creative Picture Books

Creative reads for kids, parents, and lifelong readers

I’m Allison Stadd, drummer turned CMO, and I write for people who want the way we work to work for us.

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This issue’s soundtrack:

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Source: Oxford Pennant

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember.

Not in the sense of literally being able to read. In the sense that I learned at age four how to literally read, and from there adopted being a reader as three quarters of my personality (the other quarter is a mishmosh of music, unresolved perfectionism, and strong opinions about dogs).

I love reading books, I love picking books to read, I love talking about books I’ve read and want to read, I love browsing for books online and offline, and I love reading creative picture books to and with my kids.

One of the great pleasures of parenthood for me has been rediscovering books I loved as a little kid, not only because of the nostalgia (and nostalgia is so welcome these days, isn’t it?) or the chance to see my boys experience the same magic I did; but because I’m realizing how much these books resonate with me as an adult.

And a great revelation of my professional life has been the appreciation of simplicity.

Brene Brown taught us all that clear is kind, yes; but it’s also hard.

Hemingway, a Nobel prize winner, famously wrote at a 4th grade readability level.

And have you ever tried to explain a complex topic to a kid? Something like “What are contact lenses?” or “What’s inside of planets?” It’s a brain scrambler!

So reading, and re-reading, children’s books plucks multiple harp strings in my chest: nostalgia, vicarious kid-magic, and appreciation for the power of simplicity.

If you’re a parent, or have kids in your life, there are also massive benefits to reading with kids and sharing your favorite books with them.

As Winy Bernard Bertin put it:

“When we nurture children’s creativity, encourage their curiosity, and celebrate their individuality, we help shape confident, thoughtful, and fully realised human beings. There is something incredibly beautiful about that.”

So I wanted to share my all-time favorite creative picture books. Not just sweet stories or touching tales; but specifically books that stretch your brain, stimulate imagination, and explore fresh territory.

The list includes both iconic titles from my own childhood, and new-to-me books I’ve discovered as a mom.

And please don’t commit the literary misdemeanor of assuming kid lit is just for kids. Children’s books deserve a place of honor among the rest of your literary treasures.

Best Creative Picture Books for Kids and Adults

• My First Shapes with Frank Lloyd Wright | Why I recommend it: A very sweet board book that introduces architecture as a first language.

• ABCs of Art, Sabrina Hahn | Why I recommend it: A delightfully curated alphabet featuring some of the world’s most iconic paintings.

• Dr. Seuss’s ABC | Why I recommend it: Imagine the ABCs plugged into the socket of Green Eggs and Ham.

• Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak | Why I recommend it: A fun frolic with monsters.

• Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson | Why I recommend it: A picture book about the creative act itself.

• Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown | Why I recommend it: Such a beautifully meditative read, no wonder it’s been beloved for generations.

• Big, Keith Haring Why I recommend it: A hilarious, engaging way to introduce the idea of synonyms.

• Go! Go! Go! Stop!, Charise Mericle Harper | Why I recommend it: Trucks with gusto!

• Good Night, Gorilla, Peggy Rathmann | Why I recommend it: A mischievous gorilla and his bedtime pals; what’s not to love?

• Jamberry, Bruce Degen | Why I recommend it: A berry-picking extravaganza with really fun wordplay.

• Caps for Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina | Why I recommend it: Mischievous monkeys make for such a warm and funny little tale.

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle | Why I recommend it: Die-cut pages perfect for little fingers, beautiful illustrations, and a lovely way to introduce counting, days of the week, and even metamorphosis 😂

• A House for Hermit Crab, Eric Carle | Why I recommend it: Another vibrantly illustrated little treasure, with a relatable story of change.

• Swimmy, Leo Lionni | Why I recommend it: The sweetest little reminder of the power of teamwork and inventive thinking.

• Press Here, Hervé Tullet | Why I recommend it: Like a video game in analog form.

• Iggy Peck, Architect, Andrea Beaty | Why I recommend it: Written in really fun verse with quirky illustrations, a story about the creativity of construction.

• Boxitects, Kim Smith | Why I recommend it: A great reminder of how the ordinary can become extraordinary.

• The Magical Yet, Angela DiTerlizzi | Why I recommend it: There’s such power in this one little word: “yet.”

• Hot Dog Cold Dog, Frann Preston-Gannon | Why I recommend it: Charming and simple.

• The Invisible String, Patrice Karst | Why I recommend it: My exec coach recommended this one and we’re obsessed. A joyful celebration of love.

• What Do You Do With an Idea?, Kobi Yamada | Why I recommend it: The story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world.

• Strega Nona, Tomie dePaola | Why I recommend it: A magical pasta pot! So fun.

• Du Iz Tak?, Carson Ellis | Why I recommend it: A wild world of playful, invented insect language.

• Welcome to Jazz, Carolyn Sloan | Why I recommend it: An interactive introduction to jazz music. It’s really well done.

• Welcome to the Symphony, Carolyn Sloan | Why I recommend it: Ditto, for the orchestra.

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault | Why I recommend it: A cheerful take on the ABCs.

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff | Why I recommend it: A circular, silly cause-and-effect loop.

• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett | Why I recommend it: A belovedly absurd premise.

• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Jon Scieszka | Why I recommend it: A wild, irreverent collection of reimagined fairy tales.

• Falling Up, Shel Silverstein | Why I recommend it: Punk poetry. I love how Silverstein treats kids like they can handle darkness and weirdness.

• Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein | Why I recommend it: Ditto.

• The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt | Why I recommend it: A totally fresh take on creativity and self-expression.

Any to add to my list?

Eat something delicious and laugh hard this week,

Allison

P.S. Paid subscribers get access to The Workroom 🔐, a bank of juicy extras like templates, resources & discounts that I update regularly. Every tool & perk in this archive is built from almost 20 years inside some of the most high-growth, fast-paced companies in the country (Anheuser-Busch InBev, Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Shipt, BarkBox).

Folks across 42 U.S. states and 73 countries from companies like LVMH, Unilever, Salesforce, The Atlantic, and The Home Depot are reading along. You in?

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