NY Times Best Sellers, Children's Picture Books List: May 3, 2020 by Ashley F. https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh Ashley Froom en-us 2020-11-21 12:34:50 UTC 2025-03-17 03:00:34 UTC hello@padlet.com Children's Picture Books froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/948018998 Best Sellers, #1-5]]> 2020-11-21 12:52:59 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/948018998 Children's Picture Books froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/948021550 Best Sellers, #6-10]]> 2020-11-21 12:55:41 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/948021550 14 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950122852 #1, How to Catch a Unicorn by Adam Wallace]]> 2020-11-22 18:05:47 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950122852 29 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950124919 #2, Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang]]> 2020-11-22 18:07:00 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950124919 69 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950125113 In this very popular early reader series, the story is told through dialogue between the two characters, Elephant and Piggie.  When I was in the library, I couldn't keep this series on the shelves!

#3, Waiting is Not Easy! by Mo Willems]]> 2020-11-22 18:07:08 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950125113 230 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950125743 I believe this book has been on the bestseller list for so long because it is essentially a message of hope and love from a parent to a child.  It makes a great gift, especially for a baby shower, and is inspiring for parents to read to their little ones from early on. 
(I know I can't read it to my son without getting choked up at some point before the end!)

#4, The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin]]> 2020-11-22 18:07:32 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950125743 19 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950126036 #5, Good Night, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry]]> 2020-11-22 18:07:41 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950126036 302 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950126643 I think this book has been on the bestseller list for over five years because of the quality illustrations, the silly premise of the story, and the funny ending.  Who doesn't love dragons?  More importantly, who doesn't love tacos?!

There are also a cause and effect elements in the story, which is an important component in reading comprehension:
If you want dragons to come to your party, you should serve tacos; but if the tacos have spicy salsa  on them, bad things will happen.

#6, Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin]]> 2020-11-22 18:08:03 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950126643 23 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950126899 #7, Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure by James Dean and Kimberly Dean]]> 2020-11-22 18:08:12 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950126899 307 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950127069 Also on the bestseller list for almost six years, I think this book has been so popular because it is told from the unique perspective of the crayons themselves.  Through their letters to Duncan, young readers can imagine what their own crayons might say to them, their feelings about how they are used, and the sometimes tempestuous relationships between certain colors.

This book also provides excellent examples of the format used in letter writing!

#8, The Day the Crayons Quit by Andrew Daywalt]]> 2020-11-22 18:08:19 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950127069 11 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950127371 #9, The Serious Goose by Jimmy Kimmel]]> 2020-11-22 18:08:31 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950127371 2 weeks froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950128046 #10, The Cool Bean by Jory John]]> 2020-11-22 18:08:56 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/950128046 Series froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951895289 Of the ten books on this list, seven are part of a series of books, or at least have a sequel (Dragons Love Tacos).  This demonstrates that children enjoy revisiting familiar and lovable characters, joining them on their subsequent adventures, and interpreting the message of the story in their own way.

  • How to Catch a Unicorn
  • Grumpy Monkey
  • Waiting is Not Easy!
  • Good Night, Little Blue Truck
  • Dragons Love Tacos
  • Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure
  • The Day the Crayons Quit
  • The Cool Bean
]]> 2020-11-23 11:33:46 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951895289 Illustrations froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951923845 All ten of the books on the list include interesting, expressive, and vibrant illustrations, which is often the first thing that attracts a young reader to a book. 
Even though the illustrations in The Serious Goose do not include much color, the expression on the goose's face, combined with the silliness of the book and the way the author, Jimmy Kimmel, cultivates interest by engaging and challenging the reader to make the goose smile, makes this a bestseller. ]]> 2020-11-23 11:43:12 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951923845 Element of Cleverness, Silliness froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951983654 Children love to read fun, humorous stories that are cleverly written, purely for entertainment.  
Books on this list that will make kids smile, or even laugh out loud at the text and illustrations are:
  • How to Catch a Unicorn
  • Grumpy Monkey
  • Dragons Love Tacos
  • The Day the Crayons Quit
  • The Serious Goose

Although The Day the Crayons Quit may not be your typical humorous text, it is cleverly written, and allows children to see the crayons' point of view, giving them something to think about the next time they pull out their own crayon box.
]]> 2020-11-23 12:12:41 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951983654 Message and Feelings froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951986677 Many children's authors impart some sort of lesson learned by the characters in the stories they write, and therefore, the readers of those stories receive that message.
I found that half of the books on this bestseller list have a valuable lesson that can be learned from the character(s); most of which deal with some sort of feeling or emotion.  Social emotional health and awareness has gained focus and become a priority in our contemporary society, especially for school children.

In Grumpy Monkey, Jim Panzee learns that it is okay to feel grumpy, at least for a little bit.  The message for readers is that you are allowed, (and it's even healthy) to feel your feelings, good or bad.

Waiting is Not Easy! shows us the value of patience, and truth in the old adage "good things come to those who wait."

Children can get comfort from reading Good Night, Little Blue Truck, where the lesson is that even though you may feel scared (during a storm), it is easy to be brave when you are with others - like your friends.

The Cool Bean, like other books in the series by Jory John, conveys an important social message for kids that friendships sometimes change, and you may want to fit in with the crowd, but it's cool to be kind and help others.]]> 2020-11-23 12:14:02 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951986677 Rhyme froomashley https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951987134 Rhyming stories help children develop phonemic awareness, make predictions while they read, and it's just so much fun!

  • How to Catch a Unicorn
  • The Wonderful Things You Will Be
  • Good Night, Little Blue Truck
  • Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure (some rhyme)
]]> 2020-11-23 12:14:15 UTC https://padlet.com/froomashley/vsw47yvl1uay9zrh/wish/951987134