The Swamp

The Eric Carle death posts made me think of this.

My ranking

1. Dr. Seuss (don't overthink it)
2. Richard Scarry (we wore out multiple copies of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go)
3. PD Eastman (No, I do not like your hat)
4. Sandra Boynton
5. Eric Carle


Man, now I want some grandkids.

Ed Emberley.

but my personal #1:

William Steig.


A bunch of classics but Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was a fave of mine as a kid; sad but was the first book i think that got to me on a deeper level. Bought it for my kids and now that they're well past that age I shamelessly have it down here in my studio :)


(btw I love this topic)

Our girls absolutely loved Sandra Boynton, as did the wife and I. Gerald and Piggy will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Add Mo Willems

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 1:35 pm Add Mo Willems

Yes. The name was on the tip of the tongue, just had to go with Gerald and Piggy.

duff wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 1:36 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 1:35 pm Add Mo Willems

Yes. The name was on the tip of the tongue, just had to go with Gerald and Piggy.

That's what jogged my memory.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 1:25 pm
but my personal #1:

William Steig.


A bunch of classics but Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was a fave of mine as a kid; sad but was the first book i think that got to me on a deeper level. Bought it for my kids and now that they're well past that age I shamelessly have it down here in my studio :)


(btw I love this topic)

"Pete's A Pizza" by Steig was a perennial around here.

Chris Van Allsburg wrote some gorgeous books. Dr. Seuss of course, Eric Carle, Maurice Sendak. The Little Bear Books were great ones too.

Julia Donaldson is/was a favorite of my kids. I never said no to reading the The Gruffalo or Room on the Broom because I really enjoyed her cadence and rhyme structure. Similar to Giles Andreae with Giraffes Can't Dance and the like, but Donaldson I felt was slightly better.

Shirley wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 1:10 pm
2. Richard Scarry (we wore out multiple copies of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go)
3. PD Eastman (No, I do not like your hat)

Cars and Trucks was my absolute favorite book, and my kids had almost no interest in it at all.

"I do not like your hat" is a joke that still gets some run in my house. Go Dog Go is such a Seuss-like book, I forgot it wasn't Seuss.

HA! We still roll that line out from time to time as well

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 3:04 pm "I do not like your hat" is a joke that still gets some run in my house. Go Dog Go is such a Seuss-like book, I forgot it wasn't Seuss.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 7:25 pm HA! We still roll that line out from time to time as well

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 3:04 pm "I do not like your hat" is a joke that still gets some run in my house. Go Dog Go is such a Seuss-like book, I forgot it wasn't Seuss.

Yup, here too. Made a joke with that line just a few days ago to my teenage boys. Loved that book.

Probably goes in the "Worth a Mention" thread, but I'll put it here:

Robert Quackenbush, creator of Henry the Duck, Miss Mallard and Sherlock Chick, passes at the age of 91.

Sheil Silverstein is one that comes to mind.

This was my favourite book as a kid. Either a reflection of my personality, or part of what shaped it.



Still read it every once in a while.

Our local library has a Caldecott section (annual award for children's picture book) I always slip one in among the 90 books it seems the kids want to sign out. This was a favourite:

Richard Scarry is a dark man. Look at the busy people doing their jobs and realize how dark he is. Pig butcher selling sausage is just one example.

Also Red Carpet, Never Tease a Weasel, Nobody knows I have delicate Toes, pumpernickel pickle and the mean green cheese Are all too shelf.

Also the Daniel Pinkwater series of Bad Bears, Larry and such are phenomenal.

I saw an ant on the railroad track is also amazing. Beautiful illustration with a good rhyme.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:36 pm Our local library has a Caldecott section (annual award for children's picture book) I always slip one in among the 90 books it seems the kids want to sign out. This was a favourite:

Real twist ending!

Brad Meltzer is an ok author, great public speaker, and a prolific tweeter and retweeter:

New Yorker artist, creator of the Olivia children's books, and 2001 Caldecott medal winner Ian Falconer, 63.

The Olivia books are just wonderful.

That's really sad.

i'm not sure if there's a Swamp thread where i've ever felt more wistful just scrolling through than this one.