A Curated Book List

Table of Contents

• Why This List Exists
  • 7 Favorite Picture Books from Our Home Library
    • A note about our home library
• How This List Fits Within Our Learning Approach
• Patterns & Themes That Connect These Books
• How We Use These Books for Learning
• A Curated List of Our Favorite Picture Books
  • The Mountain That Loved a Bird
  • The Big Orange Splot
  • Snail Crossing
  • The Quiltmakers Gift
  • The Scarecrow
  • Yoko
  • Mossy
• Closing Reflection
  • If you liked this post:

---

Why This List Exists

As a homeschooling mom with an ever-growing home library of children’s literature, it isn’t easy to narrow down a short list of my favorite picture books.

My hope is that this list helps you understand a little more about our family, and what we value in home learning.

This is not an exhaustive list of the “best” picture books. Instead, it reflects what resonates with us—stories we return to, linger over, and grow with.

7 Favorite Picture Books from Our Home Library

A note about our home library

There was a time when we were just starting our home library collection. During the COVID-19 pandemic when we were stuck at home, I gave myself a monthly book budget to add a number of books to our collection each month and bring the joy of reading into our home.

Now that we have over 1,000 books in our collection, whenever possible, we preview new books from the library before adding them to our home collection. I also regularly welcome used books to the collection, and we happily accept books as gifts too!

---

How This List Fits Within Our Learning Approach

Over time, I’ve noticed that the books we love most tend to connect in surprising ways.

Initially these books were found and added to our collection for various reasons over time. An author I loved, a main character I was seeking, a season for the setting, or a color.

These stories may seem unrelated at first, but when we look again, we begin to notice patterns– relationships among characters that are sometimes unexpected or take time to grow, along with a shared love for the natural world.

This creates an opportunity to explore patterns more deeply as we return to these books again and again.

You can learn more here about the parMINDary learning pillar: Reading & Patterns

---

Patterns & Themes That Connect These Books

• Emotional and relational growth
• Exploring new ideas
• Change over time
• Rich imagery and vibrant illustrations

---

How We Use These Books for Learning

These favorite picture books are woven naturally into our days. Most often, they are read aloud at bedtime or revisited when they connect to something else we are learning or wondering about. Over time, I’ve learned to trust my instincts when pulling a book from our home library—these stories tend to be the right fit when we need them most.

Our conversations after reading are usually simple and child-led, beginning with favorite moments or illustrations. At times, I intentionally extend the discussion by drawing attention to characters, setting, or a challenge within the story. These gentle prompts help us practice reflection without turning reading into an assignment.

I also make space to write down our thoughts about certain books as part of our homeschool record. This practice helps me trace patterns in our learning and reinforces the role that reading plays in shaping understanding, curiosity, and values.

Coming soon —> Get your [Favorite Picture Book Story Analysis Sheets] here

---

A Curated List of Our Favorite Picture Books

• Why this book matters to us: I was drawn to this book because the pictures are by Eric Carle, one of my favorite illustrators of children’s books. When I read it the first time, I felt the emotions of the Mountain so strongly that I cried. It isn’t a short story, and yet is worth the time to read over and over.
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • friendship
  • ecosystems
  • change over time
• Link to the book: (Amazon)

• Why this book matters to us: I found this book when orange was my son’s favorite color. We love the bright hand drawn illustrations, and that the character lived on a street where all the houses were the same, like us!
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • self-reflection
  • individuality
  • care for others
• Link to the book (Amazon)

• Why this book matters to us: This is another book I found when I was looking for a snail specifically as the main character, due to my son’s interest at the time. We can’t help but love how enthusiastic and entertaining the snail is throughout the story.
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • a journey
  • facing fears
  • friendship
  • working together
• Link to the book: (Amazon)

• Why this book matters to us: My mom is a quiltmaker, who often gifts quilts to us, so this book was an obvious choice to buy. This is another longer story book, and it is full of wonder and magic, along with unmatched beauty of the quilts and the world.
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • care for others
  • change over time
  • exploring the world
• Link to the book: (Amazon)

• Why this book matters to us: I found this book when I was expanding our collection of seasonal books. This one was targeted for autumn reading, but beautifully explores an unexpected relationship through the seasons of the year.
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • friendship
  • care for others
  • change through seasons
• Link to the book: (Amazon)

• Why this book matters to us: Yoko came to us from a reading list at the library, I initially just borrowed it, and later added it to our collection. We connected with the cute animal characters, the food they ate from around the world, and the friendship that was discovered.
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • friendship
  • culture around the world
  • accepting others who are different
• Link to the book: (Amazon)

• Why this book matters to us: In our house, we love reading Jan Brett picture books. I’ve borrowed every one the library has, and we own a few of our favorites. Mossy is a look at nature through a different lens, and about the balance of appreciating the world around us without harming the environment.
• Patterns / themes it invites:
  • friendship,
  • beauty of nature
  • care for the environment
  • change over time
• Link to the book: (Amazon)

---

Closing Reflection

This list of our favorite picture books has brought us many shared moments in different worlds and among a range of character types. We’ve discussed themes, and built parts of our value system from these moments across time.

As a living list of books, it has grown over the years, and will continue to expand as we find new favorites. I hope that you too, will find joy and meaning in these stories!

Or, reflect on your own collection of books. Tell me in the comments below, do you have favorite picture books that you return to? I’d love to hear from you!

Links to buy the books are provided for your convenience, but I invite you to check your local library too. We visit our local public library every week, and add a few picks to our own home library collection every month too.

---