Peter Brown's simple fable about beautifying a city will please eco-enthusiasts and gardeners, but anyone can appreciate the growth of Liam's urban-exploring new acquaintance.

This book is lovely and poignant, the story of a little boy who finds a hurt pigeon in a busy city and takes it home to heal. AMAZING art!

Elise Kleven's art isn't just beautiful, it's joyful, and Tony Johnston's seemingly simple rhymed text is actually brilliantly crafted. Such a happy book!

Trina Schart Hyman is best known for her illustrations of Grimms' fairy tales, but I like her artwork for Lloyd Alexander's story. Hyman set it in Cameroon in honor of her son-in-law and grandchildren. Look for her Red Riding Hood, Bearskin, and many others.

Shaun Tan's picture books are for ages 8-adult. This wordless book is about the universal immigrant experience and is probably the most beautiful, moving book I've ever owned. (I've owned thousands of books.)

Still the standard by which all picture books are judged! Perfectly rendered, both words and artwork. I also like Sendak's classic, A Hole Is to Dig (with author Ruth Krauss)--the way he captures small children's facial expressions and body language!

The Woods are wildly talented, but King Bidgood is still my favorite--each of Don Wood's spreads invites careful examination and enjoyment. See also Heckedy Peg, The Napping House, and Quick as a Cricket.

Van Allsburg has created a number of beautiful books, but none quite so intriguing as this one. Teachers throughout the country use the art and captions as story starters (hence the portfolio--but look for the book edition if you prefer).

This award-winning book illustrated by Hudson Talbot is an epic in a small package, a beautiful, poetic quilt of symbolism and family love spanning the generations of both a single African American family and black history in America.

Take a look at P.J. Lynch's rendition of a less well-known, Scandinavian version of Beauty and the Beast--especially his illustrations of the winds. I also recommend Mercer Mayer's out-of-print version of this story.

Rosemary Wells deserves a prize for her palette alone in this book (and its sequel). Also the design! Knocked all my other Mother Goose collections right off the shelf--permanently.

Lane Smith, working with Jon Scieska, brought a fresh breeze of creativity to children's book illustration with this book.

This is one of those deceptively simple books they call "a small gem." See also Bean's art for The Apple Pie That Papa Baked (author Lauren Thompson)--it's partly an homage to Wanda Gag and Virginia Lee Burton.

A tender tale about a lonely man, this book works best for older children. Peter Catalanotto's art captures the title character's sadness as well as his slowly growing hope.

Stephen Kellogg's art is usually thought of as comical, and most of it is, but his award-winning illustrations for a boy's imagined trip to the moon are powerful.

Okay, I lied. David Christiana is as good at painting stones as Dennis Nolan! Another wonderful story from Yolen, this time about a kind woman in long-ago Paris who becomes the target of a bet between the stone angels and gargoyles on the cathedral. Also look for David Christiana's odd tale, White Nineteens.

Find a cheaper version or go to the library! But this is my favorite Snow White--Angela Barrett's illustrations are haunting. And Josephine Poole is a very talented writer/reteller.

A gorgeous, adventurous folktale about two brothers. I don't know which I like better, the storytelling or Susan Gabor's art. Wonderful colors, brushstrokes and textures.

And while we're at it, Jane Ray's folk art style gives us another memorable take on the creation story.

Illustrator Mary Grandpre is best known for the Harry Potter covers, but I really like this magical tale about practical people butting heads with a dreamer in a prairie town.