Cheryl Rainfield: Teen Fiction Author, Reviewer, and Book-a-Holic

Uplifting Picture Books
That Don't Preach

Great Reads: By Subject, Title, Author, or Illustrator

All book reviews on this site are written and revised by Cheryl Rainfield.

By Title | By Author | By Illustrator | By Category

Good picture books—books that are well-written, have engaging art, and contain encouraging messages—can be nurturing and healing for both children and adults.

Picture books can offer comfort, encouragement, gentle guidance, and positive messages through story—a method that makes messages easier to absorb. Books are powerful. They can help bring good feeling, boost self-esteem, remind the reader of what's important in life and how to cope with problems, all while entertaining and uplifting the reader.

I pick books that, to me, contain the most delight and healing. I hope you'll check them out.

Title

A

A Bad Case of Stripes (written by David Shannon)
A Friend (written by Anette Bley)
A Good Day (written by Kevin Henkes)
Alligator Boy (written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode)
And Tango Makes Three (written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole)
Another Perfect Day (written and illustrated by Ross MacDonald)
Art (written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell)
Augustus and His Smile (written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner)

B

Billy's Bucket (written by Kes Gray, illustrated by Garry Parsons)
Bobbie Dazzler (written by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Janine Dawson)
Born to Read (written by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown)

C

Chester (written and illustrated by Melanie Watt)
Chester's Back! (written and illustrated by Melanie Watt)
Chicken, Pig, Cow (written and illustrated by Ruth Ohi)
Chickens to the Rescue! (written and illustrated by John Himmelman)
Chowder (written by Peter Brown)
Clara and Asha (written by Eric Rohmann)
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (written by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin)
Courage (written by Bernard Waber)
Courage of the Blue Boy (written and illustrated by Robert Neubecker)

D

Dear Fish (written by Chris Gall)
Dex: The Heart of a Hero (written by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner)
Do Not Open This Book (written by Michaela Muntean, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre)
Dog Eared: Starring Otis (written and illustrated by Amanda Harvey)
Duck at the Door (written and illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic)

E

Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct (written and illustrated by Mo Willems)
Ella, Of Course! (written by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Doug Cushman)
Estelle Takes a Bath (written by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma)

F

Five Little Fiends (written by Sarah Dyer)
Flotsam (written by David Wiesner)
Fly, Little Bird (written by Tina Burke)
Flyaway Katie (written by Polly Dunbar)

G

Go to Bed, Monster! (written by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz)
Good Boy, Fergus! (written by David Shannon)
Goodnight, Sweet Pig (written by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Josée Masse)
Green as a Bean (written by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Melissa Iwai)
Guji Guji (written and illustrated by Chih-Yuan Chen)

H

Hip, Hip, Hooray for Annie McRae! (written by Brad Wilcox, illustrated by Julie Hansen Olson)
Hippo! No, Rhino (written by Jeff Newman)
How the Moon Regained Her Shape (written by Janet Ruth Heller, illustrated by Ben Hodson)
How to Heal a Broken Wing (written and illustrated by Bob Graham)

I

I Like Myself! (written by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow)
I'm Special, I'm Me! (written by Ann Meek, illustrated by Sarah Massini)
If You Were a Parrot (written by Katherine Rawson, illustrated by Sherry Rogers)
Imagine a Day (written by Sarah L. Thomson, illustrated by Rob Gonsalves)
Is a Worry Worrying You? (written by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz, illustrated by Marie Le Tourneau)
Ish (written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)

J

Jane and the Dragon (written and illustrated by Martin Baynton)
Jay and the Bounty of Books (written by Randall Ivey, illustrated by Chuck Galey)
Jeffrey and Sloth (written by Kari-Lynn Winters, illustrated by Ben Hodson)
Jitterbug Jam: A Monster Tale (written by Barbara Jean Hicks, illustrated by Alexis Deacon)

K

Katie Loves the Kittens (written and illustrated by John Himmelman)

L

Learning to Fly (written by Sebastian Meschenmoser)
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (written and illustrated by Mo Willems)
Library Lion (written by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes)
Lights Out (written by Arthur Geisert)
Like a Windy Day (written by Frank Asch, illustrated by Devin Asch)
Little Blue Truck (written by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry)
Love is a Handful of Honey (written by Giles Andreae, illustrated by Vanessa Cabban)
Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating (written by A. W. Flaherty, illustrated by Scott Magoon)

M

Mama, If You Had a Wish (written by Jeanne Modesitt, illustrated by Robin Spowart)
Marc Just Couldn't Sleep (written by Gabriela Keselman, illustrated by Noemi Villamuza)
Martha Speaks (written by Susan Meddaugh)
Max (written by Bob Graham)
Max's Words (written by Kate Banks, illustrated by Boris Kulikov)
McDuff Moves In (written by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Susan Jeffers)
Monkey Business (written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards)
Monkey with a Tool Belt (written by Chris Monroe)
Mrs. Biddlebox (written by Linda Smith, illustrated by Marla Frazee)
Mrs. Crump's Cat (written by Linda Smith, illustrated by David Roberts)
My Beautiful Child (written by Lisa Desimini, illustrated by Matt Mahurin)
My Book Box (written by Will Hillenbrand)
My Cat Copies Me (written by Yoon-duck Kwon)
My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World (written by Gilles Bachelet)
My Favorite Sounds from A to Z (written by Peggy Snow, illustrated by Brian Barber)
My First Flip-Flap Book of Numbers (written by , illustrated by Robert Salanitro)
My First... (written by Eva Montanari)

N

No Matter What (written by Debi Gliori)
No! That's Wrong! (written by Zhaohua Ji, illustrated by Cui Xu)
Not a Box (written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis)
Not So Tall for Six (written by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Frank W. Dormer)

O

Octavia And Her Purple Ink Cloud (written by Donna Rathmell and Doreen Rathmell, illustrated by Connie McLennan)
Oliver Has Something to Say! (written by Pamela Edwards, illustrated by Louis Pilon)
Once Upon an Ordinary School Day (written by Colin McNaughton, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura)
Oscar and the Mooncats (written by Lynda Gene Rymond, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli)

P

Peanut (written by Linas Alsenas)
Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley (written by Aaron Blabey)
Penguin (written by Polly Dunbar)
Princess Smartypants (written and illustrated by Babette Cole)
Pssst! (written by Adam Rex)

R

Rainstorm (written by Barbara Lehman)
Red Sled (written by Patricia Thomas, illustrated by Chris L Demarest)
Ryan's Mom is Tall (written by Heather Jopling, illustrated by Allyson Demoe)

S

Scaredy Squirrel at Night (written and illustrated by Melanie Watt)
Sebastian's Roller Skates (written by Jean de Deu Prats, illustrated by Francesc Rovira)
Silly Billy (written by Anthony Browne)
Sink or Swim (written by Valerie Coulman, illustrated by Roge Girard)
Skinny Brown Dog (written by Kimberly Willis Holt, illustrated by Donald Saaf)
Slugs in Love (written by Susan Pearson, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley)
Some Dog! (written by Mary Casanova, illustrated by Ard Hoyt)
Some Helpful Tips for a Better World and a Happier Life (written and illustrated by Rebecca Doughty)
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch (written by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Paul Yalowitz)
Sometimes Bad Things Happen (written by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Shelley Rotner)
Space Boy (written by Leo Landry)
Splat the Cat (written and illustrated by Rob Scotton)
Spuds (written by Karen Hesse, illustrated by Wendy Watson)
Superhero (written and illustrated by Marc Tauss)
SuperHero ABC (written and illustrated by Bob McLeod)

T

The Bears We Know (written by Brenda Silsbe, illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen)
The Best Book to Read (written by Debbie Bertram and Susan Bloom, illustrated by Michael Garland)
The Blue Day Book for Kids: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up (written by Bradley Trevor Greive)
The Boy from the Sun (written by Duncan Weller)
The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians (written by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed)
The Child Cruncher (written by Mathilde Stein, illustrated by Mies van Hout)
The Day Leo Said I Hate You! (written by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Molly Bang)
The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum (written by Kate Bernheimer, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli)
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy (written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers)
The Kiss That Missed (written by David Melling)
The Lamb Who Came for Dinner (written by Steve Smallman, illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy)
The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear (written by David Bruins, illustrated by Hilary Leung)
The Louds Move In! (written by Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by Regan Dunnick)
The Mole Sisters and the Moonlit Night (written and illustrated by Roslyn Schwartz)
The Pink Refrigerator (written by Tim Egan)
The Red Book (written by Barbara Lehman)
The Red Tree (written by Shaun Tan)
The Searcher and Old Tree (written and illustrated by David McPhail)
The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing (written by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger)
The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley (written by Colin Thompson, illustrated by Amy Lissiat)
The Zoo (written by Suzy Lee)
There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me (written by Alice Walker, illustrated by Stefano Vitale)
There's NO Such Thing as a Dragon (written by Jack Kent)
Tudley Didn't Know (written and illustrated by John Himmelman)

U

Un-Brella (written by Scott E. Franson)

W

Walk On!: A Guide for Babies of All Ages (written by Marla Frazee)
What Elephant? (written by Geneviève Côté)
When Giants Come to Play (written by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes)
When I Feel Sad (The Way I Feel Books) (written by Cornelia Maude Spelman, illustrated by Kathy Parkinson)
Willow (written by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan, illustrated by Cyd Moore)

Y

You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum (written by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser)
You're Mean, Lily Jean (written by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton)

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Author

A

A. W. Flaherty (Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating)
Aaron Blabey (Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley)
Adam Rex (Pssst!)
Alice Schertle (Little Blue Truck)
Alice Walker (There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me)
Amanda Harvey (Dog Eared: Starring Otis)
Andrea Beaty (When Giants Come to Play)
Anette Bley (A Friend)
Ann Meek (I'm Special, I'm Me!)
Anthony Browne (Silly Billy)
Antoinette Portis (Not a Box)
Arthur Geisert (Lights Out)

B

Babette Cole (Princess Smartypants)
Barbara Jean Hicks (Jitterbug Jam: A Monster Tale)
Barbara Lehman (Rainstorm), (The Red Book)
Bernard Waber (Courage)
Bob Graham (How to Heal a Broken Wing), (Max)
Bob McLeod (SuperHero ABC)
Brad Wilcox (Hip, Hip, Hooray for Annie McRae!)
Bradley Trevor Greive (The Blue Day Book for Kids: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up)
Brenda Silsbe (The Bears We Know)

C

Caralyn Buehner (Dex: The Heart of a Hero)
Carla Morris (The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians)
Carolyn Crimi (The Louds Move In!)
Catherine Rayner (Augustus and His Smile)
Chih-Yuan Chen (Guji Guji)
Chris Gall (Dear Fish)
Chris Monroe (Monkey with a Tool Belt)
Colin McNaughton (Once Upon an Ordinary School Day)
Colin Thompson (The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley)
Cornelia Maude Spelman (When I Feel Sad (The Way I Feel Books))
Cynthia Rylant (Alligator Boy)

D

David Bruins (The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear)
David McPhail (The Searcher and Old Tree)
David Melling (The Kiss That Missed)
David Shannon (A Bad Case of Stripes), (Good Boy, Fergus!)
David Wiesner (Flotsam)
Debbie Bertram and Susan Bloom (The Best Book to Read)
Debi Gliori (No Matter What)
Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan (Willow)
Dianna Hutts Aston (Not So Tall for Six)
Donna Rathmell and Doreen Rathmell (Octavia And Her Purple Ink Cloud)
Doreen Cronin (Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type)
Duncan Weller (The Boy from the Sun)

E

Eileen Spinelli (Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch)
Ellen Jackson (Sometimes Bad Things Happen)
Eric Rohmann (Clara and Asha)
Eva Montanari (My First...)

F

Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz (Is a Worry Worrying You?)
Frank Asch (Like a Windy Day)
Frieda Wishinsky (You're Mean, Lily Jean)

G

Gabriela Keselman (Marc Just Couldn't Sleep)
Geneviève Côté (What Elephant?)
Giles Andreae (Love is a Handful of Honey)
Gilles Bachelet (My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World)

H

Heather Jopling (Ryan's Mom is Tall)
Helen Lester (The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing)

J

Jack Kent (There's NO Such Thing as a Dragon)
Jackie Urbanovic (Duck at the Door)
Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman (You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum)
Janet Ruth Heller (How the Moon Regained Her Shape)
Jean de Deu Prats (Sebastian's Roller Skates)
Jeanne Modesitt (Mama, If You Had a Wish)
Jeff Newman (Hippo! No, Rhino)
Jill Esbaum (Estelle Takes a Bath)
John Himmelman (Chickens to the Rescue!), (Katie Loves the Kittens), (Tudley Didn't Know)
Judy Sierra (Born to Read)
Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (And Tango Makes Three)

K

Karen Beaumont (I Like Myself!)
Karen Hesse (Spuds)
Kari-Lynn Winters (Jeffrey and Sloth)
Karla Kuskin (Green as a Bean)
Kate Banks (Max's Words)
Kate Bernheimer (The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum)
Katherine Rawson (If You Were a Parrot)
Kes Gray (Billy's Bucket)
Kevin Henkes (A Good Day)
Kimberly Willis Holt (Skinny Brown Dog)

L

Leo Landry (Space Boy)
Linas Alsenas (Peanut)
Linda Bailey (Goodnight, Sweet Pig)
Linda Smith (Mrs. Biddlebox), (Mrs. Crump's Cat)
Lisa Desimini (My Beautiful Child)
Lynda Gene Rymond (Oscar and the Mooncats)

M

Marc Tauss (Superhero)
Margaret Wild (Bobbie Dazzler)
Marla Frazee (Walk On!: A Guide for Babies of All Ages)
Martin Baynton (Jane and the Dragon)
Mary Casanova (Some Dog!)
Mathilde Stein (The Child Cruncher)
Melanie Watt (Chester), (Chester's Back!), (Scaredy Squirrel at Night)
Michaela Muntean (Do Not Open This Book)
Michelle Knudsen (Library Lion)
Mo Willems (Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct), (Leonardo, the Terrible Monster)

N

Natasha Wing (Go to Bed, Monster!)

O

Oliver Jeffers (The Incredible Book-Eating Boy)

P

Pamela Edwards (Oliver Has Something to Say!)
Patricia Thomas (Red Sled)
Patrick McDonnell (Art)
Peggy Snow (My Favorite Sounds from A to Z)
Peter Brown (Chowder)
Peter H. Reynolds (Ish)
Polly Dunbar (Flyaway Katie), (Penguin)

R

Randall Ivey (Jay and the Bounty of Books)
Rebecca Doughty (Some Helpful Tips for a Better World and a Happier Life)
Rob Scotton (Splat the Cat)
Robert Neubecker (Courage of the Blue Boy)
Robie H. Harris (The Day Leo Said I Hate You!)
Rosemary Wells (McDuff Moves In)
Roslyn Schwartz (The Mole Sisters and the Moonlit Night)
Ross MacDonald (Another Perfect Day)
Ruth Ohi (Chicken, Pig, Cow)

S

Sarah Dyer (Five Little Fiends)
Sarah L. Thomson (Imagine a Day)
Sarah Weeks (Ella, Of Course!)
Scott E. Franson (Un-Brella)
Sebastian Meschenmoser (Learning to Fly)
Shaun Tan (The Red Tree)
Steve Smallman (The Lamb Who Came for Dinner)
Susan Meddaugh (Martha Speaks)
Susan Pearson (Slugs in Love)
Suzy Lee (The Zoo)

T

Tim Egan (The Pink Refrigerator)
Tina Burke (Fly, Little Bird)

V

Valerie Coulman (Sink or Swim)

W

Wallace Edwards (Monkey Business)
Will Hillenbrand (My Book Box)

Y

Yoon-duck Kwon (My Cat Copies Me)

Z

Zhaohua Ji (No! That's Wrong!)
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Illustrators

A

Alexis Deacon (Jitterbug Jam: A Monster Tale)
Allyson Demoe (Ryan's Mom is Tall)
Amanda Harvey (Dog Eared: Starring Otis)
Amy Lissiat (The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley)
Antoinette Portis (Not a Box)
Ard Hoyt (Some Dog!)

B

Babette Cole (Princess Smartypants)
Ben Hodson (How the Moon Regained Her Shape), (Jeffrey and Sloth)
Betsy Lewin (Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type)
Bob Graham (How to Heal a Broken Wing)
Bob McLeod (SuperHero ABC)
Boris Kulikov (Max's Words)
Brad Sneed (The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians)
Brian Barber (My Favorite Sounds from A to Z)

C

Catherine Rayner (Augustus and His Smile)
Chih-Yuan Chen (Guji Guji)
Chris L Demarest (Red Sled)
Chuck Galey (Jay and the Bounty of Books)
Connie McLennan (Octavia And Her Purple Ink Cloud)
Cui Xu (No! That's Wrong!)
Cyd Moore (Willow)

D

David Catrow (I Like Myself!)
David McPhail (The Searcher and Old Tree)
David Roberts (Mrs. Crump's Cat)
Devin Asch (Like a Windy Day)
Diane Goode (Alligator Boy)
Donald Saaf (Skinny Brown Dog)
Doug Cushman (Ella, Of Course!)

F

Francesc Rovira (Sebastian's Roller Skates)
Frank W. Dormer (Not So Tall for Six)

G

Garry Parsons (Billy's Bucket)

H

Henry Cole (And Tango Makes Three)
Hilary Leung (The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear)

J

Jackie Urbanovic (Duck at the Door)
Janine Dawson (Bobbie Dazzler)
Jill McElmurry (Little Blue Truck)
Joelle Dreidemy (The Lamb Who Came for Dinner)
John Himmelman (Chickens to the Rescue!), (Katie Loves the Kittens), (Tudley Didn't Know)
Josée Masse (Goodnight, Sweet Pig)
Julie Hansen Olson (Hip, Hip, Hooray for Annie McRae!)

K

Kady MacDonald Denton (You're Mean, Lily Jean)
Kathy Parkinson (When I Feel Sad (The Way I Feel Books))
Kevin Hawkes (Library Lion), (When Giants Come to Play)
Kevin O'Malley (Slugs in Love)

L

Louis Pilon (Oliver Has Something to Say!)
Lynn Munsinger (The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing)

M

Marc Brown (Born to Read)
Marc Tauss (Superhero)
Marie Le Tourneau (Is a Worry Worrying You?)
Mark Buehner (Dex: The Heart of a Hero)
Marla Frazee (Mrs. Biddlebox)
Martin Baynton (Jane and the Dragon)
Mary Newell DePalma (Estelle Takes a Bath)
Matt Mahurin (My Beautiful Child)
Melanie Watt (Chester), (Chester's Back!), (Scaredy Squirrel at Night)
Melissa Iwai (Green as a Bean)
Michael Garland (The Best Book to Read)
Mies van Hout (The Child Cruncher)
Mo Willems (Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct), (Leonardo, the Terrible Monster)
Molly Bang (The Day Leo Said I Hate You!)

N

Nicoletta Ceccoli (Oscar and the Mooncats), (The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum)
Noemi Villamuza (Marc Just Couldn't Sleep)

O

Oliver Jeffers (The Incredible Book-Eating Boy)

P

Pascal Lemaitre (Do Not Open This Book)
Patrick McDonnell (Art)
Paul Yalowitz (Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch)
Peter H. Reynolds (Ish)

R

Rebecca Doughty (Some Helpful Tips for a Better World and a Happier Life)
Regan Dunnick (The Louds Move In!)
Rob Gonsalves (Imagine a Day)
Rob Scotton (Splat the Cat)
Robert Neubecker (Courage of the Blue Boy)
Robert Salanitro (My First Flip-Flap Book of Numbers)
Robin Preiss Glasser (You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum)
Robin Spowart (Mama, If You Had a Wish)
Roge Girard (Sink or Swim)
Roslyn Schwartz (The Mole Sisters and the Moonlit Night)
Ross MacDonald (Another Perfect Day)
Ruth Ohi (Chicken, Pig, Cow)

S

Sarah Massini (I'm Special, I'm Me!)
Satoshi Kitamura (Once Upon an Ordinary School Day)
Scott Magoon (Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating)
Shelley Rotner (Sometimes Bad Things Happen)
Sherry Rogers (If You Were a Parrot)
Stefano Vitale (There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me)
Susan Jeffers (McDuff Moves In)
Sylvie Kantorovitz (Go to Bed, Monster!)

V

Vanessa Cabban (Love is a Handful of Honey)
Vlasta van Kampen (The Bears We Know)

W

Wallace Edwards (Monkey Business)
Wendy Watson (Spuds)

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Uplifting Picture BooksThat Don't Preach

Great Reads: By Subject, Title, Author, or Illustrator

Title

Author

Illustrators

Category

Uplifting Picture Books
That Don't Preach