Here is a list of picture book authors that I think are brilliant.
Julia Donaldson – I just love the Gruffalo, Stick Man, Sharing a Shell and the list goes on. Her characters are so lovable, her rhyming is superb and her endings are happy.
Mo Willems – Who doesn’t love Elephant and Piggie? The Pigeon or little Trixie and her Knuffle Bunny? His characters are so loveable, stories are silly and light and his drawings seem simple but brilliantly capture expressions. My kids love these early reader books, we always have a good laugh. He has inspired us to doodle as a family and I am so thankful for that!
Phoebe Gilman – I first fell in love with Something From Nothing. The pictures tell 2 stories, one that follows the beautifully written words and another story of the little family of mice that benefit from the scraps of the first story. Phoebe does all of her own illustrations which are fantastic. She gives excellent advice on her website for new authors to always read, write and learn from criticism.
Dr. Seuss – In my mind, Dr. Seuss is a master of rhythm. I particularly loved reading these to young babies because of their rhythm and flow. Most of his books are quite long so you have a feeling of accomplishment after finishing.
Sandra Boynton – These books were always part of the bedtime routine when my kids were little. Her words have great rhythm and the illustrations perfectly matched the simple stories that always made us laugh. Over and over again. I’ll never be bored of her board books.
Robert Munsch – If you dissect a Robert Munsch book you will find an algorithm that is fool proof. Some crazy mix up or idea, repeating something several times with bigger and bigger numbers each time and then usually a silly surprise ending. Gotta love em.