Picture Books for Winter Nights

I just finished reading a handful of picture books; they’re such a comfortable way to spend a winter evening! Chuckling, tucking your brain aside, reading and looking at pictures – what more could I possibly want?

All Mine was my absolute favourite. Written by Zehra Hicks, it is a picture book that does have a moral, but I was surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway! I loved the simplicity of its illustrations and the fact that the word count was kept to the bare minimum.

Title	All Mine
Author	Zehra Hicks
Genre	Picture book
Rating (out of 5)	5
Age-group	2+

I usually like picture books that rhyme, but Kangaroo’s Cancan Cafe was a bit forced for me. That’s not to say that I did not like it – I did. It was just a little overdone. Too much colour and texture, too many characters. But a lovely idea and a very sweet story, nonetheless!

Title	Kangaroo’s Cancan Cafe
Author	Julia Jarman, Lynne Chapman
Genre	Picture book
Rating (out of 5)	3
Age-group	4+

Second-best tonight was Good Little Wolf. It begins as a simple story, with all kinds of references to big, bad wolves, and you think you know exactly where the story is going … But there’s something in store for you at the very end!

Title	Good Little Wolf
Author	Nadia Shireen
Genre	Picture book
Rating (out of 5)	5
Age-group	3+

How can you go wrong with Quentin Blake? Angel Pavement was a fun book, full of his quirky illustrations, but not as minimalistic as I would have liked. The story was lovely, though, and the pictures … They made everything okay!

Title	Angel Pavement
Author	Quentin Blake
Genre	Picture book
Rating (out of 5)	4
Age-group	5+

Igor: The Bird who Couldn’t Sing was a charming book, beautifully imagined. I loved the way the whole story was pictured, unconventional but intuitive. It was a joy to read!

Title	Igor: The Bird who Couldn’t Sing
Author	Satoshi Kitamura
Genre	Picture book
Rating (out of 5)	4.5
Age-group	5+