Text Sets of Picturebooks
A “text set” of books is a collection of books which can be grouped together because they have something in common. This commonality could be the author, the subject matter, the genre, the way they deal with “issues” or any other reason that the reader can find for placing them together.
Each of the following text sets concentrate on picturebooks - however, please don’t think they are just for young children; they can be read, enjoyed and talked about by 4 year olds and by 84 year olds ... they are mostly multilayered, multimodal, polysemic texts.
The books in each list are not in any kind of order, nor have full publishing details been provided. The text set lists do not claim to be exhaustive, they are simply for perusal and are offered as suggestions for anyone wanting book titles dealing with particular issues. Sadly, some of the books may now be out of print, if so, you may want to try searching for them in out of print sources as they are all great visual texts.
The text sets include:
Intertextuality
Dying and Old Age
Individuality, Ethnic Diversity, Cultural Identity and Anti-Racism
Migration, Refugees and Forced Journeys
War and Conflict
Bullying
Relationships: Friendship, Sharing and Loneliness
Gender Issues
Philosophical Picturebooks
Art in Picturebooks
Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks
Wordless Picturebooks
Author text set : Anthony Browne
Intertextuality
This text set is “intertextual” in the sense that the books draw on the reader’s existing and previous knowledge of nursery rhymes and traditional fairy stories.
Winston the Book Wolf - Marnie McGee & Ian Beck
Beware of the Storybook Wolves - Lauren Child
Once Upon a Time - John Prater
Once Upon a Picnic - John Prater
“No!” Said Joe - John Prater
Each, Peach, Pear, Plum - Janet & Allan Alhberg
The Jolly Postman - Janet & Allan Alhberg
The Jolly Pocket Postman - Janet & Allan Alhberg
Once Upon a Golden Apple - Jean Little
Little Bo Peep’s Library Book - Cressida Cowell
Mr Wolf’s Pancakes - Jan Fearnley
The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales - Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
The Frog Prince Continued - Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
Where Are You Hiding, Little Lamb? - Hiawyn Oram & Jonathan Langley
Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book - Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Fairytale News - Colin and Jacqui Hawkins
Times and Rhymes - Avelyn Davidson
Goodnight, Goodnight - Brenda Parkes
The Enormous Watermelon - Brenda Parkes
Nursery Rhyme Picnic - Edel Wignell
Dying and Old Age
Lola and the Rent a Cat - Ceseli Josephus Jitta
Duck, Death and the Tulip - Wolf Erlbruch
Old Pig - Margaret Wild
The Very Best of Friends - Margaret Wild
Jenny Angel - Margaret Wild
Death in a Nut - Eric Maddern & Paul Hess
Keeper of Soles - Teresa Bateman & Yayo
Night Noises - Mem Fox
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox & Julie Vivas
The Scar - Charlotte Moundlic & Olivier Tallec
The Sad Book - Michael Rosen
Badger’s Parting Gifts - Susan Varley
Sweets - Sylvia van Ommen
Falling Angels - Colin Thompson
Nobody’s Dog - Jennifer Beck & Lindy Fisher
I’ll Always Love You - Hans Wilhelm
The Tenth Good Thing about Barney - Judith Viorst
Toby - Margaret Wild
Grandpa - John Burningham
Grandma’s Bill - Martin Waddell
Mary and Her Grandmother - Bettina Egger & Sita Jucker
Love You Forever - Robert Munsch
Janet’s Last Book - Allan Ahlberg
I Never Knew Your Name - Sherry Garland
Bonesy and Isabel - Michael J. Rosen
Grandad Bill’s Song - Jane Yolen
The Accident - Carol Carrick
Everett Anderson’s Goodbye - Lucille Clifton
The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins - Lester Laminack
Faithful Elephants - Yukio Tsuchiya
Remembering: The Story of a Soldier - Virginia Mayo
Up in Heaven - Emma Chichester Clark
Heaven - Nicholas Allen
Goodbye Mog - Judith Kerr
My Henry - Judith Kerr
Goodbye Pappa - Una Leavy & Jennifer Eachus
La Visite de Petite Mort - (Little Death’s Visit) Kitty Crowther
The Heart and the Bottle - Oliver Jeffers
Rabbityness - Jo Empson
Individuality, Ethnic Diversity, Cultural identity and Anti-Racism
The Wall: Growing up behind the iron curtain - Peter Sis
Eric - Shaun Tan
Grandfather’s Journey - Allen Say
I am Thomas - Libby Gleeson & Armin Greder
Baseball Saved Us - Ken Mochizuki & Dom Lee
Hue Boy - Rita Phillips Mitchell illus by Caroline Binch
Amazing Grace - Mary Hoffman illus by Caroline Binch
Grace & Family - Mary Hoffman illus by Caroline Binch
Masai and I - Virginia Kroll
Handa’s Surprise - Eileen Browne
Always Adam - Sheldon Oberman & Ted Lewin
Something from Nothing - Phoebe Gilman
Mr. Plunkett’s Pool - Gillian Rubinstein & Terry Denton
But Martin - June Counsel
The Long Blue Blazer - Jeanne Willis & Susan Varley
Dr. Xargle’s Book of Earthlets - Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross
My Best Friend - Pat Hutchins
Just Like Us - Hiawyn Oram
Elmer - David McKee
Tusk Tusk - David McKee
Cleversticks - Bernard Ashley
Nancy No Size - Mary Hoffman & Jennifer Northway
The Day of Ahmed’s Secret - Florence Parry Heide & Judith Heide Gilliland
People - Peter Spier
You Are Special - Max Lucado
Migration, Refugees and Forced Journeys
Home and Away - John Marsden & Matt Ottley
The Silence Seeker - Ben Morley & Carl Pearce
Akim Court (Akim Runs) - Claude Dubois
The Rabbits - John Marsden & Shaun Tan
The Arrival - Shaun Tan
The Lost Thing - Shaun Tan
Sapore Italiano (Italian Taste) - Valerie Losa
Refugees - David Miller
Home of the Brave - Allan Say
Migrando - Mariana Chiesa Mateos
The Colour of Home - Mary Hoffman
Ziba came on a boat - Liz Lofthouse
Gervelie’s journey, a refugee diary - Anthony Robinson and Annemarie Young
Migrant - Maxine Trottier & Isabelle Arsenault
Migrant: The Journey of a Mexican Worker - Jose Manual Mateo & Jose Martinez Pedro
Ships in the Field - Susanne Gervay & Anna Pignataro
We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights In Pictures - Amnesty International
Caja de Carton (Cardboard Box) Taxbi - Arnal & Hassan Amekan
Underground:Finding the Light to Freedom - Shane Evans
The Island - Armin Greder
Lost and Found - Oliver Jeffers
A True Person - Gabiann Marin & Jacqui Grantford
Teacup - Rebecca Young & Matt Otley
Flight - Nadia Wheatley & Armin Greder
Kailash - Quek Sue Yian & Khairul Azmir Shoib
The Journey - Francesca Sanna
King of the Sky - Nicola Davies & Laura Carlin
Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord - Bessora & Barroux
The Mediterranean - Armin Greder
A Year Without Mom - Dasha Tolstikova
War and Conflict
One Red Shoe - Karin Gruss & Tobias Krejtschi
The Enemy - Davide Cali & Serge Bloch
Smoke - Anton Fortes & Joanna Concejo
14-18: Une Minute De Silence A Nos Arriere-Grands-Peres Courageux - Thierry Dedieu
Line of Fire: Diary of an Unknown Soldier - Barroux
Manneken Pis: The Boy who Peed on a War - Vladimir Radunsky
What Does Peace Feel Like? - Vladimir Radunsky
War and Peas - Michael Foreman
War Boy - Michael Foreman
War Game - Michael Foreman
After the War Was Over - Michael Foreman
The Honey Hunters - Francesca Martin
Let the Celebrations begin - Margaret Wild & Julia Vivas
Rose Blanche - Roberto Innocenti & Ian McEwan
Erika’s Story - Ruth Vander Zee & Roberto Innocenti
Angry Arthur - Satoshi Kitamura
Faithful Elephants - Yukio Tsuchiya
Remembering: The Story of a Soldier - Virginia Mayo
Smoky Night - Eve Bunting
Gleam and Glow - Eve Bunting
Feathers and Fools - Mem Fox
Why?- Nikolai Popov
Birdman - Jiri Tibor Novak
The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark - Carmen Agra Deedy
The Tin Pot General and the Old Iron Woman - Raymond Briggs
When the Wind Blows - Raymond Briggs
The War - Anais Vaugelade
The Story of Ferdinand - Munro Leaf
The Conquerors - David McKee
Three Monsters - David McKee
Tusk Tusk - David McKee
The Orphans of Normandy: A true story of World War Two told through drawings by children - Nancy Amis
Home and Away - John Marsden & Matt Ottley
The Rabbits - John Marsden & Shaun Tan
Memorial - Gary Crew & Shaun Tan
The Best Christmas Present in the World - Michael Murpurgo & Michael Foreman
Shhh! - Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross
Maus 1 - Art Spiegelman
Maus 2 - Art Spiegelman
Imagine - John Lennon & Jean Jullien
I was only Nineteen - John Schumann & Craig Smith
And The Band Played Walzing Matilda: The unforgettable song about Gallipoli - Eric Bogle & Bruce Whatley
Black Dog:The Dreams of Paul Nash - Dave McKean
Bullying
Bully - David Hughes
Bully - Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Is it Because - Tony Ross
Piper - Emma Chichester Clark
Willy the Wimp - Anthony Browne
Willy the Champ - Anthony Browne
Tyrone the Horrible - Hans Wilhelm
Tyrone the Dirty Rotten Cheat - Hans Wilhelm
Tyrone and the Swamp Gang - Hans Wilhelm
Trouble with The Tucker Twins - Rose Impey & Maureen Gavani
Chrysanthemum - Kevin Henkes
Three Cheers for Errol - Babette Cole
Hurrah for Ethelyn - Babette Cole
Frog and the Stranger - Max Velthuijs
Snail Started It - Katja Reider
A Pig is Moving In - Claudia Fries
Ringo the Flamingo - Neil Griffiths
You Are Special - Max Lucado
Belinda the Ballerina - Amy Young
I Hate Roland Roberts - Martina Selway
Alison and the Bully Monster - Jac Jones
Relationships: Friendship, Sharing and Loneliness
Don’t Let Go! - Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross
Tadpole’s Promise - Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross
Mole and the Baby Bird - Marjorie Newman illus Patrick Benson
The Visitors Who Came to Stay - Anthony Browne
Gorilla - Anthony Browne
Willie and Hugh - Anthony Browne
The Tunnel - Anthony Browne
Little Beauty - Anthony Browne
One Big Family - Ifeoma Onyefulu
Emeka’s Gift - Ifeoma Onyefulu
Just Like Us - Hiawyn Oram
I’ll Take you to Mrs Cole - Nigel Gray
Allison - Allen Say
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born - Jamie Lee Curtis
Koala Lou - Mem Fox
The Rainbow Fish - Marcus Pfister
My Best Friend - Pat Hutchins
Ned and the Joybaloo - Hiawyn Oram & Satoshi Kitamura
This is Our House - Michael Rosen
Aldo - John Burningham
The Night Shimmy - Gwen Strauss & Anthony Browne
A Cool Kid Like Me - Hans Wilheim
John Browne, Rose and the Midnight Cat - Jenny Wagner
Black Dog - Pamela Allen
Jess was the Brave One - Jean Little
Gender Issues
Piggybook - Anthony Browne
William’s Doll - Charlotte Zolotow
10,000 Dresses - Marcus Ewert.
And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson
The Paperbag Princess - Robert Munsch
Pass it, Polly - Sarah Garland
Jump - Jan Ormerod & Michelle Magorian
Amazing Grace - Mary Hoffman & Caroline Binch
Princess Smartypants - Babette Cole
Prince Cinders - Babette Cole
The Tough Princess - Martin Waddell illus Patrick Benson
Philosophical Picturebooks
The Big Question - Wolf Erlbruch
Fungus the Bogeyman - Raymond Briggs;
La Question de Dieu (The God Question) - Oscar Brenifier
Why - by Nikolai Popov
Die Schopfung (The Creation) - FK Waechter
Stormy Night - Michelle Lemieux (translated by David Shewan)
New ABC - Book - Philip Moritz illus Wolf Erlbruch
Am Anfang - Bart Moeyaert illus Wolf Erlbruch
The Butterfly Workshop - Gioconda Belli illus Wolf Erlbruch
The Little Prince - Joann Sfar
Idiot - Dorte Karrebaek and Oscar K
I Am Thomas - Armin Greder
The Red Tree - Shaun Tan
Le Petit Homme et Dieu (The Little Man and God) - Kitty Crowther
Moi et Rien (Me and Nothing) - Kitty Crowther
Dans Moi (In me) - Kitty Crowther
La Visite de Petite Mort (Little Death’s Visit) - Kitty Crowther
The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley - Colin Thompson & Amy Lissiat
Art in Picturebooks
Why is Blue Dog Blue? - George Rodrigue
Artful Reading - Bob Raczka
The Artist who painted a Blue Horse - Eric Carle
The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau - Jon Agee
The Big Adventure of a little line - Serge Bloch
The Dot - Peter Reynolds
Ish - Peter Reynolds
Picturescape - Elisa Gutierrez
Picasso’s Trousers - Nicholas Allen
Katie’s Picture Show - James Mayhew
Katie meets the Impressionists - James Mayhew
Katie and the Mona Lisa - James Mayhew
Katie and the Bathers - James Mayhew
Katie and the Bathers - James Mayhew
Katie and the British Artists - James Mayhew
I Spy: An Alphabet in Art - Lucy Micklethwait
I Spy: Animals in Art - Lucy Micklethwait
I Spy: Numbers in Art - Lucy Micklethwait
I Spy: Transport in Art - Lucy Micklethwait
The Shape Game - Anthony Browne
Play the Shape Game - Anthony Browne
Bear’s Magic Pencil - Anthony Browne
Willy’s Pictures - Anthony Browne
Willy the Dreamer - Anthony Browne
Camille and the Sunflowers - Laurence Anholt
Degas and the Little Dancer - Laurence Anholt
Picasso and the Girl with the Ponytail - Laurence Anholt
Leonardo and the Flying Boy - Laurence Anholt
The Magical Garden of Claude Monet - Laurence Anholt
Lulu and the Flying Babies - Posy Simmonds
Smudge - Mike Dickinson
Almost Always Daisy - Richard Kidd
Dan’s Angel - Alexander Sturgis and Lauren Child
Dogs’ Night - Meredith Hooper and Allan Curless
Celebrity Cat - Meredith Hooper and Bee Willey
Pablo the Artist - Satoshi Kitamura
Tell me a Picture - Quentin Blake
Picture This! - Molly Bang
Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime! - Anna Nilsen
Look! Zoom in on Art - Gillian Wolfe
Linnea in Monet’s Garden - Christina Bjork & Lena Anderson
Pish, Posh, said Hieronymus Bosch - Nancy Willard illus The Dillons
You Can’t take a balloon into the National Gallery - Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman & Robin Preiss Glasser
You Can’t take a balloon into the Metropolitan Museum - Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman & Robin Preiss Glasser
You Can’t take a balloon into the Museum - of Fine Arts Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman & Robin Preiss Glasser
13 British Artists Children Should Know - Alison Baverstock
Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks
Die Menschenfresserin (The Female Cannibal) - Valerie Dayre & Wolf Erlbruch
Varmints - Helen Ward & Marc Craste
Duck, Death and the Tulip - Wolf Erlbruch
Caja de Carton - Txabi Arnal & Hassan Amekan -
Ratten (Rats) - GottfriedBenn & Erlbruch, Wolf
Le Petit homme et Dieu (The Little Man and God) - Kitty Crowther
Dans Moi (In Me) - Kitty Crowther
La Visite de Petite Mort (Little Death’s Visit) - Kitty Crowther
Krigen (The War) - Gro Dahle & Svein Nyhus
Sinna Mann. (Angry Man) - Gro Dahle & Svein Nyhus
La Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard) - Thierry Dedieu
14-18: Une minute de silence à nos arrière-grands-pères courageux (14-18: A minute of silence for our courageous great grandfathers) - Thierry Dedieu
Smoke - Anton Fortes & Joanna Concejo
I am Thomas - Libby Gleeson & Armin Greder
The Island - Armin Greder
Hansel and Gretel - Susanne Janssen
Snowhite - Ana Juan
One Red Shoe - Karin Gruss & Tobias Krejtschi
Akim Court (Akim Runs) - Claude Dubois
Knokkelmandens cirkus (Death’s Circus) - Oscar K & Dorte Karrebaek
Lejren (Camp) - Oscar K & Dorte Karrebaek
Hamlet - Oscar K & Dorte Karrebaek
Idiot - Oscar K & Dorte Karrebaek
Bornenes bedemand (The Children’s Undertaker) - Oscar K & Dorte Karrebaek
De skaeve smil (The Crooked Smile) - Oscar K & Lilian Brogger
Den sorte bog: om de syv dødssynder (The Black Book: On The Seven Deadly Sins) - Oscar K & Dorte Karrebaek
The Red Tree - Shaun Tan
The House that Crack Built - Clark Taylor & Jan Thompson Dicks
Die Schopfung (The Creation) - F.K. Watcher
Fox - Margaret Wild & Ron Brooks
Jenny Angel - Margaret Wild & Anne Spudvilas
Let the Celebrations Begin - Margaret Wild & Julie Vivas
The Mediterranean - Armin Greder
Wordless Picturebooks
A Day, A Dog - Gabrielle Vincent
Loup Noir - Antoine Guilloppe
Why - by Nikolai Popov
O Fim da Fila (End of the Queue) - Marcelo Pimentel
Where the Forest Meets the Sea - Jeannie Baker
Window - Jeannie Baker
Home - Jeannie Baker
Belonging - Jeannie Baker
Mirror - Jeannie Baker
Millicent - Jeannie Baker
The Story of Rosie Dock - Jeannie Baker
Grandmother - Jeannie Baker
Grandmother - Jeannie Baker
The Snowman - Raymond Briggs
The Angel and the Soldier Boy - Peter Collington
The Midnight Circus - Peter Collington
Clever Cat - Peter Collington
The Tooth Fairy - Peter Collington
On Christmas Eve - Peter Collington
A Small Miracle - Peter Collington
Naughty Nancy - John Goodall
Creepy Castle - John Goodall
The Surprise Picnic - John Goodall
Little Red Riding Hood - John Goodall
Pool - Ji Hyeon Lee
A Ball for Daisy - Chris Raschka
Zoom - Istvan Banyai
Re-Zoom - Istvan Banyai
Journey - Aaron Becker
Quest - Aaron Becker
Clown - Quentin Blake
Flora and the Flamingo - Molly Idle
Flora and the Penguin - Molly Idle
Wave - Suzy Lee
Shadow - Suzy Lee
Mirror - Suzy Lee
The Zoo - Suzy Lee
The Red Book - Barbara Lehman
Museum Trip - Barbara Lehman
Trainstop - Barbara Lehman
The Secret Box - Barbara Lehman
Rainstorm - Barbara Lehman
The Red Thread - Tord Nygren
The Flower Man - Mark Ludy
Noah - Mark Ludy
The Conductor - Laëtitia Devernay
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad - Henry Cole
The Umbrella - Ingrid & Dieter Schubert
No! - David McPhail
Footpath Flowers - Jon Arno Lawson & Sydney Smith
Sunshine - Jan Ormerod
Moonlight - Jan Ormerod
The Chicken Thief - Beatrice Rodriguez
Fox and Hen Together - Beatrice Rodriguez
The Treasure Thief - Beatrice Rodriguez
Rooster's Revenge - Beatrice Rodriguez
The Fishing Trip - Beatrice Rodriguez
The Arrival - Shaun Tan
Bluebird - Bob Staake
Free Fall - David Wiesner
Tuesday - David Wiesner
Sector 7 - David Wiesner
Flotsam - David Wiesner
The Three Pigs - David Wiesner
Mr Wuffles - David Wiesner
Art and Max - David Wiesner
Hurricane - David Wiesner
June 29, 1999 - David Wiesner
Hubert - Ben Gijsemans
Hieronymus: An Adventure in the World of Hieronymus Bosch - The Tjong-Khing
The Whale - Vita Murrow
The Mediterranean - Armin Greder
Lines - Suzy Lee
Professional Crocodile - Giovanna Zoboli & Mariachiara Di Giorgio
Pool - Lee Jihyeon
Bird - Beatriz Martin Vidal
Author Text Set: Anthony Browne
Through The Magic Mirror
A Walk In The Park
Bear Hunt
Look What I've Got
Hansel And Gretel
Bear Goes To Town
Gorilla
Willy The Wimp
The Visitors Who Came To Stay Written - Annalena McAfee illus Anthony Browne
Knock Knock Who's There? Written - Sally Grindley illus Anthony Browne
Willy The Champ
Piggybook
Kirsty Knows Best Written - Annalena McAfee illus Anthony Browne
Things I Like
I Like Books
A Beary Tale
The Little Bear Book
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland Written - Lewis Carroll illus Anthony Browne
The Tunnel
Changes
The Night Shimmy Written - Gwen Strauss illus Anthony Browne
Willy And Hugh
Trail Of Stones Written - Gwen Strauss illus Anthony Browne
Zoo
The Big Baby
King Kong
The Daydreamer Written - Ian McEwan illus Anthony Browne
Willy The Wizard
Willy The Dreamer
Voices In The Park
My Dad
Willy's Pictures
Animal Fair
The Shape Game
Into The Forest
My Mum
Silly Billy
My Brother
Little Beauty
Me and You
How Do You Feel?
One Gorilla, A Counting Book
What If?
Willy's Stories
Anthony Browne: Playing the Shape Game - Anthony Browne with Joe Browne
Frida & Bear - Anthony Browne & Hanne Bartholin
Willy and the Cloud
Hide and Seek