Text sets of children’s picture story books
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 mainly on picture story texts as they are one of my real interests .... don’t think they are just for young children though .... they can be read, enjoyed and interrogated by 4 year olds right through to 84 year olds .... they are all multi-faceted, multi-layered, polysemic texts.
The lists do not claim to be exhaustive, they are merely offered as suggestions for anyone interested to use. Sadly some of the books in the text sets may now be out of print .... if so why not try searching for them in out of print sources as they are all great.
If you know any excellent picture story books which I could place in some of the following text sets please email me the title, author and illustrator and I will add them to my list.
Text set on 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.
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
Beware of the Storybook Wolves - Lauren Child
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
Text set on Dying and Old Age
The Sad Book - Michael Rosen
Badger’s Parting Gifts - Susan Varley
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
Night Noises - Mem Fox
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox
The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins - Lester Laminack
Faithful Elephants - Yukio Tsuchiya
Remembering: The Story of a Soldier - Virginia Mayo
Jenny Angel - Margaret Wild
Old Pig - Margaret Wild
The Very Best of Friends - Margaret Wild
Up in Heaven - Emma Chichester Clark
Goodbye Mog - Judith Kerr
Goodbye Pappa - Una Leavy & Jennifer Eachus
Text set on Ethnic Diversity, Individuality and Anti-Racism
Refugees - David Miller
Grandfather’s Journey - Allen Say
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
Text set on War and Conflict
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
Manneken Pis: A simple story of a boy who peed on a war - Vladimir Radunsky
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
The Rabbits - John Marsden & Shaun Tan
Text set on Bullying
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
Bully - David Hughes
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
Text set on Family Relationships, Friendship and Sharing
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
The Tunnel - 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
Grandfather’s Journey - 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
Willie and Hugh - Anthony Browne
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
Text set on Gender Issues
The Paperbag Princess - Robert Munsch
Pass it, Polly - Sarah Garland
Jump - Jan Ormerod & Michelle Magorian
Amazing Grace - Mary Hoffman & Caroline Binch
Piggybook - Anthony Browne
Princess Smartypants - Babette Cole
Prince Cinders - Babette Cole
The Tough Princess - Martin Waddell illus Patrick Benson
Text set of books written and illustrated by 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
Gorilla big book
Willy The Wimp
The Visitors Who Came To Stay - Annalena McAfee illus Anthony Browne
Knock Knock Who's There? - Sally Grindley illus Anthony Browne
Willy The Champ
Piggybook
Kirsty Knows Best - Annalena McAfee illus Anthony Browne
Things I Like
I Like Books
A Beary Tale
The Little Bear Book
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll illus Anthony Browne
The Tunnel
Changes
The Night Shimmy - Gwen Strauss illus Anthony Browne
Willy And Hugh
Trail Of Stones - Gwen Strauss illus Anthony Browne
Zoo
The Big Baby
King Kong
The Daydreamer - 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