10 MOST BEAUTIFUL NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS

“Rosa’s Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie,” by Maryann Macdonald, tells Bonheur’s life story and presents high-definition, full-page reproductions of her artwork. It also offers supporting historical information about the era in which Bonheur lived.

Harry N. Abrams

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3. A WALK THROUGH THE WOODS

“A Walk Through the Woods,” written by award-winning poet Louise Greig and illustrated by Helen Musselwhite, is a stunning gift book, with hand-cut paper art and lyrical text. Together, they lead the reader deep into the forest, where they meet up with deer, black rook, fox, rabbit, and many more beautiful creatures  . . . and out again into the light.

Sterling Children's Books

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4. EYE SPY: WILD WAYS ANIMALS SEE THE WORLD

“EYE SPY: Wild Ways Animals See the World,” by Guillaume Duprat, takes a look at the world through the eyes of animals. The book offers an innovative and exciting approach to depicting how animals see the world. What is your cat watching out the window? How does a horse see, given that it has eyes on the sides of its head? What colors can different animals see?

Eye Spy shows children how eyes work. One of the best things about this book is that kids can  lift the flaps on each page to find out how animals as different as dogs, owls, and chameleons see the same scene.

What on Earth Publishing

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5. ZEN HAPPINESS

“Zen Happiness,” written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth, is a beautiful, small-format gift book, containing twelve inspiring and affirmational sayings that take on deeper meaning with a beautiful panda bear named Stillwater.

Scholastic Press

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6. AN ELSA BESKOW GIFT COLLECTION: CHILDREN OF THE FOREST AND OTHER BEAUTIFUL BOOKS

“An Elsa Beskow Gift Collection: Children of the Forest and other beautiful books” is a gorgeous package of some of Elsa Beskow best-loved books. Beskow, known as “Sweden's Beatrix Potter,” gives us a cast of enchanting characters, from mushroom children to flower fairies.

This stunning gift box includes mini editions of Elsa Beskow's classic books: “Children of the Forest,” “The Flowers' Festival,” “Pelle's New Suit,” and “Woody, Hazel and Little Pip,” as well as a never-before available mini edition of “Princess Sylvie.”

Beskow's stories of little folk and magical kingdoms have captured the imagination of children for generations.

Another beautiful box set including Peter in Blueberry Land, Around the Year, Ollie's Ski Trip and The Sun Egg, as well as the never-before available mini edition of Emily and Daisy, is also available.

Publisher: FLO.

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7. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FABLES OF AESOP, PHAEDRUS, AND LA FONTAINE

“The Most Beautiful Fables of Aesop, Phaedrus and La Fontaine,” beautifully illustrated by Marisa Vestita, presents 36 favorite fables from three beloved writers. The familiar stories are all retold in simple, child-friendly language, including:

The Lion who learns that even the king of the jungle must sometimes depend on the tiniest creature. The Country Mouse who comes to the city . . . only to discover that there’s really no place like home. And more...

These little kid-sized snacks of wisdom give insights into the secrets of human nature.

Stories include “The Hare and the Tortoise,” “The Crow and the Pitcher,” “The Frogs Who Desired a King,” “The Hen with the Golden Eggs,” among others.

White Star Kids

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8. BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, STRONG LITTLE ME!

“Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me!,” written by Hannah Carmona Dias and illustrated by Dolly Georgieva-Gode, is an important book for our time, with the rise of racism and intolerance witnessed in our world.

With dark skin, curly hair, freckles, and full lips, Lilly knows that she does not look like her friends, and others have noticed. Through playful, lyrical lines, Lilly speaks up for every girl who has been asked What are you? in this celebration of self-love and acceptance.

Dias writes about topics that she herself has struggled with. She is mother to two girls. She is founder of Collective Art School of Tennessee, where she teaches Theatre to children of all ages.

Eifrig Publishing

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9. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE IN THE WORLD

“The Most Beautiful Village in the World,” written and illustrated by Yutaka Kobayashi, tells the story of a young boy named Yamo who lives in the Afghan village of Paghman. The peaceful village is surrounded by the bounty of nature. Fruit trees burst into bloom in the spring, and in the summer, Yamo's whole family joins in harvesting apricots, plums, and cherries—breaking into song as they pick.

This year, for the first time, Yamo goes to the market in town to sell their harvest with his father. He is filling in for his older brother, who is off fighting in the war. After they have sold their fruit, his father uses the income to buy a white baby lamb.

Readers will feel experience the deep love of the family, enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, and vivid activities at the town market. Then on the final page, readers learn: "This winter, my village was destroyed by the war, and now it's all gone." This book, the first of three in the Yamo's Village series, leads the young reader to think in real terms about the meaning of war and its impact. And they understand that there used to be many beautiful villages in Afghanistan.

Kobayashi is a Nihonga (Japanese-style paintings) artist and picture book author. He was a frequent visitor to the Islamic countries of Asia and the Middle East from the 1970s to the early 1980s, and the main themes of his works reflect those visits.

Museyon

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10. LOOK

“Look,” written and illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, is a story about a brother and sister who go to the zoo, see kangaroos and baboons, and bring home balloons! Sounds pretty basic. Except the charm comes through the narrative told using only words that contain a double “o,” an important concept for early literacy.Woodcock’s bright illustrations and interactive text are delightful.

Woodcock’s artwork is created from hand-made paper, embellished with drawings using children’s BLO pens, hand-cut stencils, and printing techniques. A pair of celebratory New Year’s 2003 glasses served as the original inspiration for Look, since the double numbers transformed into double letters in her doodles.

“Clever and eye-catching...With its satisfying narrative arc and imaginative wordplay, this picture book is pretty cool.” -- The Horn Book

Greenwillow Books

Read more about Children in These Trips Make Kids More Beautiful, Raising a More Beautiful World, Because… Children, 10 Best Countries for Kids 2018, Beauty & Hope Grows From Dire Dust and Most Beautiful Food for Kids.

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1. Image: by Charles Robinson. “The Sensitive Plant by Percy Bysshe Shelley.” Courtesy of  Lippincott.
2. Image: “The Big Book of Fairy Tales (Calla Editions).” Book by Walter Jerrold (Editor), Charles Robinson (Illustrator.) Courtesy of Calla Editions.
3. Image: “Rosa’s Animal’s: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie.” Book by Maryann Macdonald. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
4. Image: Rabbits Painting by Rosa Bonheur. From “Rosa’s Animal’s: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie.” Book by Maryann Macdonald. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
5. Image: “A Walk Through the Woods.” Book by Louise Greig & Helen Musselwhite. Courtesy of Sterling Children's Books.
6. Image: “EYE SPY: Wild Ways Animals See the World.” Book by Guillaume Duprat. Courtesy of What on Earth Publishing.
7. Image: “Zen Happiness.” Book by Jon J Muth. Courtesy of Scholastic Press.
8. Image: “An Elsa Beskow Gift Collection: Children of the Forest and other beautiful books.” Book by Elsa Beskow. Courtesy of FLO.
9. Image: “The Most Beautiful Fables of Aesop, Phaedrus and La Fontaine.” Book by Marisa Vestita. Courtesy of White Star Kids.
10. Image: “Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me!” Book by Hannah Carmona Dias & Dolly Georgieva-Gode. Courtesy of Eifrig Publishing.
11. Image: “The Most Beautiful Village in the World.” Yamo's Village Series. Book by Yutaka Kobayashi. Courtesy of Museyon.
12. Image: “Look.” Book by Fiona Woodcock. Courtesy of Greenwillow Books.
13. Image: Illustration by Fiona Woodcock. From “Hiding Heidi,” book by Fiona Woodcock. Courtesy of Simon & Schuster Children's UK
14. Image: “Shepherdess and Two Cows in a Meadow.” Painting by Rosa Bonheur. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
15. Image: by Helen Musselwhite. Hawk Eye, detail of artwork from “A Walk Through The Woods.” Book by Louise Greig & Helen Musselwhite. Courtesy of Sterling Children's Books.