Books for Indigo

Picture Books

• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)
• Fortunately by Remy Charlip (1964)
• Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss (1965)
• Frederick by Leo Lionni (1967)
• Arm in Arm by Remy Charlip (1969)
• Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott (1972)
• Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel (1972)
• Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola (1975)
• The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein (1976)
• Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall (Author), Barbara Cooney (Illustrator) (1979)
• The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg (1979)
• Fables by Arnold Lobel (1980)
• Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1981)
• How the Birds Got Their Colours by Mary Albert (Author), Pamela Lofts (Illustrator) (1983)
• Possum Magic by Mem Fox (Author), Julie Vivas (Illustrator) (1983)
• Jamberry by Bruce Degen (1983) Thanks to @PeterCorless for the recommendation!
• The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Blériot, July 25, 1909 by Alice Provensen and Martin Provensen (Authors/Illustrators) (1983)
• Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan (Author), Pamela Lofts (Illustrator) (1984)
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985)
• Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks (Author), Richard Egielski (Illustrator) (1986)
• Animalia by Graeme Base (1986)
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (Author), John Schoenherr (Illustrator) (1987)
• Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator) (1988)
• Lon Po Po by Ed Young (1989)
• We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (Author), Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator) (1989)
• Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel (Author), Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator) (1989)
• Imagine by Alison Lester (1989)
• The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base (1989)
• Magic Beach by Alison Lester (1990)
• Black and White by David Macaulay (1990)
• Tuesday by David Wiesner (1991)
• Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully (1992)
• Window by Jeannie Baker (1991)
• Who Killed Cock Robin by Kevin O'Malley (1993)
• Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say (1993)
• Smoky Night by Eve Bunting (Author), David Diaz (Illustrator) (1994)
• Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (1995)
• Warnayarra the Rainbow Snake by Senior Boys' Class, Lajamanu School (Authors), Pamela Lofts (Compiler) (1995)
• Zin Zin Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss (Author), Marjorie Priceman (Illustrator) (1995)
• Golem by David Wisniewski (1996)
• Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky (1997)
• Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (Author), Mary Azarian (Illustrator) (1998)
• Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback (1999)
• I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told by Jeanne M. Lee (1999)
• 10 Oni Drummers by Matthew Gollub (Author), Kazuko G. Stone (Illustrator) (2000)
• The Water Hole by Graeme Base (2001)
• Home by Jeannie Baker (2004)
• Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee (Authors), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator) (2002)
• Bugs Before Time: Prehistoric Insects and Their Relatives by Cathy Camper (Author), Steve Kirk (Illustrator) (2002)
• You Look Yummy! by Tatsuya Miyanishi (2003)
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems (2003)
• Big Wolf & Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme (Author), Olivier Tallec (Illustrator) (2003, English translation 2009)
• I Will Love You Forever by Tatsuya Miyanishi (2006, English translation 2017)
• Sleepy Little Yoga: A Toddler's Sleepy Book of Yoga by Rebecca Whitford (Author), Martina Selway (Illustrator) (2007, Chinese translation 2020)
• The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís (2007)
• Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems (2009)
• Firebird by Saviour Pirotta (Author), Catherine Hyde (Illustrator) (2010)
• Noni the Pony by Alison Lester (2010)
• We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems (2010)
• Perfect Square by Michael Hall (2011)
• Rudie Nudie by Emma Quay (2011)
• Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera (2011)
• One Frozen Lake by Deborah Jo Larson (Author), Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (Illustrators) (2012)
• If You Spent a Day with Thoreau at Walden Pond by Robert Burleigh (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator) (2012)
• This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (2012)
• Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan (2013)
• Locomotive by Brian Floca (2013)
• Journey by Aaron Becker (2013)
• The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (2014)
• The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock (Author), Mary GrandPré (Illustrator) (2014)
• Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle (2014)
• Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin (Author), Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator) (2015)
• The Nonsense Show by Eric Carle (2015)
• Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, A Young Artist in Harlem by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts (Author), Christopher Myers (Illustrator) (2015)
• Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol (2016)
• Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis (2016)
• A Kunwinjku Counting Book by Felicity Wright (Author), Gabriel Maralngurra (Illustrator) (2016)
• We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen (2016)
• Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe (2016)
• XO, Ox: A Love Story by Adam Rex (Author), Scott Campbell (Illustrator) (2017)
• Alfie (The Turtle That Disappeared) by Thyra Heder (2017)
• Sam the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World by Mo Willems (2017)
• Is It Purim Yet? by Chris Barash (Author), Alessandra Psacharopulo (Illustrator) (2017)
• Bamboo for Me, Bamboo for You! by Fran Manushkin (Author), Purificacion Hernandez (Illustrator) (2017)
• Crunch: The Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap (Author), Greg Pizzoli (Illustrator) (2018)
• Dad By My Side by Soosh (2018)
• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (2018)
• Wallpaper by Thao Lam (2018)
• Seed Man by Aiko Ikegami (2018)
• We Are All Me by Jordan Crane (2018)
• Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans by Tina Cho (Author), Keum Jin Song (Illustrator) (2018)
• Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins (Author), Emily Hughes (Illustrator) (2018)
• A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano (Author), Lane Smith (Illustrator) (2018)
• Red Rover: Curiosity on Mars by Richard Ho (Author), Katherine Roy (Illustrator) (2019)
• Maybe: A Story About the Endless Potential in All of Us by Kobi Yamada (Author), Gabriella Barouch (Illustrator) (2019)
• The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator) (2019)
• Birdsong by Julie Flett (2019)
• Moth: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas (Author), Daniel Egnéus (Illustrator) (2019)
• The Painted Ponies by Alison Lester (2019)
• The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper (Author), Carson Ellis (Illustrator) (2019)
• Together by Isabel Otter (Author), Clover Robin (Illustrator) (2019)
• Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe (2019)
• River by Elisha Cooper (2019)
• A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel (2019)
• The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent by Irene Vasco (Author), Juan Palomino (Illustrator) (2019, English translation 2023)
• We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (Author), Michaela Goade (Illustrator) (2020)
• The Blue House by Phoebe Wahl (2020)
• One of a Kind: A Story About Sorting and Classifying by Neil Packer (2020)
• When You Look Up by Decur (2020)
• Unstoppable by Adam Rex (Author), Laura Park (Illustrator) (2020)
• What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins (2020)
• The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom by Colleen AF Venable (Author), Lian Cho (Illustrator) (2020)
• I Am the Wind by Michael Karg (Author), Sophie Diao (Illustrator) (2020)
• The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer by Marcie Wessels (Author), Beatriz Castro (Illustrator) (2020)
• The Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River by Ye Luying (Author), Yu Zhiying (Illustrator) (2020)
• Lala's Words: A Story of Planting Kindness by Gracey Zhang (2021)
• The Story Orchestra: The Magic Flute by Katy Flint (Author), Jessica Courtney-Tickle (Illustrator) (2021)
• Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury (2021)
• What Is Love? by Mac Barnett (Author), Carson Ellis (Illustrator) (2021)
• The Big Bath House by Kyo Maclear (Author), Gracey Zhang (Illustrator) (2021)
• Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor (2021)
• The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood (2021)
• I Will Survive by Frederick J. Perren and Dino Fekaris (Authors), Kaitlyn Shea O'Connor (Illustrator) (2021)
• The Impossible Mountain by David Soman (2021)
• Michelle's Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds of Change by Sharee Miller (2021)
• We Are One: How the World Adds Up by Susan Hood (Author), Linda Yan (Illustrator) (2021)
• Everyone's Awake by Colin Meloy (Author), Shawn Harris (Illustrator) (2021) Thanks to @zoe-ant for the recommendation!
• Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris (2021)
• Watercress by Andrea Wang (Author), Jason Chin (Illustrator) (2021)
• One, Two, Grandma Loves You by Shelly Becker (Author), Dan Yaccarino (Illustrator) (2021)
• Tu Youyou's Discovery: Finding a Cure for Malaria by Songju Ma Daemicke (Author), Lin (Illustrator) (2021)
• Hot Dog by Doug Salati (2022)
• Witch Hazel by Molly Idle (2022)
• Stomp and Chomp: My First Book of Dinosaurs by Simon Mole (Author), Matt Hunt (Illustrator) (2022)
• The Magnificent Book of Microscopic Creatures by Anne Rooney (Author), Isabel Aracama, Fede Combi, Mat Edwards, and Val Walerczuk (Illustrators) (2022)
• The Baddies by Julia Donaldson (Author), Axel Scheffler (Illustrator) (2022)
• Color the Sky by David Elliott (Author), Evan Turk (Illustrator) (2022)
• Mama Sasquatch by Eva Swift (2022)
• Telling Stories Wrong by Gianni Rodari (Author), Beatrice Alemagna (Illustrator) (2022)
• Hekla & Laki by Marine Schneider (2022, English translation 2024)
• The Very True Legend of the Mongolian Death Worms by Sandra Fay (2022)
• It's a Sign! by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey (2022)
• Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall (2022)
• Nothing Special by Desiree Cooper (Author), Bec Sloane (Illustrator) (2022)
• Grumpy New Year by Katrina Moore (Author), Xindi Yan (Illustrator) (2022)
• Library Girl: How Nancy Pearl Became America's Most Celebrated Librarian by Karen Henry Clark (Author), Sheryl Murray (Illustrator) (2022)
• Let's Do Everything and Nothing by Julia Kuo (2022)
• Buzz! Boom! Bang!: The Book of Sounds by Benjamin Gottwald (2022, English translation 2025)
• We Are Starlings: Inside the Mesmerizing Magic of a Murmuration by Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli (Authors), Marc Martin (Illustrator) (2023)
• Myths of China: Meet the Gods, Creatures, and Heroes of Ancient China by Xiaobing Wang (Author), Katie Ponder (Illustrator) (2023)
• The Coziest Place on the Moon by Maria Popova (Author), Sarah Jacoby (Illustrator) (2023)
• Scroll by Hui Li (2023)
• The Yellow Áo Dài by Hanh Bui (Author), Minnie Phan (Illustrator) (2023)
• Awake, Asleep by Kyle Lukoff (Author), Nadia Alam (Illustrator) (2023)
• Hidden Gem by Linda Liu (2023)
• The Artivist by Nikkolas Smith (2023)
• Bibi by Jo Weaver (2023)
• Maurice by Jessixa Bagley (2023)
• Vlad the Fabulous Vampire by Flavia Z. Drago (2023)
• Dim Sum Palace by X Fang (2023)
• Say My Name by Joanna Ho (Author), Khoa Le (Illustrator) (2023)
• Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson (Author), Selina Alko (Illustrator) (2023)
• Purr-im Time! by Jenna Waldman (Author), Erica J. Chen (Illustrator) (2023)
• Big by Vashti Harrison (2023)
• Little Monk Writes Rain by Hsu-Kung Liu (2023, English translation 2026)
• The Mochi Makers by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson (2024)
• Dalmartian: A Mars Rover's Story by Lucy Ruth Cummins (2024)
• Noodles on a Bicycle by Kyo Maclear (Author), Gracey Zhang (Illustrator) (2024)
• Grandpa's Magic Mask by Wu Siping (2024)
• Where to Hide a Star by Oliver Jeffers (2024)
• The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz (2024)
• The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss (Author), Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator) (2024)
• The Day Bell Found Her Sound by Lizzy O'Donnell (2024)
• Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb (Author), Erin Kraan (Illustrator) (2024)
• The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker (2024)
• Roar-Choo! by Charlotte Cheng (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator) (2024)
• Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo (2024)
• In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for the Planet by Ada Limón (Author), Peter Sís (Illustrator) (2024)
• Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers (Author), Rebecca Lee Kunz (Illustrator) (2024)
• Love of the Half-Eaten Peach: Inspired by a True Story by Lee Wind (Author), Jieting Chen (Illustrator) (2024)
• Umm Kulthum: The Star of the East by Rhonda Roumani (Author), Ahmed Abdelmohsen (Illustrator) (2024)
• Clear and Bright: A Ching Ming Festival Story by Teresa Robeson (Author), William Low (Illustrator) (2025)
• Shabbat Is...: A Special Day Celebrated in Many Ways by A. J. Sass (Author), Noa Kelner (Illustrator) (2025)
• Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator) (2025)
• Little Rebels by Yuyi Morales (2025)
• The Three-Year Tumble by Dayeon Auh (2025)
• Tea Is Love by Adib Khorram (Author), Hanna Cha (Illustrator) (2025)
• In the World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito (Author), Jessica Lanan (Illustrator) (2025)
• If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone by Gideon Sterer (Author), Emily Hughes (Illustrator) (2025)
• Fireworks by Matthew Burgess (Author), Cátia Chien (Illustrator) (2025)
• The Bear Out There by Jess Hannigan (2025)
• Wind Watchers by Micha Archer (2025)
• We Go Slow by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie (Author), Aaron Becker (Illustrator) (2025)
• Making Art by Diana Ejaita (2025)
• Dear Bookstore by Emily Arrow (Author), Genevieve Godbout (Illustrator) (2025)
• Supernavigators: How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie and Rebecca Stefoff (Authors), Qu Lan (Illustrator) (2025)
• Fanny's Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born by Richard Michelson (Author), Alyssa Russell (Illustrator) (2025)
• Night Flight by David Barclay Moore (Author), Briana Mukodiri Uchendu (Illustrator) (2025)
• The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper (Author), Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (Illustrators) (2025)
• Emmie Builds Something New by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall (2025)
• The Escape Artist: A True Story of Octopus Adventure by Thor Hanson (Author), Galia Bernstein (Illustrator) (2025)
• Little Bird Laila by Kelly Yang (Author), Xindi Yan (Illustrator) (2025)
• The Trouble with Giraffes by Lisa Mantchev (Author), Taeeun Yoo (Illustrator) (2025)
• The Wildest Thing by Emily Winfield Martin (2026)
• The Lost Robot by Joe Todd-Stanton (2026)

Chapter Books

• (currently reading) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius translated by Martin Hammond (c. 170-180 CE, English translation 2006)
• The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (1937)
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)
• Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer (Author), Maurice Sendak (Illustrator) (1966)
• D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Ingri D'Aulaire (Author), Edgar Parin D'Aulaire (Author) (1967)
• Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1972)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979)
• The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995)
• Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman (Author), Judy Pedersen (Illustrator) (1997)
• The Magicians by Blexbolex (2022, English translation 2023)

Poetry Books

• Tao Te Ching by Lao Tze translated by Ursula K. Le Guin (c. 6th century BCE, English translation 1997)
• (currently reading) A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (1981)
• Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman (1988)
• Lullabies and Poems for Children by Diana Secker Larson (Editor) (2002)

Last updated: 3 Jul 2026