Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.
- Claude Monet
Dad Suggests was created to share with others the many different things that we have loved sharing with our own children.
Our hope is that - by reading or visiting our children’s bookstore - you will find something special to enjoy with your own family.
- Ryan
All in Kids Books
Costume Quest is now a Halloween-themed video game, graphic novel, and TV show. It perfectly captures the essence of what makes Halloween so magical. When I first played Costume Quest, it filled my heart to the brim with beautiful Halloween nostalgia.
In the picture book Zen Ghosts, Stillwater the giant panda tells a spooky, ancient tale of a young couple in love. Stillwater is the recurring star of the Zen series by Jon J. Muth, and he always has beautiful and thought-provoking stories to tell to his friends.
Sir Simon: Super Scarer may be the best picture book about a ghost ever made. Cale Atkinson wrote that he has wanted to make a ghost story for a very long time. Passion can make all the difference in a work of art, and Atkinson’s passion here is clear.
These are the very best Halloween picture books. One of the best times to set the Halloween mood is during story time. Typically we pack up our holiday-specific books with the decorations, but never the Halloween ones! These books are too special.
The Halloween Kid is a very special Halloween picture book by Rhode Montijo. It does a remarkably good job celebrating Halloween and bringing up powerful feelings of nostalgia surrounding the holiday. It should go down as a Halloween classic.
These are our very favorite picture books with life lessons. The best picture books take incredibly important life lessons and isolate them down into a completely accessible, beautiful, compact work of art. They expose children to new thoughts and feelings and allow them to process it at their own level.
Pink is for Boys is a picture book by Robb Pearlman that throws absurd societal norms about colors out the window. It also teaches equality among boys and girls - the activities they're allowed to do and the things they're allowed to like. This is a picture book you simply must share with your kids.
These are the very best picture books of all time. These amazing stories provide me with feelings like hope, feelings like love, and feelings like terror. It is a parent's noble honor to help a child experience magic like this during their childhood, and these kids books will help.
These are the very best scary picture books for kids. Making a legitimately spooky picture book that's still suitable for kids is not necessarily an easy task. Nor is it always easy to find picture books for kids that actually enjoy being a little scared. But the books on this list bring legitimate frights for your family.
Julia's House for Lost Creatures is a picture book by Ben Hatke that had me sold on the title page. You can immediately tell that this is going to be a story full of fantasy and heart - and that it’s going to be beautiful.
This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary is a triumphant celebration of the child’s imagination. It’s one of our very favorite picture books. The artwork by Julie Morstad really stands out during the series of beautiful pages celebrating famous children's literature.
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Patrice Barton is a picture book about reaching out to someone who needs a friend. It is a masterclass example of empathy, and it should be in every home, library, and classroom in the world.
The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen is the perfect scary picture book. It can be quite useful in facing your fears of the dark - and it’s far and away one of our favorite picture books of all time.
Truly scary picture books seem to be a rare breed these days. Very rarely do I come across anything that reminds me of the innocent chills from my childhood. What There Is Before There Is Anything There is the best scary picture book for kids I’ve ever seen.
