100 Books Like Ode to an Onion

I love this subversive, touching, and weird picture book biography about the author of Goodnight, Moon (and more than 100 other books). In 42 pages, Mac has managed to question the whole concept of biography and traditional notions about what children’s books (and all books) should be like—both sentiments reflected in Margaret life and work—while at the same time providing a perfect portrait of the aspects of the author’s life most relevant to her writing, and probing questions of censorship and tastemaking. Among other things, Mac shows young creators how to live in a celebratory manner even if the world seems to have turned its back on their work. He does all this while keeping the reader curious (there’s tension!), engaged (there’s storytelling!), and happy (it’s funny!)—but not too happy (the ending is tragic and philosophical!). This might be my favorite picture book biography of all time.

There are lots of books out there about Emily Dickinson, but this is my favorite one. Why? Because it challenges the myth of Emily as a lonely recluse. (After all, what child wants to read about a depressed lady who never leaves the house?) Marty Rhodes Figley humanizes Dickinson by focusing on her love for her dog. Children will identify with Emily as someone who needs a companion to help her navigate the big world. They will also love the rambunctious Carlo as much as she did. I did not know about Carlo before I read this book and as an adult reader, I came away with a more nuanced picture of this most mysterious and mercurial of poets. 

The life of Zora Neale Hurston, the extraordinary novelist and first female African-American anthropologist, was bigger than words. But this picture book catches the uncatchable. The words are gorgeous. And the illustrations further illuminate the portrait, including delightful hats on the endpapers (a hat-tip to Ms. Hurston’s “HATitude”).

This is not literally a biography of a writer, but an illustrated poem that immerses the reader in the experience of reading. All writers are readers first, and all writers need readers, so that is why I am including it in my list. When I looked at reviews online, many of them complained that the artwork and the script made the book hard to read. I could not disagree more. The writing and the art literally become one in this brilliant mesmerizing book.  I love that Alexander references Langston Hughes reading on a stoop at the beginning. Then he proceeds to the central simile: 

Once you’re comfy,

Peel its gentle skin,

Like you would

A clementine

The color of

Sunrise.

Melissa Sweet’s orange, yellow, and pink collage literally rises from the page. This is a book to savor slowly, to read again, and again, and again.

This is delightful and charming book of photographs of fruit & vegetables, turned into musicians, acrobats, and various animals. I love the way he has used familiar objects and given them expressive personalities.

It is fun discussing with my children how Henry Rox managed to make the compositions (they were done in the 1930s—1940s, long before Photoshop) and how these pictures can change your perception of what a banana or onion can be.

I remember realizing that things were happening for a reason, and then I read in the prologue that he said: "that our falls were necessary and of divine origin." Yes! I knew it!

This was the third book that I was sure I was led to at the beginning of my spiritual journey. It was enlightening, and I began realizing that God was at work in my life. 

I remember him speaking about our eyes pointing the wrong way. They have to turn and look inward. I like that philosophy of self-improvement and self-understanding. It's not really about self-criticism but through greater understanding and acceptance, which allows for self-love and change. 

I feel at my core that peeling layers of an onion is a desire for love. I suspect this is the case for most of us.

The masculine voice in this novel is absolutely masterful. It’s tender, nuanced, earnest, and intelligent. Stegner offers a sweeping, unflinching story about friendships, marriage, the human ego, and the passage of time with a set of characters who are flawed, fragile, and therefore, very believable.

I’ve read this book more than once, and discover something new and lovely each time. This book honors a reader’s intelligence and heart. Again, the complexity in the characters and how they relate to one another gets me every time.  

I cannot say enough about this book. I’m a huge fan of anything written by Buck, but this is probably my favorite, primarily for the empowering feminist themes. I love how Buck allows the characters in this story to interact with one another in ways that are subtle but powerful.

This book invites readers to come along with the main character, Madame Wu, as she challenges a rigid set of societal expectations with a clarity that is as unapologetic as it is downright refreshing. Humans are complex creatures, capable of a full range of desires and thinking, and I love it when writers explore this deeply.

I immediately loved Jake’s comics. The art style and humor is right up my alley.

They’re a perfect intersection of print comics like The Far Side and online ones like The Perry Bible Fellowship.

The internet seems especially suited for timely comics that don’t always age well, they’re scrolled past and never read again, but this collection is perfect for print because the comics are timeless and worth repeat reading.  

Oh, this book is just delicious—two strangers weather a storm by sharing the single available room at the Palace of Rogues Hotel.

I love how this story lets the characters peel back the layers of each other like a wondrous onion of discovery. With each layer, they reveal not only more about each other and themselves but the puzzle of their lives in the world beyond the hotel. As that puzzle is laid piece after piece, things get complicated and oh-so-interesting. Layering is something Julieanne Long excels at.