Here are 100 books that Stick and Stone fans have personally recommended if you like
Stick and Stone.
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As a children’s book author, a parent and a teacher for small children, one of the greatest things about children’s media is the friendships that develop among some of the most unusual characters. Like a sea sponge and a starfish in SpongeBob Squarepants, a mouse, and a dog with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This of course extends into children’s books and it’s an extension of how young children don’t concern themselves with how different the other person is, they focus on what is the same. Something people should hold onto as they grow but often don’t.
Peanut Butter has just moved to town and is searching for a friend to play ball with. He talks about Hamburger, Soup, French Fries, and Cupcake, but they are all too busy. Finally, he meets Jelly, and of course, they click and play ball. Before long, all the others see them playing and want to join in. In no time, Peanut Butter has all the friends he could want.
The story is so charming, but what really makes this book shine is the art. Terry Border is an American artist known for his unique, funny, and really creative sculptures, often of food, using wire and other materials. The art creates such a wonderful and engaging book. My students absolutely loved this book.
For fans of The Day the Crayons Quit, Little Pea, or How Are You Peeling?
What’s a little piece of bread to do when he’s feeling lonely? Find a friend, of course!
And that’s exactly what Peanut Butter tries to do. But sometimes friends are hard to come by, especially when Hamburger has to walk his (hot) dogs, Cupcake is too busy building castles in her sprinkle box, and Egg laughs so hard he starts to crack up! Does Peanut Butter have a soulmate? Young readers will know the answer long before Peanut Butter does and laugh along with each…
An engaging picture book for children that celebrates what it means to be American!
What does it mean to be American? Does it mean you like apple pie or fireworks? Not exactly. This patriotic picture book is perfect for Memorial Day, Independence Day, Election Day, or any day you want…
As a children’s book author, a parent and a teacher for small children, one of the greatest things about children’s media is the friendships that develop among some of the most unusual characters. Like a sea sponge and a starfish in SpongeBob Squarepants, a mouse, and a dog with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This of course extends into children’s books and it’s an extension of how young children don’t concern themselves with how different the other person is, they focus on what is the same. Something people should hold onto as they grow but often don’t.
Butternut is excited that the Spring Plant Show has come to the supermarket where he lives. It’s being performed outside and features the “Flying Butter’, but poor Butternut is terrified of the sliding glass doors! With some help from his many friends, Blueberries, Star fruit, Dragon fruit, and Buttercup, they devise a plan to get through the doors together so no one gets squashed. The illustrations by Anusha Santosh are bright and colorful, and the art embraces a decorative design aesthetic that is perfect for this story.
The imaginative storytelling of all these friends who are so different from each other really strikes a chord. It’s one reason I am always drawn to the Butternut series of books to share with my students. This one holds up to the rest and brings Butternut and his friends on an adventure and has them working together to solve a problem and reach…
When the Spring Plant Show arrives, Butternut wishes to go out of the supermarket to watch it. But he is afraid of the supermarket's large sliding doors. How can Butternut manage his fears?
Join Butternut in this warm, comforting story about friendship, overcoming fear, and helping others.
As a children’s book author, a parent and a teacher for small children, one of the greatest things about children’s media is the friendships that develop among some of the most unusual characters. Like a sea sponge and a starfish in SpongeBob Squarepants, a mouse, and a dog with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This of course extends into children’s books and it’s an extension of how young children don’t concern themselves with how different the other person is, they focus on what is the same. Something people should hold onto as they grow but often don’t.
A little blue jay named Simon is off to find the menacing dragon. The rhyming text is excellent in this story. I love how Simon donned a bottle cap on his head to wear as a helmet. He flies through the forest and asks the rabbit, the ladybug, and finally, the wise owl where to find this scary dragon.
Ultimately, Simon's search finds him a new friend, and he’s not at all what he expected. The underlying message is to not always believe what you hear. The art by Vitali Dudarenka is beautifully drawn and rendered in a classical style. A lovely gift for the child in your life.
Whispers around the treehouse have this birdy buggin’. Can he flap away the confusion and put an end to the mystery?
Simon is determined to find the facts for himself. Tired of hearing endless rumors about a dragon menacing the farm, the young bird munches some breakfast and sets out for answers. And with his trusty bottle-cap helmet keeping his head safe, nothing can stop him from finding the fire-breathing beastie.
Confused by his barnyard buddies’ claims that no one has ever seen such a mighty creature, Simon refuses to give up on his tireless search. But when the truth…
Mamiachi & Me is a lyrical and empowering picture book about what it means to be a mariachi in an all‑female band.
Today, Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t…
As a children’s book author, a parent and a teacher for small children, one of the greatest things about children’s media is the friendships that develop among some of the most unusual characters. Like a sea sponge and a starfish in SpongeBob Squarepants, a mouse, and a dog with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This of course extends into children’s books and it’s an extension of how young children don’t concern themselves with how different the other person is, they focus on what is the same. Something people should hold onto as they grow but often don’t.
Betty and Maude are best friends, but their favorite toys, Duck and Penguin, are not. Together, they play but not so nicely. They destroy each other’s sand castles, paint each other when they are supposed to be painting pictures. Eventually they realize they have a lot more in common than they know and really do become good friends. What I really loved about this book is that sometimes friendship is complicated, and you don’t like each other right away.
The art is simple but expressive and fun to look at. Julia Woolf has the perfect style to bring these characters to life. This is just a cute and fun picture book, perfect for reading to a group at storytime.
Betty and Maud are the best of friends, and so surely their stuffed toys are too! But despite what Betty and Maud might think, Duck and Penguin are definitely NOT friends. They do not want to swing together, they do not want to cook together, and they certainly DO NOT want to play baby dolls together...
A side-splitting insight into the secret world of toys, from former Dreamworks animator and illustrator Julia Woolf.
I’m C.M. Harris, a passionate children’s author who believes in the transformative power of kindness and friendship. My bestselling book What If We Were All The Same! has been recognized for teaching children about acceptance and inclusion. For over 15 years, I’ve worked with children and families to foster positive values, and my writing reflects my dedication to creating stories that inspire. I curated this list because I’ve seen how books can shape young minds, and I’m excited to share these meaningful stories that celebrate friendship and kindness.
This book is such a clever and fun way to show kids how to turn someone from an enemy into a friend.
The story left me smiling and reminded me of how understanding and spending time with others can change our perceptions. It’s a classic with a powerful message.
It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy!
In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipes for turning your best enemy into your best friend. Accompanied by charming illustrations, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in the difficulties and ultimate rewards of making new friends.
I’ve been fascinated by the park for years, ever since I started visiting it daily to do shinrin-yoku, or Japanese “forest-bathing,” there. I wanted to learn everything about it through first-hand experiences, through guides on its flora and fauna, and through historical sources. The park is the heart of Manhattan, and I wanted to learn what makes it beat. After living, breathing, and studying the park for a good long while, the diary I had started taking on my experiences there eventually grew into a book-length poem about it. That book would never have happened without inspiration from and the information in the books on this list.
I was lucky to receive this book as a gift from a friend. Still, gorgeous as the photographs in it are, it is more than a coffee-table book.
I had known Sara Cedar Miller’s photography beforehand, but in this book, she distinguishes herself as a historian as well. I could only admire the depth of her knowledge about the original plan for the park and how deftly she fits the Victorian-era elements into it.
But the park I love is a living and ever-evolving museum of architecture and botany, and Miller is up as well on more recently added environments such as the Hallett Nature Sanctuary and Rhododendron Mile.
An authoritative visual survey of New York City's Central Park, with new photography and updated text
For more than 160 years, Central Park has been the centerpiece of New York City, with more than 42 million visits each year. In Seeing Central Park, Sara Cedar Miller takes readers through America's most popular and celebrated park, where natural and manmade features are interwoven into a spectacular work of art. Combining superb research and writing with breathtaking photographs, Seeing Central Park is not only a guide through every significant design feature but also a gorgeous gift book.
Real Princesses Change the World
by
Carrie A. Pearson,
Real Princesses Change the World is an inspirational and diverse picture book that highlights 11 contemporary real-life princesses and four heirs apparent from around the world.
Have you heard of a STEM-aligned real-life princess who is an engineer and product developer? Or a princess who is a computer expert? An…
Growing up in New York, the child of New Yorkers, every corner was replete with memories and histories that taught me life values. Walking through these meaningful places, I learned that the multiplicity of people’s stories and struggles to make space for themselves were what made the city and enriched everyone’s lives. The books here echo the essential politics and personal connections of those stories, and all have been deeply meaningful to me. Now, with my firm Buscada, and in my writing and art practice, I explore the way people’s stories of belonging and community, resistance and rebuilding from cities around the globe help us understand our shared humanity.
For me, this book is a touchstone for what work on cities and photography can be.
Photographer Margaret Morton does what I always wanted to see in a photo book about places, cities, and houses. She combines beautiful photographs, sensitive to intimacy and respect for the people and homes she photographs, with real oral histories. It puts the words and stories of people who live in temporary dwellings—you could call them homeless—on an equal footing with Morton’s photographs of their self-built homes.
You can tell that both the interviews and the photographs emerged from real relationships and real mutual respect.
Over a ten-year period, Margaret Morton documented the inventive ways in which homeless people in New York City have created not only places to live but also communities that offer a sense of pride, place and individuality. Morton's camera reveals the ingenuity of builders who have constructed homes out of discarded materials such as warehouse pallets, junked auto parts and demolition scrap. Her luminous photographs bring to light the determination and aesthetic sensibilities of all but forgotten people whose temporary encampments became permanent homes until they were demolished by the city. Seen together with compelling oral histories told by the…
I discovered Jewish photographers a couple of decades ago when I worked on a book, Cityscapes: A History of New York in Images. At the time, I was intrigued with how to tell the city’s history through photographs. Then, when I started to request permission to publish, I discovered that most of the photographers were Jewish New Yorkers. That sent me down a twisting path as I learned about more and more and more Jewish photographers. All types of photographers: professional and lay, photojournalists and street photographers, fashion photographers and family photographers. I fell in love with the multitude of their images. Turns out I was not the only one.
I confess I love the photographs, and there are lots of them. Marcia Bricker Halperin, a New York Jewish photographer, took them back in the 1970s, but only after she rediscovered them did she realize what she had done.
I treasure spending time looking at the faces of these men and women in the cafeteria, eavesdropping on their conversations, admiring the incredible theatrical milieu, and entering their world of good food and fast friendships.
On a winter's day in the mid-1970s the photographer Marcia Bricker Halperin sought warm refuge and, camera in hand, passed through the revolving doors of Dubrow's Cafeteria on Kings Highway. There, between the magical mirrored walls and steaming coffee urns, she found herself as if on a theater set, looking out at a tableau of memorable Brooklyn faces. Enchanted, Halperin returned to Dubrow's again and again.
In Kibbitz & Nosh, Halperin reminds us of the days when she would order a coffee, converse with the denizens of Dubrow's on Kings Highway and at its Manhattan location in the Garment…
I have always loved animals and felt a deep empathy for every living creature. But it wasn’t until the COVID lockdown that I truly connected with them. Locked up with a partner, a boy, two dogs, and three cats in a small house with a yard, I realized that it's not just us taking care of them—they're doing their best to take care of us, too. Trained in art since childhood by my mom, it was during the COVID lockdown that I began to draw our furry companions in earnest. I spent every waking hour capturing their funny and endearing moments, ultimately putting it all together in a picture book.
This is a classic. The enchanting illustrations and delightful humor mesmerized my 3-year-old, who kept asking to read it over and over throughout his childhood and insisted on buying the rest of the books in the series.
The interactive lift-the-flap elements really capture young readers' attention, and the character, Spot, is simply irresistible.
In Eric Hill's classic Where's Spot? lift the flaps to find Spot!
In Spot's first adventure children can join in the search for the mischievous puppy by lifting the flaps on every page to see where he is hiding. The simple text and colourful pictures will engage a whole new generation of pre-readers as they lift the picture flaps in search of Spot. A No.1 bestseller since it was first published in 1980, this interactive favourite has stayed in the charts ever since.
This is a bigger, brighter paperback edition of Eric Hill's iconic first lift-the-flap book.
I am Virginia Mendez, mother of 2 and author of 2 children’s books and a parenting book about the topic of gender equality from childhood. My day job is in Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, and I train companies and schools on how to bring more gender equality into their organisations. I wasn’t always a feminist, but I was by the time I was pregnant with my first child, and it made me determined to make the world a more fair place for everyone. Everyone.
This is an absolute favourite of mine as a gift for new baby boys.
It is in rhyme and has very easy illustrations. It is never too early to let people know that feminism is for everyone, including boys, and to show in an easy way the things that they can do to help but also expand the options for them.
Feminism begins at home—and My First Book of Feminism (for Boys) is where it begins!
Simple illustrations paired with engaging, rhyming text make the compelling, age appropriate argument that girls and boys are equal, plain and simple. Humorous, familiar scenarios are treated as teachable moments for very young boys (ages 0-3) who will ideally grow up without ever questioning women's equality. From "no means no," to "women's rights are human rights," important, grownup ideas are made clear and fun for young, impressionable minds. This is the book every mom should read to her son!
