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I love using picture books as inspiration for children’s art projects. Over the past 13 years I have curated a a massive list of project ideas and lesson plans.
How can picture books be used to teach art?
Picture books can introduce students to artists, cultures, colors, shapes and visual storytelling before an art lesson. Pairing a book with a related project helps children connect what they read and observe with what they create.
Here is my growing list of picture books and coordinating art projects for kids:
– A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
– Abe Lincoln’s Dream by Lane Smith
– Action Jackson by Greenburg and Jordan
– Apple by Nikki McClure
– Are You Blue Dog’s Friend? by George Rodrigue
– A Splash of Red, The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet
– Arlo Needs Glasses by Barney Saltzberg
– Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
– Birds by Kevin Henkes
– Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
– Chameleons are Cool by Martin Jenkins and Sue Shields
– Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep by Barney Saltzberg
– Chicken Little by Ed and Rebecca Emberly
– Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown
– Degas and The Little Dancer by Laurence Anholt
– Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli and Geraldo Valerio
– Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
– Harvesting Dreams: Hundertwasser for Kids by Barbara Stieff
– Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins
– How Loud is a Lion by Stella Blackstone and Clare Beaton
– I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
– Journey on a Cloud, a Children’s Book Inspired by Marc Chagall by Veronique Massenot and Elise Mansot
– Klimt and His Cat by Berenice Capatti and Octavia Monaco
РMa̱ana Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul and Ethan Long
– Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks
– Monsters Love School by Mike Austin
– Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
– Once Upon a Northern Night by Jean Pendziwol and Isabelle Arsenault
– One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
– Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
– Pantone Colors by Abrams Appleseed
– Pete the Cat: I love My White Shoes by James Dean and Eric Litwin
– Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert
– Polar Bear, PolarBear What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
– Raptors, Fossils, Fins and Fangs by Ray Troll and Brad Matsen
– Sandy’s Circus: A Story about Alexander Calder
– Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields and Scott Nash
– Ship-Shapes by Stella Blackstone and Siobhan Bell
– Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds
– Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
– Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Beuhner
– Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton
– The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle (Activity Lessons)
– The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle (Painted Elephant lesson)
– The Cat and The Bird by Geraldine Elschner and Peggy Nile
– The Cat at Night by Dahlov Ipcar
– The Day of The Dead/El Dia de los Muertos by Bob Barner
– The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino
– The Great Wave: A Children’s Book Inspired by Hokusai by Véronique Massenot and Bruno Pilorget
– The Shape of my Heart by Mark Sperring and Alys Paterson
– The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
– The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter
– Trucks: Whizz! Zoom! Rumble! by Patricia Hubbell and Megan Halsey
– When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden
– Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
– Wow! America by Robert Neubecker (Grand Canyon)
– Wow! America by Robert Neubecker (Salmon)
– Wow! America by Robert Neubecker (Space Shuttle)
– You Be You by Linda Kranz
Pairing a read-aloud with an art project is a wonderful way to make cross-curricular connections, spark conversation and give students another way to explore a story.
Inside The Sparklers’ Club, you’ll find a whole collection of Art & Literature lessons and bundles that connect beloved children’s books with engaging, age-appropriate art experiences for PreK–7.
And with lesson plans, slide decks, videos, drawing guides and teaching resources already created for you, it’s easy to turn story time into meaningful art-making without adding more prep to your plate.
→ Join The Sparklers’ Club waitlist to receive an invitation when enrollment opens.
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