[For 0-Year-Olds] Picture Books to Read in Spring | Enjoy Picture Books with Your Children

squeak squeak squeakAkiko Hayashi

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Akiko Hayashi’s picture books are wonderfully appealing with their warm illustrations.

Although there are many titles in the series, this particular book features a child wiping up spilled soup for various animals.

Small children often spill food, of course, but the idea of doing for the animals what is usually done for oneself may leave a strong impression on young readers.

It might even encourage them to start wiping up their own spills.

The onomatopoeia “kyu kyu kyu,” mimicking a wiping sound, is also pleasant to the ear, making this a delightful book.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Faces, faces—what kind of face?Ryohei Yanagihara

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Here is a picture book by Ryohei Yanagihara, well known for the Suntory Tori’s Uncle illustrations.

It presents a series of faces that look as if they were drawn with nothing more than simple dots and lines, yet you can read so much from each face and its expressions.

The balance between expression and color scheme is also excellent.

It’s designed so that you can glean images not only from the expressions but from the colors as well.

This book seems very useful for children’s emotional education—please pick up a copy.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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woof woof woof woofJun Takabatake

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The Takabata family is known for parent and child both being picture book authors, and this work is by the father, Jun Takabatake.

His picture books are widely published, and it’s probably a path almost every child goes down at least once.

This book introduces, on each page, pictures of animals kids love along with their sounds—and that’s it.

And yet you get drawn in, which shows just how much sense and flair the book has.

The placement and weight of the text are cleverly designed to echo the illustrations, making it a simple yet very enjoyable picture book.

Please pick it up and give it a try.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Peekaboo!Satoshi Iriyama

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This is a picture book you read by lifting various flaps.

You can enjoy the feel, thickness, and texture of the felt flaps.

Like the fun of playing peekaboo, children will likely feel delighted by what they discover when they lift each flap.

And as they play with this book, they’ll gradually learn, “If I lift here, I’ll find this,” gaining new knowledge along the way.

In addition to this book, the Piyo-chan series features textured materials attached to the pages, so I highly recommend it as a picture book that appeals to the five senses.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Oink oink oinkText: Kokaze Sachi / Illustration: Wakasaka Katsuji

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Many children are probably interested in cars, aren’t they? Here’s a picture book that those kids are sure to love.

Colorful cars drive around making all sorts of sounds.

Onomatopoeia is so pleasing to little kids’ ears.

Then a big vehicle arrives.

The cars look flustered and scared.

But the big vehicle is gentle and lets everyone ride.

If children saw a car carrier on the road in real life, they would probably be thrilled.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Maru Sankaku ZouText: Kenji Oikawa / Illustrations: Mayuko Takeuchi

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This picture book, built around the concept of stacking three different things, leaves a strong impression with its simple, colorful, and bold illustrations.

From an adult’s perspective, however, what feels a bit surreal is how shapes, animals, and objects—things that differ in size and even in concept—are stacked together as if it were the most natural thing.

That incongruity brings a subtle sense of humor.

Perhaps it’s precisely because children have flexible minds that they can accept this kind of humor so naturally.

It’s a picture book you can enjoy simply as artwork, too.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Baby’s SongText: Miyoko Matsutani / Illustrations: Chihiro Iwasaki

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This delightful picture book features Miyoko Matsutani’s beautiful prose and Chihiro Iwasaki’s gentle, delicate illustrations.

It includes several original poems featuring babies as well as traditional Japanese nursery rhymes that have been sung for generations.

Matsutani’s aim seems to be for readers to speak to their babies in their own words, inspired by the book’s content.

Some caregivers even substitute their child’s name while reading, and those tender memories are sure to remain deeply in the child’s heart.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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