In episode 235 of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast:

What makes a great picture book?

In the wake of recent polls, Megan and Allison dive deep into the specifics of what makes a picture book ‘great’.

Books we mention

Click on the titles to find out more or buy. See contact page for affiliate disclosure.

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Bookmail and TBR pile

‘Red Star Rebels’ by Amie Kaufman

‘Are You the Easter Bunny?’ by Janeen Brian and Lucinda Gifford

‘Little Cloud’ by Heidi McKinnon

‘It’s a Twin Thing: The Break Up’ by Kristin Darell, illustrated by A. Yi

Other

Good Reading Mag interview with Amie Kaufman

What makes a great picture book?

The Guardian Australia’s Picture Book Poll

Kate Temple’s article in The Guardian

Books mentioned

‘Little Cloud’ by Robert Tallon (out of print)

‘The Last Egg’ by Sofie Laguna and Jess Racklyeft

‘Derek’ by Anne Donaldson and Matt Shanks

‘The Day The Crayons Quit’ by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

‘Then and Now’ by Datsun Tran 

‘The Gargoyle’ by Zana Fraillon and Ross Morgan

‘Cynthia is a Wild Dog’ by Tobhy Riddle  

‘Neil The Amazing Sea Cucumber’ by Amelia Tonta and Lucinda Gifford

‘Raising Readers: How to Nurture a Child’s Love Of Books’ by Megan Daley

‘The Grown Ups Guide to Picture Books’ by Dr Lara Cain Gray, illustrated by Lorena Carrington and Timony Ide 

Picture Book Makers

‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell

Hairy Maclary (series) by Lynley Dodd

‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle

Dr Seuss (series) 

‘Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge’ by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas

‘The Bunyip of Berkleys Creek’ by Jenny Wagner and Ron Brooks

‘I’m a Dirty Dinosaur’ by Janeen Brian and Ann James

‘I’m a Hungry Dinosaur’ by Janeen Brian and Ann James

‘Rockpool Secrets’ by Narelle Oliver

You might also enjoy

The Magic of Wordless Picture Books (book list)

Your Kid’s Next Read Faves 2025: Picture Books (book list)

Other episodes

Summer Series #8: Peter Cheong

Summer Series #4: Cheryl Orsini

Episode 191: 10 mins with Felice Arena

Behind The Books #4: The Illustrator (Tony Flowers)

Our books

The Mapmaker Chronicles series by A. L. Tait

The Ateban Cipher (duology) by A. L. Tait

The Maven & Reeve Mysteries by A. L. Tait

The First Summer of Callie McGee by A. L. Tait

Willow Bright’s Secret Plot by A. L. Tait

Danger Road by A. L. Tait

The Beehive by Megan Daley

Teacher, Teacher (anthology), edited by Megan Daley

Raising Readers by Megan Daley

Connect with your show hosts

Facebook | Allison Tait | Megan Daley

Twitter | Allison Tait  | Megan Daley

Instagram at Allison Tait | Megan Daley

The YKNR community on Facebook here. 

Meet Allison Rushby, the third member of #teamyknr. Find out about Allison and her books here.