For many adults, children’s picture books hold potent memories from their own childhoods. Oftentimes, picture books bring to mind beloved family members, teachers, librarians, or other important figures from the past.
I’ll preface this post by saying that I love many of the books I’m suggesting replacements for, simply because they hold wonderful memories for me. At the same time, I can’t deny that some of them haven’t withstood the test of time. Others hold up, but could be replaced or supplemented with more recent works that speak to today’s world more effectively.
You might wonder why it’s important to offer the children in our lives books that feel highly relevant. Perhaps most obviously, if a child can connect with a book, they’re more likely to enjoy reading. Not only that, but books that relate directly to young readers’ lives can help them understand and navigate the world around them.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the overrated picture books on this list, there are just so many amazing picture books that have been published in recent years. Why not experience some of these books alongside the young readers in your life? You can build new traditions and create lasting memories as you enjoy these stories. Some are sweet, some are silly, and all of them have the potential to become favorites for new generations of readers.
Overrated Picture Book #1
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
I’ll be honest with you: I strongly dislike this book. I’m all about messages of love and generosity, but this one takes it too far. At first, the tree’s love for the boy is lovely and generous. But as he grows, he takes and takes from her without appreciation or reciprocity. By the time he’s a grown man using the tree’s wood to build a house for himself and ultimately chopping her down so he can make a boat, the sweetness is gone. The happiness the tree (or rather, the stump) feels at the end when he returns to her as an older man falls flat for me. It would be so easy for young readers to take away a message of selfishness from the boy’s extractive interactions with the tree. As an adult, this message also makes it impossible for me to enjoy the story.
The Kids Are All Right
Sign up to The Kids Are All Right to receive news and recommendations from the world of kid lit and middle grade books.
What to Read Instead
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Like Go, Dog, Go!–see below!–Tlingit and Haida author and illustrator Michaela Goade’s Berry Song features a lot of repetition. However, Goade’s lush illustrations offer nuanced visuals of nature that are perfect for exploring with young readers. The emphasis on appreciating the natural world and taking care of the land just as it takes care of us is an important message in a world plagued by climate change. The repeated lists of different types of berries offer a refrain that carries readers through the seasons, from springtime to winter, from the forest to the dinner table. This is the kind of beautiful book that could become a treasured family tome.
Overrated Picture Book #2
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle
Carle’s striking aesthetic style has made his books a permanent fixture in many homes. The lift-the-flap component of Brown Bear engages early readers, and it’s easy to see why it remains popular. Still, it’s over very quickly, and while it introduces colors, its visuals are so simple that kids outgrow it pretty early on. I always found it a bit odd that it ends with a classroom scene when most of the young readers I know stopped reading it a couple of years before they ever set foot in a classroom.
What to Read Instead
Festival of Colors by Kabir Sehgal and Suristha Sehgal
Like Carle’s book, Festival of Colors is all about colors. Unlike Carle’s book, it has a simple narrative. It follows Chintoo and Mintoo as they gather flowers and crush them to make dyes for Holi. It features charming full-color illustrations depicting a family getting ready for the festival of colors. That means it teaches about Holi while also teaching about colors. It’s a sweet book with an uncomplicated story that very young readers can enjoy while learning a little bit about colors and Holi.
Overrated Picture Book #3
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
I get why this one continues to catch people’s attention. It’s a rollicking adventure through a wild dreamscape populated by enormous (but apparently harmless) creatures. Sendak’s images are a delight. However, I struggle with the storyline. First, Max was sent to bed without dinner for naughty behavior, but in the end, dinner was waiting for him. I’m fine with that in principle, but it’s confusing because there’s no consistency. Second, it’s so sad when Max abandons the Wild Things! They grew to love him, and his decision to abdicate comes across as somewhat callous.
What to Read Instead
Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales
Morales’ book features Niño, a young luchador who faces various figures from Mexican folklore. It’s written mostly in English, but features Spanish language words and phrases, making it an engaging bilingual read. The exciting illustrations are vibrant and recall classic comic books. Niño defeats each opponent in turn by using silly tactics like tickling, but when his younger sisters wake up from their nap, does he stand a chance? It’s a rollicking adventure infused with humor and charm.
Overrated Picture Book #4
Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman
This book is fun enough, albeit a little banal. There are plenty of antics to be seen in the colorful illustrations, but it’s repetitive in a way that feels more redundant and nonsensical than anything (I know, I know: it’s a children’s book). It’s kind of whimsical, but not very. It’s a little silly, but not very. It’s fairly cute…you get the idea. If you have a reader who’s not into dogs, well, there’s really no point. It’s a simple story, which is fine, but after a couple of reads, it was hard for me to read it regularly.
What to Read Instead
Bros by Carole Boston Weatherford
This rhyming book is a quick, fun read. It features pairs of short rhyming sentences such as “Bros dare. We care.” These statements are accompanied by cheerful images of a group of Black boys throughout the day. They do everything from playing superheroes to visiting the library, gardening to styling their hair. Taking inspiration from the #BlackBoyJoy movement, Bros offers an impressively nuanced depiction of boyhood that celebrates African American youth and challenges racial and gendered stereotypes. It may be composed of simple sentences, but it’s a whimsical day-in-the-life read.
Overrated Picture Book #5
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve read this book to my kiddo. What I can tell you is that I got tired of it very quickly, even if, to Brown’s credit, my child didn’t. It’s an easy enough book, simply wishing a good night to the objects in a young rabbit’s room, but the lack of narrative and the flat illustrations made it a hard book to have to read again and again (and again) night after night. This is one of those picture books that may hold a young reader’s attention, but it’ll do so at the expense of the adult who’s subjected to it for as long as it’s requested.
What to Read Instead
The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc
Marianne Dubuc’s beautifully illustrated picture book has a very simple storyline: Lion takes in an injured bird left behind by its flock. They spend the winter together in quiet companionship until Bird flies away with the flock in the spring. Lion clearly misses Bird, but continues with his peaceful life. Will Bird come back in the fall when it’s time to migrate again? This is a sweet tale of friendship and letting those we love go in hopes that they return to us. It’s been years since I read this one to my kiddo, but we still recite lines from it in our house (my personal favorite: “Sometimes, life is like that.”).
There are more brilliant picture books out there now than ever before. If you’re looking for well-established titles, look no further than this list of 65 essential picture books. Alternatively, if you’re in the mood for something a little different, check out these fun-to-read rhyming picture books. For the freshest titles in children’s books, peruse this list of new children’s books out this month.
English (US) · 