Picture Books for Older Readers

We often think of picture books as what we read to young children — books heavy on illustration and light on text.  However, picture books span a variety of reading levels and many of our most popular picture books contain content and vocabulary that is much better suited for an older reader.  We have a diverse collection of picture books for older readers including fiction, non-fiction and biography.  Below are some of my favorite picture books for older readers.

Ada Twist, Scientist

In this rhyming story, Ada Twist is a very curious girl who shows perseverance by asking questions and performing experiments to find things out and understand the world. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and eBook and eAudio on Hoopla.  


Fascinating: the Life of Leonard Nimoy

Once there was a boy named Leonard who loved to sing and to act. Fascinating is the story of how one boy followed his dreams to become one of the most beloved figures of our time.


I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what’s right for people everywhere. This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG tells the justice’s story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements.



Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocked to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art work had ever seen. But before that, he was a little boy who saw art everywhere: in poetry books and museums, in games and in the words that we speak, and in the pulsing energy of New York City. You can also check out this title as eBook on Overdrive/Libby or as eAudio on Overdrive/Libby.