How do simple words and images make a children’s picture book so magical that one reading can create a cherished memory for life? Here are 100 books that amply prove the picture book is an art form.

Here are books you’ll remember and new gems to discover. From The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901) to Last Stop on Market Street (2015), each of the 100 books is presented with a cover and inside spread as author Chris Loker explains the qualities that combine to make a successful picture book: the interplay between words and images, the dynamic pulse of picture and narrative that compels us to turn the page and follow the story, the sometimes quirky elements that appeal to both children and adults alike. It affirms what we all instinctively know, and have known since childhood — that a picture book is literature, art, and theater all rolled into one, miraculously blended and irresistibly presented.

Additionally, A Shimmer of Joy provides an intriguing array of information, not only about the books but also about the authors, artists, publishers, and designers who created them. Along the way, the reader gains insight into the evolving eras of children’s literature and book publishing in the 20th and 21st century, with fascinating stories of its publication history and biographies of the creators.

Anyone will gain a new, deeper, appreciation for the picture book while also remembering a time when, sitting in a classroom or on a lap, someone read you a book and opened up your world.

For the collector, bibliophile, or children’s book enthusiast, this collection is guaranteed to provide nothing but joy.

“All spot-on choices….a shop-window of the creative versatility embedded in children’s picture books over the decades.”—The Book Collector