Smithsonian.com

Three great picture books from 2011. Photo by Ryan R. Reed

As we continue to acknowledge this year’s outstanding titles, three offerings seemed to merit a special shout-out all their own.

Waddles by David McPhail
A text-and-image magician who has illustrated more than 100 books for children, including Budgie & Boo, Water Boy, and When Sheep Sleep,  McPhail is simply a national treasure. Fortunate is the child who grows up in the company of McPhail’s imagination. Waddles showcases a master at the top of his form. McPhail’s portly raccoon may have a yen for pizza, but he maintains an even bigger appetite for the quiet joy of friendship.

Peter and the Winter Sleepers by Rick de Haas
From a surpassingly talented Dutch illustrator, an entrancing tale of the night when a blizzard swirls around the lighthouse where a boy and his grandmother wait out the storm, snug in their redoubt. Soon, they discover, there will always be room to shelter a motley cavalcade of wayfarers. The perfect read for the first snowy night.

Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and his Art by J. H. Shapiro, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
When Guyton, the Detroit artist, began creating sculpture from cast-off materials and using the walls of abandoned houses as his canvas, he revived his dying Detroit neighborhood. Today, his internationally acclaimed Heidelberg Project celebrates its 25th year, a template for the transformational power of art.