by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 07, 2009

To a child, the world is still a new and exciting place, and the best picture books can meet their hopefulness with imaginative pictures. Lavish illustrations create magical memories that really do last a lifetime, and they can also send a message that the world is a special place. Here's three picture books that are proven to stand the test of time - because I still remember them, 40 years after I read them as a child!

I am a Bunny (by Richard Scarry and Ole Rissom)

"In the spring, I like to pick flowers. I chase the butterflies, and the butterflies chase me." An adorable bunny named Nicholas plays in a sunny field in this classic picture book. The gorgeous illustrations find the friendly rabbit in different seasons and different settings - and yes, there's wildflowers and butterflies. Richard Scarry has sold over 300 million books, but it was 1963 when he teamed up with Ole Risom, the art director of Little Golden Books, whose specialty was writing for pre-schoolers. Together they crafted one of the most beautiful picture books ever published. You'll never forget the drawing of the poor rabbit huddled under a mushroom as the rain comes down - or the bunny blowing dandelion seeds into the wind.

Happiness is a Warm Puppy (a Peanuts book by Charles M. Schulz)

Everyone loves Charlie Brown and Snoopy - but it's easy to forget how wonderful the drawings were. And in this book, Schulz drew a collection of happy pictures - like Lucy with an enormous smile on her face, hugging the friendly beagle, Snoopy. There's no story - just one heart-warming picture after another, along with an explanatory caption. Happiness is a comfy snack, or pretending in an empty box, Schulz explains, but the feeling comes through each one of his brilliant illustrations. Charlie Brown may be famous for getting depressed, but these fun pictures show each one of the Peanuts characters in a moment of unmistakable childhood joy. And after seeing those drawings it's pretty obvious that a warm puppy would, indeed, bring a moment of happiness.

Childcraft: Poems of Early Childhood (by World Book)

This is perhaps the greatest picture book of all time. (Ask anyone over the age of 30, and chances are they'll remember this book.) In the 1940s, a lavish 15 volume series of children's anthologies was created by World Book encyclopedias. "All the beauty, all the poetry, all the magic of life are set down in the little black marks that trail across the white pages of books," reads the introduction. (It's written

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