Leo Lionni Children's Picture Books

Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children’s books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner—for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. Leo Lionni died in October of 1999 at his home in Tuscany, Italy, at the age of 89.

Titles: 

1. A Color of His Own
2. Inch by Inch
3. It's Mine!
4. Little Blue and Little Yellow 
5. Matthew's Dream
6. Nicolas, Where Have You Been?
7. Swimmy
8. The Alphabet Tree
9. Tico and the Golden Wings



A Color Of His Own 
Elephants are gray. Pigs are pink. Only the chameleon has no color of his own. He is purple like the heather, yellow like a lemon, even black and orange striped like a tiger! Then one day a chameleon has an idea to remain one color forever by staying on the greenest leaf he can find. But in the autumn, the leaf changes from green to yellow to red . . . and so does the chameleon. When another chameleon suggests they travel together, he learns that companionship is more important than having a color of his own. No matter where he goes with his new friend, they will always be alike.
Leo Lionni is the beloved creator of more than 40 books for children, four of which have been named Caldecott Honor Books. His bright illustrations vibrate with each of the chameleon's many colors, illuminating this heartfelt tale. A Color of His Own , like many of Lionni's other stories, works well both as a picture book and as an original fable with a subtle message for children: that true identity comes from who you are inside.



Frederick
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
ALA Notable Children’s Book
Library of Congress Children’s Book of the Year
New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year
Caldecott Honor Book
While the other field mice stockpile food for the winter, Frederick gathers rays from the sun, a rainbow of colors, and marvelous words. Frederick, an apparently lazy mouse, has a special surprise for the mice who thought he should have been storing up supplies for the winter.


Inch by Inch
Caldecott Honor Book

To keep from being eaten, an inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, a toucan's beak, a heron's legs, and a nightingale's song.
Meet a winning, winsome inchworm, proud of his ability to measure anything under the sun. When a hungry nightingale threatens to eat him for breakfast unless he can measure her song, it's a good thing he's so skilled — and so tricky.





It's Mine

"Stay out of the pond," yelled Milton. "The water is mine," shouted Rupert. "The earth is mine."
Three selfish frogs live together on an island in the middle of Rainbow Pond. All day long they bicker: It’s mine! It’s mine! It’s mine! But a bad storm and a big brown toad help them realize that sharing is much more fun. With characteristic clarity, simplicity and exuberance, Leo Lionni makes it possible for kids to see themselves through the antics of others who share our world.
It's Mine! is the Caldecott award-winning author/illustrator Leo Lionni's classic about three lovable frogs who learn a valuable lesson.



Little Blue and Little Yellow

Little Blue and Little Yellow are best friends, but one day they can’t find each other. When they finally do, they give each other such a big hug that they turn green! How they find their true colors again concludes a wonderfully satisfying story told with colorful pieces of torn paper and very few words.



Matthew's Dream
Matthew the mouse lives in a dreary corner of a dusty attic. But a trip to the museum helps him to see his surroundings in a new way. With brush in paw, Matthew sets out to paint "the shapes and colors of joy.” A cleverly told and beautifully illustrated tale of self discovery from four-time Caldecott Honor winner Leo Lionni.



Nicolas, Where Have You Been?

When the young mouse Nicolas sets out across the great meadow alone in search of ripe red berries, he is grabbed up by the claws of a huge bird and carried high into the sky. But that is only the beginning of Nicolas’s adventure. How he gets the berries he was hoping to find, and learns to trust the very creatures he thought were his enemies, makes this Leo Lionni fable one that young children will want to hear again and again.




Swimmy
ALA Notable Children’s Books
A New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year
Caldecott Honor Book

Deep in the sea there lives a happy school of little fish. Their watery world is full of wonders, but there is also danger, and the little fish are afraid to come out of hiding . . . until Swimmy comes along. Swimmy shows his friends how—with ingenuity and team work—they can overcome any danger. With its graceful text and stunning artwork, this Caldecott Honor Book deserves a place on every child’s shelf.




The Alphabet Tree

A strong wind blows most of the letters off the alphabet tree, and those that remain hide among the branches. Then a bug and a caterpillar come along and teach them how to arrange themselves into words and sentences to form a special message.