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Are there any great illustrated books like the Harry Potter ones?


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While I was looking for the Wizard of Oz book and trying to find one with this original illustrations I was surprised that there weren't any beautifully illustrated versions. I'm talking about something similar to the Harry Potter ones. Those books are just stunning. Are there any books similar that are appropriate for kids?

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Why yes! :)

Robert Ingpen does an amazing Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, Pinocchio, Just So Stories and so forth.

 

Inga Moore has a lovely Wind in the Willow (so does Ingpen) and a gorgeous Secret Garden.

 

Gustafson Peter Pan is lovely and my favorite.

 

Hague does a whole host of beautiful illustrations of the classics. Doctor Dolittle is especially great.

 

Oxenbury Alice in Wonderland is amazing.

 

Check out Hilderbrandt for some really lush and amazing illustrations of the classics.

 

Don Quixote Candlewick Illustrated Classic is another great one.

 

Oh! And there is a Little Prince Unabridged pop up that is incredible!

Edited by nixpix5
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When my boys were young I read them out loud a beautifully illustrated abridged version of, "The Wizard of OZ". It still took at least two hours to read aloud.

 

After that my boys would sometimes look at the illustrated version when I read the complete version out loud. I think they just cut out two or three chapters.

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This edition of Pinocchio:

https://www.amazon.com/Pinocchio-Carlo-Collodi/dp/0224070568/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1501972214&sr=8-29&keywords=pinocchio+book+carlo+collodi

 

I got it from the library years ago and did it as a read aloud and still think about it and wonder if I should get it even though my kids are 14 and 11 (for when they have kids I guess). One of my favorite read alouds in part because of the illustrations.

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This edition of Pinocchio:

https://www.amazon.com/Pinocchio-Carlo-Collodi/dp/0224070568/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1501972214&sr=8-29&keywords=pinocchio+book+carlo+collodi

 

I got it from the library years ago and did it as a read aloud and still think about it and wonder if I should get it even though my kids are 14 and 11 (for when they have kids I guess). One of my favorite read alouds in part because of the illustrations.

This is my favorite Pinocchio and I found it at our goodwill. The kids were looking through it before I had a chance to and there is that hanging illustration that bothered them a little but it really brings the book to life.

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Oh, I love those illustrated Harry Potters! (I LOVE gorgeous illustrations in general!) I'm not sure if these are all exactly what you're looking for (not all of these are fiction), but below are a couple books we have that are gorgeously illustrated:

 

-A Year Full of Stories

-The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

-Usborne Illustrated Grimm's Fairy Tales

-Women in Science

-All the Diana Hutts Aston nature books

- Maps

-50 States

-City Atlas

-Animalium

 

Tip: If you search for "Usborne Illustrated Classics," or "Usborne Illustrated Originals," tons of beautiful books come up. (I found an Usborne Illustrated Wizard of Oz for you here!) I only have the one Usborne book--the Grimm's one--but it's gorgeous and I definitely plan to get a bunch of these others in the future. 

 

Another tip: I've learned that if you like a particular illustrator and search for their name, lots of their other books (as well as lots of similar artists) will come up. So I often search by illustrator.

 

Hope that helps!

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The Tasha Tudor illustrated versions of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess are lovely.

Seconding Ingpen.

We have The Wind in the Willows illustrated by Ernest Shepherd and I love it, though I have sern orhers I like too.

Scribners Illustrated Classics are illustrated by
N. C. Wyeth. We have Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, The Black Arrow and The Scottish Chiefs. Scribners also publishes The Storybook Classics with carefully abridged versions and all the Wyeth art. We have several of these too. They are picturebook format, thin books. 

The Hobbit with Tolkien's own illustrations is a beautiful hardback with a slipcase.

Edited by ScoutTN
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The Tasha Tudor illustrated versions of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess are lovely.

 

Seconding Ingpen.

 

We have The Wind in the Willows illustrated by Ernest Shepherd and I love it, though I have sern orhers I like too.

 

Scribners Illustrated Classics are illustrated by

N. C. Wyeth. We have Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, The Black Arrow and The Scottish Chiefs. Scribners also publishes The Storybook Ckassics with carefully abridged versions and all the Wyeth art. We have several of these too.

 

The Hobbit with Tolkien's own illustrations is a nice gaddback with a slipcase.

I forgot about Scribner! I love their Peter Pan, White Fang and Kidnapped.

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You might try oddkins by dean koontz. Yes, i know dean koontz is better known for his adult books that are entirely inappropriate for children, but oddkins is a great story that works for children about the battle between good and evil.

 

Another beautifully illustrated chapter book my girls loved was gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger. Gwinna is a lower reading level than the first book of Harry Potter, but harder reading level than the magic tree house. It is out of print, but amazon still sells copies.

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  • 3 weeks later...

...  Another beautifully illustrated chapter book my girls loved was gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger. Gwinna is a lower reading level than the first book of Harry Potter, but harder reading level than the magic tree house. It is out of print, but amazon still sells copies.

 

What fun to see a mention of Gwinna here.  My daughter loved that book when she was younger.  (She's now out of college!)

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I second Ingpen's books. We own all but a few & they are just delightful, all though I'd flip through A Secret Garden before purchasing. We just felt he made Mary's eyes.. creepy. Usborne has also illustrated classics without abridging the titles. We picked up The Railway Children like that without realising it was an Usborne title. :) 

There's also a copy of Anne Of Green Gables which is illustrated by Laura Fernandez & Rick Jacobsen that we own & love. There aren't nearly as many illustrations in it as there are in the beautiful HP books, but it's still a lovely edition. John Burningham has done a 50th Anniversary Edition of Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang that's also nice. LOTS of illustrations in that one, & there were a few instances to practice our French with it. :)

If you can find the OOP Special Read Aloud Editions of The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe it's also beautifully illustrated. We picked that one up a few years ago second hand & I so wish I could obtain the entire series that way. Never mind we have the whole series in the new sleek pages that are also with colour illustrations. The SRAE is still amazing all though the illustrations are in B&W. 

We also own an Illustrated {colour} version of A Bear Called Paddington illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. She captured P. Bear wonderfully. No full page illustrations, but lots of small ones throughout the whole book. We have the hardback 50th Anniversary Edition. There's an oversized edition of Charlotte's Web as well which is illustrated, in colour, by Garth Williams. Due to the size of the book the illustrations are really large & beautiful. You can also find an illustrated edition of The Hobbit, again not as many illustrations as HP, but they are beautifully done & full page. I believe the book says 48 in total. It's illustrated by Michael Hague.

I'm certain, somewhere on the shelf we have an illustrated version of Moby Dick, A Journey To The Centre Of The Earth {all though I think this one only had one in it despite being listed as fully illustrated}, several Aussie Classics, Black Ships Before Troy {the illustrated version of this is just amazing..}, Greek Myths, etc. :)

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There are Tolkein books illustrated by Alan Lee. I haven't seen any in person (only online), but I can't imagine them not being good. Although The Hobbit is only 280 odd pages, so the text may be abridged. He worked with Peter Jackson on the movie visuals and I love his illustrations in Rosemary Sutcliffe's versions of Homer.

 

Robert Ingpen is also amazing.

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