Fun Picture Books about Wanting a Little Space

Fun Picture Books about Wanting a Little Space

Sometimes I just really want some time alone and some space to myself.  I enjoy company, but I have also learned to appreciate solitude.  Because my kiddos are usually the ones following me around and interacting with me I sometimes forget that they can be the same way.  Sometimes they feel a little overwhelmed by the stress of too many activities, too much noise, and even siblings and they can use a little space and time alone themselves.  This book list is one that I have compiled of books that feature characters who all want a bit of space for themselves.  They are all written in an upbeat way with a dash of  humor and all of them (with arguably the exception of one) also bring up the point that while alone time is nice, being with those you love and enjoy is wonderful as well.  I love that both sides of this balancing act are represented.

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“Charlotte the Scientist is Squished” by Camille Andros and Brianne Farley-  This book is absolutely darling!  It’s all about a bunny with dozens of brothers and sisters that she loves, but for goodness sakes, as a budding scientist she needs a little room to conduct some experiments! A problem she solves through the scientific method. In the end she finds the way to balance a having a little bit of space to herself, while still enjoying the company of loved ones.

“Leave Me Alone!” by Vera Brosgol-  Confession: I knew that I HAD to have this book the moment that I first read the title and saw the cover. It made me chuckle to myself. Partly because of the huge font and the woman’s desperate expression, and partly because I knew it would be one that I could relate to in a humorous way. And pleasantly enough, it was! Children will enjoy the dramatic approach this book takes as they think of times their parents have desperately cried out for a bit of alone time and parents will enjoy this book as they wistfully imagine how wonderful it would be every now and then to visit an obliging wormhole in space for a bit of peace and quiet. I mean, anyone else ever feel that way or am I the only one along with this lovely elderly lady?  In the end she returns refreshed from some time alone and ready to enjoy her family once more.

“Hibernation Hotel” by John Kelly and Laura Brenlla-  Bear hibernates every year and every year all his friends want to join him.  Bear loves his friends, but the problem is that they snore and bump  him and he just wants to hibernate alone.  One year Bear decides he is going to make it happen and he checks into Hibernation Hotel.  In the beginning he has the time of his life enjoying his new solitude, but in the end he is happy to see his friends again when they show up at his door missing him.

“The Quiet Crocodile” by Natacha Andriamirado and Delphine Renon- Crocodile is a very quiet sort of fellow who really enjoys being alone.  However, he has many loud and excitable friends that really want him to play.  In the beginning crocodile doesn’t want to scare them away, but a surprise ending has the reader wondering if he finally joined them in playtime or if he gobbled them up out of frustration.  You be the judge in this completely quirky and unique book!

“My Very Own Space” by Pippa Goodhart and Rebecca Crane- This is the story of a bunny with so many brothers and sisters that he just wants a little space all his own. In the end he learns that sometimes it is so nice to have space, and sometimes it is so nice to have company because being alone can get lonely sometimes. The illustrations in this book are not only incredibly darling (think dozens of bunnies in fun outfits with their own personalities), but the palette is dreamy and the illustrators use of space is so clever as she conveys the message of the book.

“A Visitor For Bear” by Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton-  Bear is a character who is certain that he wants to be alone.  As a result he always is, until one day a determined little mouse who refuses to leave shows him how nice it can be to have a friend.  Children love the repetition in this book of the mouse who continues to defy the impossible and continues to show up in bears home as well as the softening in the end of Bear’s heart.

“Bruce’s Big Move” by Ryan T. Higgins-  Bruce is a bear who has had enough of three mice who decided, without invitation, to move in with him and his three adopted geese.  There is simply to much noise and chaos for Bruce so he packs up his geese and they move away.  However, life without the mice isn’t exactly what they thought it would be and in the end Bruce realizes that he does prefer the chaotic because it is what he has become comfortable with.

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