Picture books are a fun way to read books. You finished reading something, feel accomplish and can binge without really taking a lot of time out of your day. Take an hour and you can have half a dozen or more reads under your belt depending on the size of them. Two books that would be a good hour read are the two below. The first is a bit on the longer side and paced so you do want to take your time. The second one is a wordless picture book, but that does not mean you don’t need to take your time with it. You do. You need to savor each part of both.
Salmon Run: An epic journey to the ocean and back by Annie Chen came out in 2025, but I still was able to read via an online reader copy. While maybe it is not the easiest book to find an audience for, it is unique and when you find the right reader (or listener) it is perfect. The information is complete, but introductory as well. The illustrations are both realistic and dream-like. It is a good mix of fact, educational and fun. The extras allow it to grow with your reader.
Snowfall by Sun-jung Park is due in September and in time for purchase as a Christmas gift. Near the end of things, you see a christmas tree, therefore it does lend itself to that holiday, but the way it is set up allows you to be anytime. The images are fun, sweet, somber but always cute. The ghost-like-snowflakes (or snowflake-like-ghosts) float down, playing with the wind, getting dizzy, hiding in plain sight with the light, having fun with the oddly eyed doggie. The softness, deep and richness of things really brings it all together.
While Salmon Run is factually, the illustrations do allow for a more artful presentation. The facts are plentiful and give you almost anything you would want in an introduction to the salmon, follow one particular one as she does her journey of life. And Snowfall is mostly artistic. No texts means you make the story up. For me, the snow was just being happy, sweet, and a bit contemplative. But magical and certain images made me remember why I enjoy snow falling around things and to the ground. Both were a lovely experience that probably won’t take you an hour. Or at least on the first round of reading..
