Picture Books Books in Order

Bill Cotter's picture books gather together stories that are not part of one ongoing Larry adventure. They still share his clear cartoon style, visual jokes, and interest in making young readers active participants, but each title has its own setting and purpose.

Some are built around a single childhood wish or question. In Beard in a Box, a boy wants a beard like his dad's and finds a product that promises to help. The joke begins with the too-good-to-be-true beard seeds, then grows into a warm father-and-son story about patience and spending time together.

Hello, Airplane! is quieter but just as visual. It follows an airplane from takeoff to landing as it travels above houses, clouds, and the night sky. The book keeps the language simple and lets the changing views do much of the work, making it a natural fit for children who love vehicles or are curious about flying.

Cotter also makes books that introduce early concepts through faces, pictures, and play. Little Face Big Face uses animal faces to explore pairs of opposites, while Happy Face / Sad Face uses children and their expressions to do the same. The words are brief, the pictures are bright, and the books invite listeners to name what they see or copy the expressions themselves.

These titles are connected more by approach than by plot. Cotter likes clear setups that young children can understand right away: wanting to be like Dad, watching a plane's journey, noticing a long face or a sad face. From there, he adds a small surprise, a rhyme, or an image worth lingering over.

They are made for sharing.

There is no required reading order for these standalone books. Choose Beard in a Box for a funny family story, Hello, Airplane! for a calm transportation read, and the face books for toddlers beginning to explore feelings, faces, and opposites. Across the group, the tone stays friendly, silly, and easy to bring into a lap read or storytime.