Book Series, Part 1: Picture Books

A book series is comprised of two or more books that have certain characteristics in common. Some series are written by the same author and generally feature the same characters, settings, and a progression of events. An example is Mildred D. Taylor’s Logan family stories, which include Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry—the second and most popular book in that series. In the American Girl series, however, various authors explore different characters. Authors Connie Rose Porter and Denise Lewis Patrick penned the stories of Black American girls Addy and Cecile, respectively. Still, a series can have books that function alone, ones that can be read in any order the reader chooses (e.g. the Max series by Ken Wilson-Max).

The first of our three part series on series feature picture books. Part two will cover chapter and middle grade series.  And part three, teen and young adult series. Happy Reading!