Some books are made to read out loud, sharing the pleasures of story-telling with our children, others simply to stare at, longingly and lovingly, and of course to talk about. The massive success last year of the large-scale picturebook The Animalium, a tome of great beauty that presented a dreamscape of illustrated taxonomy, of fact and art, has paved the way for fresh non-fiction wonders. Now we have the follow-up, the Historium (Big Picture Press, £20), “curated” by Richard Wilkinson and Jo Nelson. Although not quite as marvellous as the Animalium – because how could the works of man compare with the surreal treasures of nature? – it is nevertheless a fascinating tour of thousands of years of human artefacts, from the Lewis chessmen to the bust of Queen Nefertiti and Egyptian papyrus. And it is not alone. Simple concepts, charmingly illustrated are the trend of the season.

Among them is Home, written and illustrated by Carson Ellis (Walker, £11.99) in which alongside minimal text, we can find the angular semi-geodesic boxy house of a Japanese businessman, the studio of an artist, the kitchen of a babushka, the underwater dwelling of an Atlantean, and the boot-like abode, of (naturally) an old woman. These are windows on imaginary, and sometimes fantastic, lives, but also prompts talk about the meaning of home. “This is my home,” writes Ellis, "and this is me. Where is your home? And where are you?” Ellis has said she was inspired by the comic-artist Blexbolex's People, a book, which, when she saw it, prompted the thought: “You know what’s good about this book? The guy who made it didn’t spend ages trying to come up with the right story. Instead he started drawing what he loves to draw and just let a narrative unfold.”

Or, there is A Book Of Feelings, by Amanda McCardie (Walker, £11.99), which covers just about all the up-and-down emotions a child might have: embarrassment, shyness, sadness, crossness. A perfect focus for chat about the full rainbow of human feelings.

But there are stories too: our appetite for them, after all, has not diminished. Among my favourite picture books published this season is Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers (Harper Collins, £12.99) in stunning collaboration. There have, of course, been many stories about imaginary friends, but what’s special in this one is that the story begins with Fred, an imaginary person, lonely and dreaming of a living friend. “Fred floated like a feather in the wind until a lonely little child wished for him.” Fred finally finds Sam, with whom he shares an interest in music and how toilets work, and the relationship blossoms – only to be threatened by that monster, a real live friend.

And there is delight to be found, in the form of poet and novelist Ron Butlin’s children's book, Here Come The Trolls, illustrated by James Hutcheson (Birlinn, £6.99). It was about time trolls had a revamp, and were able to distance themselves from their contemporary caricaturing as either hairy goat-eating monsters or sad insecure men stabbing away at computer keyboards. Here, they are almost Smurf-like in their pointy blue hats, and more like Gremlins in their mischief-making activities. And with its gentle rhyming and rolling rhythm, this has a retro feel that seems to evoke both Dr Seuss and Maurice Sendak at the same time. Naughty, rather than nasty; magical rather than monstrous.

Meanwhile, Domenica More Gordon, who originally made her name as the creator of an enchanting range of alarmingly realistic felt dogs, continues her project of putting them on the page, in her picture-stories of Archie, the Highland terrier, and his owner, a fellow dog. With her frenetic, frenzied illustrations, she conveys in Archie Loves Skipping (Bloomsbury, £12.99) all the jumpiness of a day in the park with the dogs, which of course involves skipping – a breathless joy.

Also beguiling, are two picture books published by Frances Lincoln. David Litchfield’s The Bear And The Piano (Frances Lincoln, £11.99) is a sumptuously illustrated tale of a bear cub who finds a piano in a forest, learns to play, goes to the city to find fame, but then misses his home. But it’s The 5 Misfits by Beatrice Alemagna (Frances Lincoln, £11.99), a tale of friendship and teamwork, that is among the most moving of this year’s books. Here are five odd creatures, each with a physical or personality fault or defect, living quite happily together – until, that is, The Perfect One arrives and makes improving them his project.