This study sought to revisit established definitions of critical visual literacy and determine how this concept could be re-envisioned specifically for picture books when informed by the approaches of teacher education students who had received limited prior formal instruction on critiquing visual texts. Seventeen sophomore elementary education students engaged in written self-discourse around the visual narrative of "Milo Imagines the World" written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson where they generated questions and answers critically engaging with the visuals. These participants' responses underwent thematic analysis informed by grounded theory which uncovered a collective definition for critical picture book literacy (CPBL), a reframing of critical visual literacy specifically derived from and for picture books. This definition centred illustrator agency, representation of identities and lived experiences, and unconscious bias of creators and readers.