Mother’s Day is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate the moms (and mom-like figures!) in your life than with a book?
Always with You, Always with Me
By Kelly Rowland and Jessica McKay
Illustrated by Fanny Liem
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593465516 | Viking BFYR
Grammy Award–winning artist Kelly Rowland and educator Jessica McKay have crafted a lyrical celebration of working moms everywhere and a soothing story for their children. As a mother gets ready to go to work, first she works on building the world for her child. Because it can sometimes be hard to be separated during the day, Mom collects some simple words that she and her child can repeat whenever they are missing each other or feeling overwhelmed.
Great Job, Mom!
By Holman Wang
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774880364 | Tundra Books
Being a mom is eleven jobs in one! This unique picture book for very young readers celebrates the many jobs being a parent encompasses: A general who rallies the troops (or unruly kids), a curator of modern art (or finger paintings), an archeologist looking for buried treasures (or socks) . . . when Mom gets home from her day job as a carpenter, she never knows which job will be waiting for her, but she knows it’ll be fun!
Hello, Mommy!: A Touch-and-Feel Playbook
By Ladybird
Illustrated by Lemon Ribbon Studio
10 Pages | Ages 0-2 | Board Book
ISBN 9780241530382 | Ladybird
Celebrate mothers in this adorable installment of the Baby Touch series! Meow along with mommy cat and her kitten, and quack along with mommy duck and her duckling in this charming addition to the Baby Touch series. This delightful board book is filled with bold illustrations and exciting, interactive moments on every page for young readers
How You Came to Be
By Carole Gerber
Illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi
32 Pages | Ages 2-4 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593225738 | Rise x Penguin Workshop
A mother lovingly describes the sizes and stages of her baby’s month-by-month development inside the womb, and the amazement of experiencing it from the outside. Simple, age-appropriate facts are woven into a tender and lyrical text that celebrates the miracle of a baby. It demystifies and informs readers, while simultaneously appreciating the wonder of it all. A perfect read-aloud for mother and child, or for children whose mothers are pregnant with a younger sibling.
Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle
By Nina LaCour
Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536211511 | Candlewick
For one little girl, there’s no place she’d rather be than sitting between Mama and Mommy. So when Mommy goes away on a work trip, it’s tricky to find a good place at the table. As the days go by, Mama brings her to the library, they watch movies, and all of them talk on the phone, but she still misses Mommy as deep as the ocean and as high as an astronaut up in the stars. As they pass by a beautiful garden, the girl gets an idea . . . but when Mommy finally comes home, it takes a minute to shake off the empty feeling she felt all week before leaning in for a kiss. Michael L. Printz Award winner Nina LaCour thoughtfully renders a familiar, touching story of a child who misses a parent, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, whose distinctive style brings charm and playfulness to this delightful family of three.
Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps
By Charlotte Watson Sherman
Illustrated by Geneva Bowers
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781635923100 | Astra Young Readers
When Kenzie slips on her mermaid tail, she becomes Mermaid Kenzie, protector of the deeps. One day as Kenzie snorkels around a shipwreck, she discovers more plastic bags than fish. Grabbing her spear and mermaid net, she begins to clean up the water and the shore – inspiring other kids to help. Beautifully written in African American Vernacular English, this poetic picture book includes back matter with information about how plastic winds up in our oceans and examples of people – some of them kids, like Kenzie – who have worked to protect the sea. Mermaid Kenzie celebrates the ways that all of us, no matter how small, can make a difference.
Mommy’s Hometown
By Hope Lim
Illustrated by Jaime Kim
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536213324 | Candlewick
This gentle, contemplative picture book about family origins invites us to ponder the meaning of home. A young boy loves listening to his mother describe the place where she grew up, a world of tall mountains and friends splashing together in the river. Mommy’s stories have let the boy visit her homeland in his thoughts and dreams, and now he’s old enough to travel with her to see it for himself. But when mother and son arrive, the town is not as he imagined. Skyscrapers block the mountains, and crowds hurry past. The boy feels like an outsider – until they visit the river where his mother used to play, and he sees that the spirit and happiness of those days remain. Sensitively pitched to a child’s-eye view, this vivid story honors the immigrant experience and the timeless bond between parent and child, past and present.
My Love for You is Always
By Gillian Sze
Illustrated by Michelle Lee
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593203071 | Philomel Books
What is love? a child wonders. What does it feel like, smell like, taste like? How does it move? How long does it last? And as she prepares a traditional Chinese meal for her family, the child’s mother replies: her love for him is rosy as wolfberries, warm like tea, sweeter than the red dates she puts in his soup. It shines through the water like its own brilliant sun. It goes round and round with no beginning and no end. Because a mother’s love for a child is always there, warm and soft, broad and tender. In this tender story that pairs beautifully poetic words with brilliantly stunning art, a mother’s love comes alive on the page and wraps readers in its warm embrace.
Oceans of Love
By Janet Lawler
Illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593326756 | Viking BFYR
From whales and dolphins, to hermit crabs and jellyfish, the ocean is filled with many different creatures. Join them on this imaginary undersea journey as ocean mamas care for their babies, each in their own special way! Because one thing is universal: there’s no other love like that between mamas and their little ones. With bright and beautiful watercolor illustrations comes this tender and heartwarming celebration of all the different mamas and babies you can find, especially those that live under the sea.
Somewhere, Right Now
By Kerry Docherty
Illustrated by Suzie Mason
32 Pages | Ages 3-5 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593350492 | Flamingo Books
When Alma is experiencing the lows of unexpected disappointment, her mom offers her the wise advice that she just might feel better if she closes her eyes and pictures something beautiful that’s happening in nature. Inspired by the current pandemic, this book is a relevant but timeless reminder that somewhere in the world something beautiful is happening. Maybe it’s a baby whale being born, or perhaps it’s the sun coming out on a cloudy day; right now our resilient world is making something incredible happen.
Tough Like Mum
By Lana Button
Illustrated by Carmen Mok
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265981 | Tundra Books
Kim’s mum is tough. Everyone says so. She can deal with unruly customers at the Red Rooster with a snap of her fingers. Kim is tough, too. She doesn’t need to wear a hat to keep her ears warm. And she can make soup all by herself, even without the stove. Kim and her mum are tough. But Kim is learning that sometimes toughness doesn’t look like what you’d expect. In this tender exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, Kim and her mother learn that in order to support and truly take care of each other, they need to be tough – and that sometimes being tough means showing vulnerability and asking for help.
Waiting for Mama
By Gianna Marino
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9780425290705 | Viking BFYR
It’s deep winter in the Antarctic and a little penguin baby waits in the cold and snow for its mama to return from her long journey to find food. But all the while, the baby is protected and kept warm by its papa, until Mama returns with food . . . and love. With stunning illustrations and a spare but powerful story, Gianna Marino captures the icy beauty of Antarctica and the wonders of a penguin family that thrives there.