The bond between moms and their kids is a special one, to be sure. Moms are so often much more than just parents; they’re bike-riding instructors, arts and crafts facilitators, boo-boo fixers, secret keepers, and culinary creators of the finest mac n’ cheese. So, as Mother’s Day approaches, it’s a good time to check into books that celebrate moms for all they do and the love of the little ones they do it for. These ten picture books are the perfect read to share with the mom (or moms) in any little reader’s life.
Chicka Chicka I Love Mom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, Illustrated by Julien Chung
A companion title to the classic and much-loved alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, this delightful read is a colorful abecedarian ode to motherly love. With adorably punny sentiments such as “Always B mine” and “Bright E-nough, you glow!” to tickle the funnybones, this book serves double-duty as a heartfelt appreciation of moms and early-literacy instruction on letter shapes and sounds. This makes a great gift for early readers and their mamas to share.
Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many Languages by Uma Menon, Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell
There are so many words for moms in English alone: Mother, Mommy, Mama. But what do children call their mothers in other languages? As a young child builds a birdhouse with her friend, Angelina, her mother offers praise; “Thanks, Amma!” the child replies. When Angelina asks what Amma means, the child replies that it’s the Malayalam word she uses for her mom. Angelina is intrigued because she calls her mom Mamá. The pair consider their neighborhood friends and the many words they use for their moms — Mana, Mãe, Nanay, Eomma, Umma, and many more. Still, it’s easy to know that all of these different names and nicknames for their moms really mean the same thing: love.
Eighteen Summers by Penny Harrison, Illustrated by Leila Rudge
Warning: This one is bound to bring a tear to any parent’s eye. As a mom holds her infant on a cozy yellow blanket with quilted stars, she promises that for the next eighteen summers, the two of them are bound for the most wonderful adventures. As the artwork shows, summer days are filled with picnics and tea parties, building sandcastles and climbing trees, and even building a sailboat together (which the art and text allude to be a metaphor for the child striking out on their own). And since the mother knows that she only has eighteen summers with her child, she promises to make them all as special as can be.
A Card for My Mom by Bashabi Fraser, Illustrated by Maanvi Kapur
The young narrator of this story has just enough to purchase the perfect Mother’s Day card for her mom, but when she arrives at the card store, she is disappointed. While there are plenty of cards that show moms with blue eyes, red or blonde hair, and pale skin, none of these cards feel right for her mom. None of the cards represent her mother’s dark eyes or “happy brown face,” or the jingle-jangle of her gold jewelry when she dances the bhangra, or the beautiful silk kameez she wears when she buys papaya at the market. Unsatisfied with this lack of representation, the girl decides to make a card of her own, one that showcases all the things that make her Mom — and her Mom’s culture — special.
My Mama Bear and Me by Sophie Beer
From the beloved author-illustrator of Kindness Makes Us Strong and Love Makes a Family comes a darling tale of motherly affection. While teddy bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears are all pretty cool, the young narrator of this book lives with the cuddliest, fuzziest bear of all: his Mama Bear. She can be gruffly in the mornings, but she has strong and gentle paws, gives roly-poly bathtimes and bedtime routines, and, of course, has plenty of cozy bear hugs to share. This adorable title not only a silly yet warm look at how much mama bears love their little cubs, it also features the kind of awesomely inclusive representation — including single motherhood, female body hair, and a diverse group of kids at the narrator’s preschool — that Beer is known for.
Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera
As a little girl descends the stairs, she is greeted warmly by her mother. They are the only two awake yet; Papa and brother Luca are still asleep. The pair start the day by sipping on drinks: a fancy teacup for Mama, a sippy cup for the girl. They brush their teeth together, shower, pick out clothes, and eat warm oatmeal (with blueberries for Mama, bananas for the girl). They do their hair, don galoshes, and explore the rain-slicked world outside. When it’s bedtime, the girl is tucked in by Mama and relaxes into the cozy dark, thinking of all the little moments that made her simple day with Mama so special. This sweet slice-of-life tale is as beautiful visually as it is in prose, taking the simple and often-overlooked beauty in everyday moments between mother and child and exalting them to the sublime.
A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, Illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz
Heads up, Millennials, this one’s for you. Adapting her mega-hit song to picture book form, Perri reimagines the lyrics as a mother’s promise of everlasting love to their child. As Ruiz’s heavenly artwork teeters between the everyday moments of watching an infant grow into toddlerhood, then childhood and beyond, the text expresses the moments of fear and uncertainty that come hand in hand with encouraging one’s child to develop courage and independence. However, the always-affecting refrain of the song — “I have loved you for a thousand years, I’ll love you for a thousand more” — perfectly captures the mother’s boundless love. Dreamy, heartwarming, and with the added bonus of a visibly tattooed parent/caregiver (more of this rarely-seen rep in picture books, please!)
My Mom by Susan Quinn, Illustrated by Sarah Mathew
For a long time, explains the child narrator of this story, their mom wasn’t sure if her dream of having a child would ever come true. Then, one day, her child floated into her arms like a star falling from the sky, and they could begin their adventure together. From sailing a ship around their garden to a picnic on the moon, there is nothing that the pair can’t do when they’re together. The pair spend the day exploring and drawing, then tucking in at bedtime, when Mom assures her little one that she loved them before they’d even met. Another incredibly touching title that subtly represents both biological and adoptive motherhood and features a much-appreciated representation of limb difference in Mom.
Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin, Illustrated by Kip Alizadeh
Do you know what the best thing about having two moms is? Twice the mom hugs! Though for the toddler at the center of this charming tale, there are plenty of things to love about the day spent with his moms. As the trio rides bikes to the fruit stand and the zoo, the text assures that just as “every worm has a wiggle, and every cow has a moo,” there are also plenty of hugs to go around. Again, representation is a major plus here, depicting a lovely day-in-the-life of a queer family and a masc-presenting mom. Yet beyond this, it’s also a simple tale of the warmth, encouragement, and security that moms give their babies, so often through the language of a comforting hug.
You Be Mommy by Karla Clark, Illustrated by Zoe Persico
“Can you be mommy?” an exhausted mother jokingly asks her youngest child at bedtime. After all, Mommy has had a big day. She worked a full shift at her retail job, then came home to a messy house. She helped with homework, bathed the dog, drove the older siblings to their practices, did laundry, mended clothes, cooked, and so on. Mommy is just feeling a little… well, pooped! Gamely, her little girl plays along, wiping Mommy’s nose, tucking her in under her favorite blanket, and giving goodnight kisses and cuddles. Yet when the little girl begins to drift off herself, Mommy smiles, and does what mommies always do: takes care of her baby. This one pulls off a subtle balance of celebrating hard-working moms while reminding younger readers of everything moms do for their families and why they do these things — because they care.
We hope that you and your little readers enjoy these books and that they inspire both of you to thank any of the moms in your life who take care of you. Happy reading!
Looking for more picture books that celebrate moms? Check out our article on Awesome Children’s Books All About Amazing Working Moms.
For all of our recommendations for mini bookworms, check out our Bookshop bookshelf.
