Tag: picture books

Insect Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Insect Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Insect picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Insect Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3RfLIPc .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Cover for Log Life which has a fir tree growing from a nurse log. A mouse, snails, beetles, mushrooms are on the fallen log.

Log Life (Tiny Habitats) 

by Amy Hevron (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: This book is a narrative nonfiction that educates young readers about the life cycle of a giant fir tree that falls to the ground and transforms into a nurse log. As the log slowly decays in the forest, it becomes a source of nourishment for fungi, plants, insects, animals, and birds throughout the first year until it completely decomposes many decades later.

Comments: I had never heard of the term “nurse log” before and found it fascinating to learn about what happens to a fallen tree.

The illustrations were created using acrylic, marker, and pencil on Bristol board and then digitally collaged.

The back sections are More About Nurse-Log Habitats, Selected Sources, and Additional Reading.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The Monarch insect is on the milkweed. A field of bright flowers with the butterfly at different stages.

Milkweed for Monarchs 

by Christine Van Zandt (Author), Alejandra Barajas (Illustrator)

Brief summary: There are two types of text teaching readers about monarch butterflies. There is a lyrical, rhyming text and informative text boxes on each page.

Monarchs migrate back north after it warms to lay eggs on milkweed plants. We learn the stages of the butterfly from egg to adult.

Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Monarchs Need Our Help, How You Can Help, Fun Facts, The Senses, and Selected Bibliography.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants. There are different ants doing their duties which are explained inside the book.

The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants 

by Philip Bunting (Author)

Brief summary: The ant’s life cycle and fun facts are explained in this nonfiction book for kids. Each ant has a role in the colony.

Comments: Nonfiction texts often include helpful features that aid in understanding the information presented. These features may include charts, diagrams, captions, and labels.

I really enjoyed the puns and humorous language used in the text.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of Butterfly on the Wind of a girl waring white shirt and blue skirt signing butterfly creating a wind where several pink butterflies are flying around her.

Butterfly on the Wind 

by Adam Pottle (Author), Ziyue Chen (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Aurora is feeling nervous the day before her talent show. Sitting in her family’s garden, she practices hand-signing for the play she wrote. While she’s rehearsing, a butterfly lands on a flower and Aurora signs “butterfly,” creating a small wind. This little wind continues to other children around the world, who all start signing “butterfly” too, and the wind grows stronger. Will this wind help Aurora on the day of her talent show?

Comments: An Author’s Note and an ASL chart are in the back.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A blond hair girl with glasses is looking at various insect species while outside in the garden.

The Girl Who Loves Bugs 

by Lily Murray (Author), Jenny Løvlie (Illustrator)

Summary: Evie loves picking up insect species and other creepy crawlies. She enjoys looking at them with her magnifying glass and putting them in her pockets. Her family does not share her passion and tells her to leave them, as it’s time to go home.

Evie decides to take them inside and place them in her room.

Her extended family comes to visit the next day. What could possibly go wrong?

Comments: The illustrations are digital. The back pages share ideas for helping bugs and a brief biological sketch of Evelyn Cheesman, an entomologist who inspired the book.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Ben is in the summer garden full of flowers with bumblebees around him.

The Bumblebee Garden 

by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)

Summary: Ben and his grandpa spot a bumblebee in the garden. Grandpa educates his grandson about the bumblebee’s life cycle, explaining its activities in each season as the book unfolds.

Comments: There is a back section titled The Life Cycle of a Queen Bumblebee.

The illustrations were handcrafted using watercolor and colored pencils, finishing with digital methods.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Immigration Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Immigration Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Immigration picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Immigration Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Home is a Wish book cover with a young girls face looking into a puddle

Home Is a Wish 

by Julia Kuo (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: A young girl, her mother, and Amah leave their home for a new one in a different country where everything feels unfamiliar. Over time, they work together to create a new home.

Comments: A gentle book about immigration that would be a wonderful read aloud.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.

Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover of Thread by Thread with a knitted red house with windows that have mice family in the window.

Thread by Thread 

by Alice Brière-Haquet (Author), Michela Eccli (Illustrator), Sarah Ardizzone (Translator)

Brief summary: A family of mice have their knitted home come apart when more and more yarn unravels. They run away from a fire breathing dragon and go across the water in a knitted red boat to a land where they slowly knit their house back together with the help of other animals using different colored threads until they make a new safe home.

Comments: A wonderful allegory to teach elementary students about refugees and escaping to a new land that is safe.

This story was originally published din France in 2023 and translated to English in 2025.

The illustrations were created with drawing, photography, and yarn.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*I received a free copy of this book.

Book cover to A Star Shines Through with city apartments with hills in the background. A yellow star is shining through one of the windows. Apartments have ac, laundry hanging on a line, satellite dishes, and spotted yellow lights in the hils.

A Star Shines Through 

by Anna Desnitskaya (Author)

Brief summary: At the beginning of a war, a young girl and her mother flee their country. They settle in a new land with an unfamiliar language and cuisine. Amidst their new surroundings, the girl constructs a cardboard lamp, which she places in the window. It is reminiscent of the one from their previous home, establishing a connection between her past and present.

Comments:

I think this book would comfort those ESL students who realize what they have like the star lamp in the story that makes their new home feel a little bit like their old home.

The Author’s Note recounts her family’s necessity to emigrate due to the war in their home country, Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine.

The illustrations were created with hand-drawn contours and Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.

Book cover of Some of Us with a family hugging. The background includes fireworks, a crowd, and the Statue of Liberty.

Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States 

by Rajani LaRocca (Author), Huy Voun Lee (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Some people are U.S. citizens by birth, while others arrive from different countries and choose to become naturalized citizens. This picture book offers a meaningful way to introduce the many paths to citizenship and the personal stories behind why people choose to become Americans.

Comments: The illustrations are created with paper samples and Procreate.

The author’s note in the back shares about the author’s own immigration from India and becoming a naturalized citizen.

On a personal note: My mother is an immigrant, and I still remember her carefully reading her workbook, studying for the citizenship test. I watched with pride as she raised her hand to take the Oath of Allegiance, standing alongside others in a naturalization ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus.

This book could be shelved in the picture books or in the nonfiction section of 304.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*I received a free copy of this book.

Jun is eating a bun with chopsticks from her lunchbox at school while smiling at us with food on her face.

Home in a Lunchbox 

by Cherry Mo (author and illustrator)

Brief summary: Jun moves from Hong Kong to America and only knows four English words on her first day of school: hello, thank you, I don’t know, and toilet. As the week progresses, she has many frustrations as she learns a new routine, language, and group of people, but lunchtime is when she feels the love of home that helps her to persist.

Comments: This book is a great resource for helping students understand the experiences of new students from other countries. It includes a heartwarming story about students bonding over their favorite foods at lunch, which helps them form deeper connections. This book is particularly valuable for ESL teachers and school counselors to share with new students at school. There are not many words and the story is mainly told with large, colorful illustrations.

I could not find anywhere on the book or her website saying how the illustrations were created for this picture book. The back sections explain Jun’s words on her hand and the food in her lunchbox.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Grandparent picture book of a grandson standing with his grandfather behind him

At the Drop of a Cat 

by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson  (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).

Summary: A grandson visits his Grandpa Luis every Wednesday and Sunday. His grandpa is not only a talented artist but can make anything grow, creating the beautiful garden where they spend their days. The six-year-old is learning to read and write and tells us that his Grandpa does not know how as he was an immigrant from Spain to France who had to work in the fields as a child.

Comments: This is a French translation and captures the two kindred spirits. I like the mixed-up idioms and how the grandson narrates how he is getting to know Grandpa Luis.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

For more details or to buy, click here (in ENGLISH).

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Humorous Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Humorous Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Humorous picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Humorous Picture Books–https://amzn.to/3PmGel7 .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

That's Not Funny, David book cover with David about to fling mash potatoes across the table.

That’s Not Funny, David! 

by David Shannon (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: David is a comedian who tries to make everyone laugh, but he discovers that not all of his antics are funny to everyone. Ultimately, he still has his mother’s unconditional love.

Comments: He’s back! I missed David. I’d recognize that giant head and triangular teeth anywhere. Children identify with the antics of this little boy and laugh out loud.

A must for every library.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Pepper and Me 

by Beatrice Alemagna (Author)

Brief summary: A young girl falls on a cobblestone and ends up getting a bloody knee. Her father gives her first aid, telling her she will have a beautiful scab.

It is NOT beautiful.

She asks her mother when it will go away. The woman answers, “In a few days.”

But it does not.

Thinking it will never leave, she calls it “Pepper”.

Days pass until one day, the scab falls off.

What will she do with it? ??

Comments:  This would make a hilarious read-aloud that all kids could relate to and share stories about their scabs.

The illustrations used are gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencils.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A bird with a chef's hat and spatula in hand is barbecuing hamburgers on a grill laughing. He has an apron on with #1 Dad on it.

Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!

by Highlights (Creator)

Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.

Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.

These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A penguin standing in the snow with a toy on his backside; cover of Have You Ween Mikki Olsen?

Have You Seen Mikki Olsen?

by Alex Macdonald (Author)

Brief summary: Penguin loves his teddy, Mikki Olsen, and does everything together, including chores. After chopping wood, he goes straight to bed, only noticing that Mikki Olsen is missing the following day.

Penguin looks all through the house and outside in the snow, retracing his steps from yesterday. Will he ever find his beloved teddy?

Comments: This is a cute and humorous story that young readers can relate to when losing a precious plush or toy.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Grandparent Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Grandparent Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Grandparent picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Grandparent Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A close-up of all boy thinking from the book's cover of Do You Remember.

Do You Remember? 

by Sydney Smith (Author)

Summary: A mother and son exchange memories of when the father was still with them. They have moved to a new home in the city where everything is new. They decide that they will begin to make new memories together.

Comments: This book could be shared as a read-aloud between two people. The mother’s voice is in red ink; the boy’s is in blue.

We are not told where the father is or what happened to him. This could be a discussion point with students.

The soft and calm illustrations match the mood of lying in bed and reminiscing.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A young boy and his grandmother are walking in a flower garden

My Baba’s Garden 

by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)

Summary: Author, Jordan Scott, recalls visiting with his Baba at her home. His father would drop Jordan off to have breakfast with his Baba and afterwards, they would walk together to his school. If it was raining, Baba would look for worms and put them in a glass jar to take home for her garden.


His baba would retrieve him after school, and they would spend time in her garden learning about the plants. This is their usual routine until she moves in with the family when a new building is built over her home. Not able to have a full garden any longer, she keeps a little garden in her room.

Comments: Told through the first-person point of view by the boy.

Jordan Scott wrote one of the most lovely book dedications I’ve ever read.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

For more details or to buy, click here.

A granny with white hair is holding a black cat and mouse along with her vegetables harvested from the roof garden.

Grandma’s Roof Garden

by Tang Wei (Author), Kelly Zhang (Translator)

Summary: An elderly granny collects discarded vegetables at the market to feed her animals and for compost. She has planted a rooftop garden, where she teaches neighborhood children how to care for plants. She shares her harvest with family and friends by having a meal together and giving extras for them to take home.

Comments: This book was initially printed in China in 2019.

The Author’s Note explains the author’s personal inspiration for this story.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Grandparent picture book cover of Mama Shamsi at the bazaar with her granddaughter clinging to her.

Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar 

by Mojdeh Hassani  (Author), Samira Iravani (Author), Maya Fidawi (Illustrator).

Summary: Samira is a bit nervous about going to the bazaar with her grandmother for the first time to buy groceries. She repeatedly asks Mama Shamsi to hide in her chador, but the woman wisely resists using humor to soothe her granddaughter’s fear.

Comments: I think this is a good read-aloud for students experiencing doing something for the first time and having anxiety. Discussions could include how to find comfort when feeling overwhelmed and going from needing to hide to gaining confidence.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

For more details or to buy, click here.

Grandparent picture book of a grandson standing with his grandfather behind him

At the Drop of a Cat 

by Élise Fontenaille (Author), Violeta Lópiz (Illustrator), Karin Snelson  (Translator), Emilie Robert Wong (Translator).

Summary: A grandson visits his Grandpa Luis every Wednesday and Sunday. His grandpa is not only a talented artist but can make anything grow, creating the beautiful garden where they spend their days. The six-year-old is learning to read and write and tells us that his Grandpa does not know how as he was an immigrant from Spain to France who had to work in the fields as a child.

Comments: This is a French translation and captures the two kindred spirits. I like the mixed-up idioms and how the grandson narrates how he is getting to know Grandpa Luis.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

For more details or to buy, click here (in ENGLISH).

Grandparent picture book of Abuela's Super Capa of the abuela and her grandson in capes flying in the air high fiving one another

Abuela’s Super Capa 

by Ana Siqueira  (Author), Elisa Chavarri  (Illustrator).

Summary: Luis and his abuela have fun every Saturday going around the neighborhood being superheroes. One Saturday, she does not visit. Luis learns that his abuela is very sick in the hospital. She comes to stay with them as she recovers. Although Luis is saddened that his abuela is unable to be as active, he tries to come up with a way to have fun and realizes his sister, Isabel, can be his new sidekick and fight and do adventures together in their capes. 

There is a glossary of the Spanish words used in the book.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

For more details or to buy, click here(in ENGLISH).

The sun's rays coming down through the trees onto the road a the child runds to a grandparent

In Every Life 

by Marla Frazee  (Author, Illustrator).

Summary: The text has seven lines with seven words each(except for the last line). Each line is across the top of a two-page spread with small illustrations below, and then the next two-page spread is an illustration matching that color scheme.

Comments: The words are calm and straightforward. The stunning illustrations are done with pencil and gouache and are detailed little scenes of family members with everyday interactions. I stopped and looked at the details of each one before continuing to the following line and was glad to see that grandparents were included.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

For more details or to buy, click here.

Picture book cover of a grandmother and her grandchild walking in the rain

Together with You

by Patricia Toht  (Author),  Jarvis  (Illustrator).

Summary: A grandmother and her grandchild put on rain gear to play in Spring’s rain. Summer arrives with them cooling off from the hot sun. Autumn brings the wind they need to fly a kite and enjoy the falling leaves. Winter comes with them getting cozy and watching the snow from inside. Each season is spent with one another.

Comments: The seasonal color schemes go in hand with this gentle and calming book that blends from one season to the next.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

For more details or to buy, click here.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Garden Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Garden Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Garden picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Garden Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Avocado Magic book cover Ellie, a little girl, is holding the avocado plant she is growing as she looks outside the window.

Avocado Magic 

by Taltal Levi (Author)

Summary: Ellie celebrates her birthday and is upset that her feet still do not reach the floor when she sits at the kitchen table. Her father shows her how to suspend an avocado seed with toothpicks into a glass of water.

He parallels Ellie’s slow growth to that of the seed, emphasizing that both need patience. Slowly the seed sprouts. It gradually develops into an avocado plant and grows alongside Ellie until it’s time both move out of the house.

When Ellie marries and has children, she brings the tree with her to plant in her own yard.

Comments: The metaphor for growth is absolutely beautiful!

The back section has instructions on how to sprout your own avocado.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Ayla swimming around the coral reef with fish following her in a circle. Cover of The Ocean Gardner.

The Ocean Gardener 

by Clara Anganuzzi (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Ayla and her mother live on an island surrounded by a coral reef. Her mother, who is a marine biologist, takes care of the reef and teaches Ayla about the marine life around it. Unfortunately, they notice that the fish are leaving because the reef is fading. To solve this problem, Ayla’s mother teaches her how to make a coral reef garden by planting tiny pieces of coral in their house and later moving them to the ocean. Will this effort bring the fish back?

Comments: Before reading The Ocean Gardener, I had no knowledge about the process of coral reef restoration. Now, I have an understanding.

The back section includes information from Chloe Pozas, a marine biologist who inspired the book. Additionally, there are some photos of coral gardens included in the back of the book and a section titled If You Want to Know More…

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Five different cats are on the cover of This Little Kitty in the Garden. They are in a garden with flowers, ferns, frees, and a pink butterfly.

This Little Kitty in the Garden 

by Karen Obuhanych (Author)

Summary: Spring has arrived, and five cats living on Sakura Way head towards the garden shed to collect their tools to work on creating a garden. However, they get distracted upon going there and start enjoying the presence of other creatures already in the garden. The owners of the cats come out to the garden and are delighted to see that everything has been planted.

Comments: The illustrations were created with colored pencils, charcoal, and cut paper.

Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Children playing in a garden

Garden Walk 

by Virginia Brimhall Snow (Author)

Summary: Grammy and her four grandchildren walk through the forest and to the garden, learning about plants, animals, and insects. They place a blanket on the ground and picnic while Grammy reads to them. Narrated by one of the children.

Comments: Blue ink illustrations with the plants, animals, or insects highlighted with full-colored words that match the subject.

Picnic recipes are in the back.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A grandfather giving his granddaughter a pot of peonies

Love Makes a Garden Grow 

by Taeeun Yoo (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: A young girl and her grandfather tend a garden together until he moves to an apartment where he brings some of his plants.

She grows up and lives far away, but her grandfather sends her a gift of peonies. When her daughter grows, the granddaughter visits the man showing her little one how to tend the house plants and flowers like he taught her.

Comments: An Author’s Note in the back explains how this story is based on her relationship with her grandfather.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A girl in a polka dot dress on the rooftop garden gathering fruit and fegetables for her basket while a cat is chasing butterflies

Linh’s Rooftop Garden (Where In the Garden?) 

by JaNay Brown-Wood (Author), Samara Hardy (Illustrator)

Summary: Lihn needs to find blueberries for their brunch and walk around the rooftop looking at all the fruits and vegetables. The girl describes what a blueberry looks like and compares those characteristics to each plant methodically until she finds them.

Comments: There is a blueberry and banana pancake recipe in the back.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

If you enjoy this book, you may be interested in the other three books of the Where in the Garden? series:

1
2
3

A child with flowers all around them wearing a necklace of daisies.

Watch Me Bloom: A Bouquet of Haiku Poems for Budding Naturalists 

by Krina Patel-Sage (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: A collection of twenty-four haikus about different flower species, all illustrated with lovely bright colors, including the paste-down end pages.

Comments: There are Floral Fun Facts in the back of the book.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A word on a rock with quilled plants growing beside it

Just a Worm 

by Marie Boyd (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Worm begins its day crawling through the garden when two humans cause it to have self-doubt. The worm crawls through a garden talking with each insect and creature it comes across, asking what it can do. Will the worm realize its importance to a garden and regain self-confidence?

Comments: The back pages include Make Your Own Quilled Butterfly, Earthworm Facts, and a Glossary. Illustrated using quilling techniques to make the plants.

I recommend that this picture book be read to supplement a quilling unit.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

George Washington Carver as a young man with a moustache holding a large pot of white flowers

George Washington Carver: More Than “The Peanut Man” (Bright Minds): More Than “The Peanut Man” 

by Janel Rodriguez (Author), Subi Bosa (Illustrator)

I’ve only known George Washington Carver as the “peanut man” and updated my education when reading this narrative nonfiction about this knowledgeable and talented man nicknamed “Plant Doctor.”

Summary: This book begins with his life as a child who studied plants and painted them. It continues with his young adulthood of going to college, learning, and experimenting with plants. The book tells of his adulthood of going around in a Jesup wagon, educating farmers on improving their crops and livestock. Readers will learn about many of his inventions and personal life too. I enjoyed reading about this remarkable man.

Comments: This book is full of a variety of nonfiction text features. The back sections include Your Turn!, Glossary, Index, and Further Reading.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of A Place for Rain. Children with raincoats on standing by a rain barrel that is overflowing onto a water path to a flower garden.

A Place for Rain 

by Michelle Schaub (Author), Blanca Gómez (Illustrator)

Summary: In this book of rhyming lyrics, young readers will learn where the rain goes during a flood. The students at school are taught how to place a barrel beneath a spout and how to create a path for overflow.

Comments: Learn how to create a rain barrel garden with native plants that thrive in excess water.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A child tending a garden with plants and animals. Geese are flying overhead.

Little Land 

by Diana Sudyka (Author, Illustrator).

Summary: This is an ecological/environmental story from the beginning of the earth to its present of how the land and its inhabitant have changed and how to live in balance.

Comments: I included this book under gardening(although it could be under ecology or environmental) as it highlights how to tend a little bit of land.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A young girl with a short orange ponytail and pink headband with white polka dots is holding a plant with her yellow dog placing its paw on the plant

Love Grows

by Ruth Spiro (Author), Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)

Summary: A young girl’s auntie sends her a plant per month with a tag of information about the plant. By the end of the year, the girl has a plant garden.

Comments: The front and back-pasted end pages outline the twelve plants with the Latin name, origins, and light preference.

This story is done in rhyme. The illustrations are gouache, colored pencil, and crayon.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A little girl in a red hoody looking at a flower with her black and white dog. She has a box of seeds.

Every Little Seed 

by Cynthia Schumerth (Author), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)

Summary: A young girl with her mother and grandfather plant seeds in the spring garden and tend them to grow, observing how the seed changes to develop. Birds and bugs visit the garden. Soon fall comes when the plants begin to produce seeds they gather for the next planting.

Comments: A plant’s cycle.

A story in rhyme.

Facts about seeds are in the back of the book, including a seed diagram.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A little mouse inside of a red tulip

A Flower is a Friend 

by Frieda Wishinsky (Author), Karen Patkau (Illustrator)

Summary: An animal/creature is paired with a flower in the garden, and readers are asked why they coexist so well. Answers are in the book of how they benefit each other.

Comments: This is an excellent resource for introducing the concept of symbiosis. The illustrations made it clear and concrete.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

garden and flowers in a circle with a white picket fence with a city scape background

My First Garden: For Little Gardeners Who Want to Grow 

by Livi Gosling (Author)

Summary: This nonfiction book is a beginning guide to gardening with step-by-step instructions. Everything one needs to know is covered with illustrations.

Comments: This is for the primary children to learn by looking at the lovely illustrations or for older elementary students who want to start a gardening club.

I usually stick to picture book reviews, but this nonfiction book’s illustrations make a difference with the covered topics by clarifying the lesson.

Ratings:4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A young girl and her mother with henna on their hands.

A Garden in My Hands 

by Meera Sriram (Author), Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrator)

Summary: A little girl has her hands Painted by her mother for a wedding the next day. Her mother tells her memories as she paints a garden of flowers and decorations. She sleeps with gloves on over the henna to wake and brush the flakes off to reveal her red garden of stories and the fragrance of henna.

Comments: Facts about henna are in the back of the book.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Children planting and tending a garden

G is for Gardening (A Gardening ABC Primer) 

by Ashley Marie Mireles (Author), Volha Kaliaha (Illustrator)

Summary: Readers will learn their ABCs of gardening, discovering tools, plants, and animals in a garden.

Comments: Large and colorful illustrations. A good builder of garden vocabulary.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

City Beet

by Tziporah Cohen (Author), Udayana Lugo (Illustrator).

Summary: Mrs. Kosta and Victoria plant and nurture a beet seed until it ripens. The woman begins to harvest the gigantic beet but cannot remove it from the ground, no matter how hard she tugs. Several neighbors stop by the garden to help pull, creating a line out to the sidewalk until the vegetable is uprooted with a big “SPROING!!”

Comments: There is an Author’s Note and Raw Beet & Garlic Salad Recipe in the back.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

For more details or to buy, click here.

A young boy and his grandmother are walking in a flower garden

My Baba’s Garden 

by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)

Summary: Author, Jordan Scott, recalls visiting with his Baba at her home. His father would drop Jordan off to have breakfast with his Baba and afterwards, they would walk together to his school. If it was raining, Baba would look for worms and put them in a glass jar to take home for her garden.


His baba would retrieve him after school, and they would spend time in her garden learning about the plants. This is their usual routine until she moves in with the family when a new building is built over her home. Not able to have a full garden any longer, she keeps a little garden in her room.

Comments: Told through the first-person point of view by the boy.

Jordan Scott wrote one of the most lovely book dedications I’ve ever read.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

For more details or to buy, click here.

the Compost Bin book cover has the top few of a bin with scrapes of food along with insects.

Inside the Compost Bin 

by Melody Sumaoang Plan (Author), Vinh Nguyen (Illustrator), Rong Pham (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book shares how a woman cares for a compost bin. She diligently adds organic material, mixes them, and waters the compost to create nutrient-rich soil for her plants.

Comments: This book covers the bugs and organisms in the bin and those underneath. The back pages have more information on how to start composing.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Ben is in the summer garden full of flowers with bumblebees around him.

The Bumblebee Garden 

by Dawn Casey (Author), Stella Lim (Illustrator)

Summary: Ben and his grandpa spot a bumblebee in the garden. Grandpa educates his grandson about the bumblebee’s life cycle, explaining its activities in each season as the book unfolds.

Comments: There is a back section titled The Life Cycle of a Queen Bumblebee.

The illustrations were handcrafted using watercolor and colored pencils, finishing with digital methods.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A granny with white hair is holding a black cat and mouse along with her vegetables harvested from the roof garden.

Grandma’s Roof Garden

by Tang Wei (Author), Kelly Zhang (Translator)

Summary: An elderly granny collects discarded vegetables at the market to feed her animals and for compost. She has planted a rooftop garden, where she teaches neighborhood children how to care for plants. She shares her harvest with family and friends by having a meal together and giving extras for them to take home.

Comments: This book was initially printed in China in 2019.

The Author’s Note explains the author’s personal inspiration for this story.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Friendship Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Friendship Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Friendship picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Friendship Picture Books– https://amzn.to/3PCSYnH .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Cover of Echo where Junior Junior is looking at an image of himself in the water.

Echo 

by Adam Rex (Author)

Summary: Junior Junior grew up on the side of a mountain and made friends with the echo. He loved that they agreed on everything he said. One day, a girl on the mountain across from him told him to stop shouting. She did not agree with everything he said. Junior Junior decides to run away to the valley to meet the echo and decides he doesn’t like someone who agrees with everything he says. Will he be friends with the girl on the hill even when she points out that he can be wrong at times?

Comments: I loved the humor in this book!

Great read aloud to emphasize manners, emotions, and how to agree to disagree.

The illustrations were created digitally in Procreate and Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A squirrel is holding a nut in the middle of the forest this is the picture book cover of Evergreen.

Evergreen 

by Matthew Cordell (Author)

Brief summary: Evergreen, an anxious squirrel, lives in Buckthorn Forrest with her mother who has asked her to take soup to a sick Granny Oak who lives on the other side of the forest. Although frightened, Evergreen leaves the tree and heads towards Granny Oak’s, encountering several forest animals along the way.

Comments: This picture book is divided into a new chapter for each animal Evergreen meets. The illustrations are done with a 005 Micron Pen and painted with watercolors.

Students will be in suspense with each forest animal encounter wondering if the squirrel will be eaten.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗 1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Tulsi and Vanessa are looking at each other with the world behind them. Little paper airplanes are flying. Like You, Like Me book cover.

Like You, Like Me 

by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (Author)

Summary: Tulsi lives in America, and Vanessa lives in Tanzania. The girls become pen pals and learn about what is different and alike in their cultures. 

They learn that even though they are continents apart there are things they both share. They have brothers, enjoy music, have pets, and like Nature.

The things that are different are also shared and help to bring on friendship across the globe.

Comments: The phrase “Like You, Like Me” is throughout the book to emphasis what they have alike even if sometimes it’s a bit different.

The illustrations were made with painted papers and oil sticks.

I would share this book before a pen pal project or for making a Venn Diagram of their likes and differences.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover of The Quiet One with the words made of various objects. A robot and Millie wearing overalls and holding a wrench.

The Quiet One 

by Yiting Lee (Author)

Summary: Milly is an introvert and tends to be quiet in class. With Show and Tell approaching Friday, she is feeling anxious about it. At home, she has a special place where she enjoys tinkering and has created a robot named Arnold. Her new friend goes to school with Milly and helps her share her passion with the class.

Comments: This book is great for reading aloud. It could help kids learn about quiet individuals who enjoy sharing their interests. It also shows shy people that it’s okay to be themselves.

The illustrations were created using watercolors.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*I received a free copy of this book.

Revony Rhinoceros is a baby rhino holding up a smiling and frowning signs. There is a lake with hills behind.

Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile: A Lesson in Body Language

by Patricia Bardina (Author), Joanne Burgess (Author), Paul Sharp (Illustrator)

Summary: Revony Rhinoceros is at Bixby Baboon’s birthday party. The little rhino sits sulking and frowning by a tree, unsure how to play with the other invited guests. After the party, Revony’s mother discusses body language with her child. She explains that understanding friendly and unfriendly body language can help make friends. They then walk around the park, observing the other animals and how their body language reflects their feelings.

Revony Rhinoceros feels confident and uses friendly body language to make new friends at the park.

Comments: This book could be an introduction for school counselors, PreK, or K teachers to read aloud to explain nonverbal communication skills/body language and how that could impact friend-making.

This book was published in 2018, but it remains relevant today.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page

*I was sent a free copy of this book.

Three kangaroos dress in taekwondo uniforms have rescued a joey. They are standing with the sky above them and the field below. Cover of Rescue at Rattling Ridge

The Taekwonderoos: Rescue at Rattling Ridge 

by Michael Panzner (Author), Lora Look (Illustrator)

Summary: Three gray Australian kangaroos were practicing taekwondo kicks in the desert when they heard a joey trapped on a cliff in the distance. They come together and cross the dangerous terrain to rescue the baby kangaroo.

Once they got to the top of the cliff, they had to figure out how to get back down using their skills and teamwork.

Comments: This picture book is illustrated with bright and bold colors of the desert.

The kangaroos did have on taekwondo uniforms–white shirts with black sashes.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Food Picture Books for Kids
Children's Book Recommendations

Food Picture Books for Kids

The Retired School Librarian1 Comment

Food picture picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Food Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4d1yfmz .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A young Fannie Farmer cooking with a large pot with vegetables. There are measuring utensils on the side. Book's cover

The Fabulous Fannie Farmer: Kitchen Scientist and America’s Cook 

by Emma Bland Smith (Author), Susan Reagan (Illustrator)

Summary: In the late 1800s, Fannie Farmer developed a passion for cooking. Despite contracting polio at the age of sixteen, she enrolled in the Boston Cooking School, where she excelled and eventually became the principal. Fannie’s teaching focused on precise measurements and exact cooking methods, ensuring success for home cooks.

She rewrote the school’s cookbook with precision, which became incredibly popular. Fannie also gave lectures nationwide and even taught at Harvard Medical School.

Comments: After reading this narrative nonfiction picture book, I learned that people used non-standard measurements for cooking even though standard measurements were available. I was surprised to discover the variety of measurements in recipes passed down from generation to generation, such as a dash of this, a smidge of that, or a pinch of this.

The back sections contain photos and additional information about Fannie and the Boston Cooking School and how Ms. Farmer really improved cooking through precise and detailed recipes.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy, girl, and iguana eat from a plate of mixed fruits and vegetables in a range of colors. How Do You Eat Color? book cover

How Do You Eat Color? 

by Mabi David (Author), Yas Doctor (Illustrator), Karen Llagas (Translator)

Summary: A boy and girl spend a day exploring and tasting various fruits and vegetables, grouped by color.

Comments: This is translated from Filipino.

The illustrations were created using oil on paper.

The back sections are A Rainbow of Colors(which highlights food from different colors, explaining how they benefit the body, and ways to eat them), Why Should We Eat A Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables?, and How Families Can Eat More Colors Together.

This book could supplement an elementary-level food or color unit.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of India on a Plate with a plate of food with various Indian food. One a table with a child peeking over it

India on a Plate!: Indian Food from A to Z 

by Archana Sreenivasan (Author)

Summary: Young readers will enjoy seeing and learning foods of India in this brightly illustrated ABC board book.

Comments: Each letter has a fun rhyming three-lined verse describing the food.

There is a pronunciation guide after each food.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A and B foods with a grandmother and grandson sharing achaar and a father and daughter sharing a plate of biryani.

Book cover for Jollof Day with a young child and father. The boy is holding a large silver pot with jollof rice and stew.

Jollof Day 

by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)

Summary: A young boy and his dad wake up before the rest of the family on Jollof Day to prepare a special stew. They joyfully chop the ingredients and let the stew simmer. When the rest of the family wakes up, everyone sits down together for the special meal.

Comments: The recipe for the jollof rice dish is in the back of the book.

The bright and dynamic illustrations were created using watercolor paints, gouache, colored pencils, and digital edits in Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Flower Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Flower Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Flower picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Flower Picture Books– https://amzn.to/49yyhQq .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Book cover of A Dandelion with dandelion plants at various stages of the flower. A sun and moon are at the top of the cover with a blue background. n are in the sky

A Dandelion (A Day in the Life Of) 

by Ruth Owen (Author)

Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book explains the life cycle of a dandelion from being a yellow flower to when it changes into seeds. The wind carries them to another location where they start over.

Comments: This is a smaller picture book about 8″ x 8.”

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover to The Weedflower with a girl's close up of her smelling a dandelion. She has the same color of hair. The book is also a yellow background.

The Weedflower

by Elizabeth Davaze (Author), Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)

Summary: Sam notices a dandelion during recess and through her care and appreciation of it, several other students notice it as well. They nuture it, but soon find out that not everyone sees it as a beautiful flower.

Comments: This would make a nice read-aloud and discussion of nature all around us in our everyday lives.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover to Doe's Dandelions with a doe carrying a basket full of dandelions while on the green grass full of dandelions and daffodils

Doe’s Dandelions (Woodland Friends) 

by Laura Renauld (Author), Jennie Poh (Illustrator)

Summary: In this Woodland Friends series, Doe is growing daffodils for the Spring Pedal Parade but keeps coming across annoying dandelion “weeds.” She soon learns from her friends how much joy and use they are to them.

Comments: This is a wonderful tribute to the benefit of some of the plants that are called weeds. Students can learn that all plants have value.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A squirrel and bird in the forest

Don’t Touch that Flower!

by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)

Summary: Squirrel wakes from spring to find a new flower growing. He decides to protect it by not allowing any water to get on it, from bees landing on the petals, and even, putting it under a bucket.

Bird educates Squirrel about his good intentions are harming the flower instead.

Comments: This is a humorous read-aloud that opens a discussion of what plants need to thrive.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A little mouse inside of a red tulip

A Flower is a Friend 

by Frieda Wishinsky (Author), Karen Patkau (Illustrator)

Summary: An animal/creature is paired with a flower in the garden, and readers are asked why they coexist so well. Answers are in the book of how they benefit each other.

Comments: This is an excellent resource for introducing the concept of symbiosis. The illustrations made it clear and concrete.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

Father Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Father Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Father picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Father Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A father in a yellow raincoat driving a car while his daughter sits in the passenger side with a map.

Navigating Night

by Julie Leung (Author), Angie Kang (Illustrator) 

Summary: A Chinese-American girl helps her father, who is a Chinese immigrant, deliver food from their restaurant each night. She reads the map and road signs, navigating to the correct destinations. She does not want to do this anymore and wants to be like the other kids she sees in homes. After hearing her father’s immigration journey, she realizes how hard they work so that she will have a better life in the USA.

Comments: I think this would be a story to share with intermediate students to discuss a realistic look at the immigration journey of working hard for a better life. It builds an understanding of classmates with similar responsibilities.

The backmatter tells us that the book is based on the author’s own life.

The illustrations are created in gouache, crayon, colored pencil and pastel to emphasize the colors of a rainy night.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A father and son sitting in matching capes in a barbershop.

Haircut Day with Dad

by Monica Mikai (Author)

Summary:
It’s Saturday morning, which means it’s time for a trip to the barbershop with Dad. A young boy shares this special bonding ritual of getting a haircut alongside his father while surrounded by other men enjoying fresh cuts, watching a basketball game, and chatting together. By the end of the visit, the boy proudly pays the barber with his own money, making the experience feel like a rite of passage.

Comments: The sensory details of the story had me in that barbershop. The story provides discussions about self-image and family rituals.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Sarabeth is wearing a stained blue jumpsuit with her dog beside her inside of a car garage that has many tools

Sarabeth’s Garage

by Melanie Florence (Author), Nadia Alam

Summary: Sarabeth loves everything about cars and especially Saturdays when she spends time with her father in his garage. Her grandmother does not approve and believes Sarabeth is not acting like little girls did in her day. It wasn’t until Grandmother’s car broke down that she began to appreciate her granddaughter’s passion.

Comments: This is a good text resource for breaking stereotypes and encouraging students to follow what they are good at doing. Students could also discuss what hobbies they share with their family.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A father carrying luggage with his daughter sitting on the luggage with wheels.

Just Try It! Someplace New! (A Phil & Lil Book)

by Phil Rosenthal (Author), Lily Rosenthal (Author), Luke Flowers (Illustrator) 

Summary: Lil is nervous about the trip she and her father are going to take to grandma’s house. They are staying for three days and Lil discusses things that could irrationally and outlandishly happen while her father reassures her everything will be okay. They pack up and drive to grandma’s to find out that indeed everything is wonderful there.

Comments: This is the second book of the father and daughter duo. They humorously examine growth mindset and being flexible with change by just trying something that may be new. This is an excellent text for discussing anxiety and being nervous about new things regardless of age.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A father and daughter with raised hands shouting at the storm.

Thunderland

by Maggie Edkins Willis

Summary: A young girl hides under the sink during a loud thunderstorm. She is afraid of the noise it makes but her father is not. He encourages her to go to Thunderland with him where there is hot chocolate and cookies. The father successfully teaches his daughter ways to confront the storm and live through it.

Comments: Thunderland is a playful world where the father helps his daughter face the noise and find bravery. I found this to be a great read-aloud for students to realize that others may have fears just like them.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy closing his eyes with his hair pulled back

Brave 

by Weshoyot Alvitre (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: A young Indigenous boy admires his father’s long hair and that of dancers at a powwow. Although he is teased at school, he wants to have long braids. His father tells him about the history of how his hair and that of other Indigenous people was cut as he combs his son’s hair. He explains how they had to be brave and strong. The boy decides he wants to be like his ancestors and grow his hair long, too.

Comments: This would be a wonderful classroom read-aloud for intermediate students. It gently explores the significance of having one’s hair cut against one’s will. It introduces the history of Indian Residential Schools. It could be a prompt for students to discuss how they can support fellow classmates with cultural traditions they may not be familiar with.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Grumpy Monkey with a green bow tie

Grumpy Monkey Father’s Day Fuss

by Suzanne Lang (Author), Max Lang (Illustrator) 

Summary: Jim Panzee thinks of ways to celebrate Father’s Day with his father, Chip. Jim realizes that they should include Grandpanzee but finds out that not all dads like to celebrate the same way. Some like a big fuss while others like it to be simple and quiet.

Comments: I think this would make an excellent SEL mentor text for discussing how holidays and celebrations can look different for everyone. Some people enjoy large gatherings and noise, while others prefer quieter and simpler moments. The story encourages students to recognize their own feelings and comfort levels rather than feeling pressured to celebrate the same way as everyone else.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover for The Best Daddy of All with Sebastian standing on top the shell of his father in the grass with leaves in the background of yellow

The Best Daddy of All 

by Peter Horn (Author), Jessica Meserve (Illustrator), Johanna McCalmont (Translator)

Summary: Sebastian spends the day with his father, walking through the meadow and around the pond, learning about what other dads do for their children. His father turns it into a game by describing what different daddy creatures do, and Sebastian has to guess which creature he describes.

Comments: This story is a cuddly, bedtime book.

The book was originally published in Switzerland. The book I looked at was in English and printed in Riga, Latvia.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover for Jollof Day with a young child and father. The boy is holding a large silver pot with jollof rice and stew.

Jollof Day 

by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)

Summary: A young boy and his dad wake up before the rest of the family on Jollof Day to prepare a special stew. They joyfully chop the ingredients and let the stew simmer. When the rest of the family wakes up, everyone sits down together for the special meal.

Comments: The recipe for the jollof rice dish is in the back of the book.

The bright and dynamic illustrations were created using watercolor paints, gouache, colored pencils, and digital edits in Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for Little big man with a young boy and his father brushing their teeth

Little Big Man 

by Varian Johnson (Author), Reggie Brown (Illustrator)

Summary: Elijah eagerly waits for his father’s return from work so they can fly his new kite together. However, his father has to work over the weekend. Instead, the two of them work together to clean the house and help his mother with the newborn baby. Following his father’s example, Elijah learns to do household chores.

Comments: I appreciate Elijah’s father’s patience and encouragement as his son learns to follow his lead and assist in the house and to also help others in the neighborhood.

The illustrations were created digitally using Adobe Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover of Love, Dad: Inspiring Notes from Fathers to Kids with a girl giving her father a kiss on the nose as he holds her

Love, Dad: Inspiring Notes from Fathers to Kids 

by Dr. Joel Warsh (Author), Andrew Gardner (Author), David Cooper (Illustrator)

Summary: This book is a collection of 18 short notes from various fathers, each beginning with “I hope you…” to support their children’s growth with themes of perseverance, hope, and self-discovery.

Comments: This is a superb mentor text for SEL. A writing activity would be for students to write letters to their future selves.

The illustrations were created using digital media.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover of a boy and his father riding bikes with birds and hills in the background

Riding Through Rice Fields: A Trip to the Philippines 

by Michelle Sterling (Author), Bianca Austria (Illustrator)

Summary: Mateo and his father are struggling to connect until a family reunion in the Philippines helps strengthen their bond as they embark on an adventure together while bicycling across the country.

Comments: Mateo learns about bayanihan, the practice of people coming together to help those in need. I believe that reading this book aloud in the classroom and discussing bayanihan could be beneficial throughout the entire year.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy and his father with fishing rods over their shoulders walking along a river

With Dad 

by Richard Jackson (Author), Brian Floca (Illustrator)

Summary: A son and father drive a red Jeep along the upper South Branch Stream of the Au Sable River in Michigan. The father allows his boy to sit in his lap and steer while he drives. They set up their campsite and go trout fishing, where they catch one. The boy is shown how to gut the fish and fry it.

They spend time around the campfire under the full moon talking and joking around.

They return from their trip when his father goes off to war. He and his mother read air-mail letters together, looking forward to his return.

Comments: This is an autobiographical story set in the early 1950s during the Korean War when the author’s father was called away for duty.

There is more of an explanation for the creation of the story on the copyright page.

The illustrations were beautifully crafted using pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache, giving the story a lovely summery feel.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Sydney is sitting on her father's shoulders outside on the lawn with flowers. She is holding a snowglobe with a blue butterfly flying above her.

Sydney’s Big Speech

by Malcolm Newsome (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)

Summary: Sydney feels shy on her first day of school and is worried about the speech she has to give to the class. Her father reminds her of all the role models who had to give speeches and practices with his daughter to help her build confidence.

Will Sydney be able to give her speech about what she wants to do when she grows up?

Comments: The back page has short biographical sketches of the female leaders the father shared.

The illustrations are created using watercolor and digital media.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A bird with a chef's hat and spatula in hand is barbecuing hamburgers on a grill laughing. He has an apron on with #1 Dad on it.

Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!

by Highlights (Creator)

Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.

Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.

These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover with various dads and their sons

Like Father, Like Son

by Lesléa Newman (Author), AG Ford (Illustrator)

Summary: Each two-page illustration features a dad and son pair in rhyming text, from doing household tasks to playing sports.

Comments: The illustrations were created using watercolor and colored pencil to vividly depict a diverse and multicultural theme, showcasing the special bond between dads and sons.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A father in shorts is balancing three dishes of food from the fair while his little girl is cross armed turned away.

Just Try It!

by  Phil Rosenthal(Author), Lily Rosenthal(Author), and Luke Flowers(Illustration) 

Summary: Lil and her father are at a food festival with many different types of foods. Her father tries coaxing his daughter to try the foods, but she stubbornly refuses. He offers her a pretzel with mustard, to which she reacts with an angry scream and throws her arms in the air, causing the mustard to go on his shirt. She apologizes while her father washes off the stain.

While waiting, Lil takes a bite. Will she like this or any of the other food?

Comments: This was one patient father.
“Try it; you’ll like it” is a common request that many kids and parents will relate to in this humorous picture book.

The illustrations were rendered digitally.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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Daddy, Tell Me a Story 

by Kathleen Long Bostrom (Author), Ela Smietanka (Artist)

Summary: Sophie asks her father for a bedtime story–one he makes up instead of from a book. He begins to tell her one, but his daughter keeps requesting changes. The story becomes more and more imaginative with many creatures.

Comments: This is a cute bedtime story with a bit of humor and a lot of imagination.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Forever and Always 

by Brittany J. Thurman (Author), Shamar Knight-Justice (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Olivia looks forward to seeing her father come home from work and greet her with a hug. They create dinner with Mom and have a nice evening together.

Olivia hugs her father in the morning before he leaves for work, worrying about his dangerous job as an emergency medical technician. While waiting, she makes him a bracelet to wear.

Will her father return?

Comments: The illustrations are created using mixed-media elements and Procreate.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy and his dad lying down in the back of a pickup truck looking up to the stars

A Bed of Stars 

by Jessica Love (Author, Illustrator).

Summary: A boy with trouble falling asleep goes camping with his father. They pack up the pickup truck, Darlin’, and head for the desert. His father tells him about the plants and animal tracks. They build a fire and watch the sun set while sitting on the hood of the pickup until the stars come out. They get in the sleeping bag in the truck bed, enjoying the stars above them.

His father is able to teach his son how to connect with the universe and not feel so small. They drive home, where Mom has a surprise waiting for their boy.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Picture book cover of Finding Papa with a little girl on her mother's back as they wade through a river. Mai is thinkin of the crocodiles her father told her about living in the river.

Finding Papa 

by Angela Pham Krans (Author), Thi Bui (Illustrator)

Summary: Mai and her papa like to play crocodile chomp with their hands. Papa leaves Vietnam to go to America to make a better life for his wife and daughter. Mai does not understand where her father has gone and waits for him to return each day to play. Mama packs a bag and takes her little one on a long journey through the rice paddies, across a river, and onto a boat across the ocean to a refugee camp in Singapore until they are released when Mama travels in the city to find her husband.

Comments: This story is based on the author and her mother, who journeyed in 1983 from Vietnam to America. Both author and illustrator share their families’ journey of immigration.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A young Chris Paul sitting on the shoulder of his granddad, Papa Chilly

Basketball Dreams 

by Chris Paul (Author), Courtney Lovett (Illustrator).

Summary: Chris wants to become a basketball player and looks up to his granddad, Papa Chilly, for guidance as the man’s dreams have come true. He gets up early to practice. He learns how to be a good team player and to help others. Papa Chilly attends Chris’s games and cheers him on.

Comments: The back page has Chris Paul’s recollection of his grandfather and a photo of them.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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A father and son holding fishing poles while walking down a path with trees around them

Daddy & Me, Side by Side 

by Pierce Freelon (Author), Nadia Fisher (Illustrator).

Summary: A father and son go camping together. As they hike and fish, the father shares how he did the same with his father, who recently died. It almost feels like Pop-Pop is there with them as they create new and share old memories of being together.

Comments: This would be a nice mentor text for discussing “then and now.” Students could talk to family members about the childhood places they went to together.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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A proud little girl wearing a baseball hat and jean jacket standing in front of a large and red semi truck

Trucker Kid 

by Carol Gordon Ekster (Author), Russ Cox (Illustrator).

Brief summary: Athena misses her father when he is trucking and has to leave the family for days. She loves ANYTHING to do with eighteen-wheelers and is proud to be a Trucker Kid. She shares her joy and enthusiasm with the kids at school. Her classmates understand her passion once her father visits the school via his semi to share everything about his job.

Comments: The back pages have sections Keep on Trucking and Author’s Note.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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Baba sitting on the persian rug with his six daughters

Baba’s Gift: A Persian Father’s Love of Family 

by Ariana Shaheen Amini (Author), Christina Maheen Amini (Author), Elaheh Taherian (Illustrator).

Summary: Baba shares stories with his six daughters while they sit and play on the Persian carpet of his boyhood in Iran and his stories of immigrating to America.

Comments: This is based on the true story of Dr. Fariborz Amini. Authors’ Notes in the back have a photo of the lovely family.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

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Kate is sitting on her father's shoulders with her backpack on

Hurry, Kate, or You’ll Be Late!

by Janice N. Harrington (Author), Tiffany Rose (Illustrator).

Summary: Kate was late to preschool this morning, but why? Was it because of her breakfast? Because she and her dad stopped to wave at friends?

Comments: Young readers will follow Kate and her father’s journey to go to preschool and ask to figure out and predict why Kate was late.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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A girl and her Pop bearing into a box

Pop’s Perfect Present 

by Corey Finkle (Author), Lenny Wen (Illustrator).

Summary: A young girl tries to think of the best gift to give her father because he is such a wonderful Pop. As they spend the day together, each attempt of creating the present is a failure. Will she be able to give her father the perfect present?

Comments: The girl’s repeated failures to create the perfect gift can lead to students talking about when they failed or when things didn’t quite go as planned. What did they do? What did they learn?

The book has humorous rhyming with a fun rhythm.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy on the shoulders of his father; both are eating a doughnut

No Fair! 

by Jacob Grant (Author, Illustrator).

Summary: Pablo and his father get on their bikes while their dog, Waffles, runs aside them. It’s Market Day, and Pablo wants a donut, but it is allowed once all the shopping is finished. As Pablo tries to help, he finds that everything he picks out is too big. He protests, “Not fair!” Will he realize with the help of his dad that not all things are fair?

Comments: This book could be a shared read-aloud with the father’s voice in black ink and the son’s in red.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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A father and his song djing together

My Dad Is a DJ 

by Kathryn Erskine (Author), Keith Henry Brown (Author, Illustrator).

Summary: Trevor’s parents separate, and his father moves out. They once shared time listening to music late in the night after his father returned from being DJ. They would shoot baskets after school. He would even hear his father dedicate songs to him over the radio.

Lately, though, they have yet to connect since he moved out. His food preferences are different. He has a new friend his father has yet to meet. The end-of-the-year dance is coming up that his father has DJed. Will combining the latest hip-hop that Trevor likes and the soul his father favors work out? Will DJing together bring them closer?

Comments: This is a mentor text for students dealing with parental separation. It realistically explores new routines and changes with relationships.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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Different family members of various ethinic backgrounds in a selfie pose

Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family 

by Seamus Kirst (Author), Karen Bunting (Illustrator).

Summary: Harper packs a suitcase and drives to a huge family reunion in a park with her fathers, where she meets family members for the first time, like her cousins, second cousins, and first cousins once removed. She also meets family she already knows. Harper learns that she has some things the same and different from everyone, but they are all connected by their love for one another.

Comments: This story is a tool for teaching the concept of an extended family tree such as second cousins and cousins once removed. It also demonstrated same and different traits among relatives.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

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A father making a pink dress for his daughter who is hugging him from behind

Daddy Dressed Me 

by Michael Gardner (Author), Ava Gardner (Author), Nadia Fisher (Illustrator).

Summary: Ava’s father is good at making things but especially sewing her dresses for special occasions. She will recite a poem onstage during Move Up Day and is worried she will forget the words.

Her father tells the nervous girl that he will help her memorize the lines and would like to sew a unique dress to boost her confidence. Will both of their hard work pay off on the big day?

Comments: This is based on a true story which can be found in the back–The Story Behind the Story. I loved seeing the photos of the real father and daughter duo.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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Maribel touching the koi pond making circular ripples

Maribel’s Year 

by Michelle Sterling (Author), Sarah Gonzales (Illustrator).

Summary: Maribel must wait an entire year before her father, who is in the Philippines, can rejoin his daughter and wife in America. Each month the young girl tells about the memories of her father and the emotional thoughts she has that he is with them again.

Comments: Illustrations change with each month and capture the feelings and thoughts of Maribel.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Man with a robin sitting in its nest on top of his head

My Dad Is a Tree 

by Jon Agee (Author).

Summary: A young girl asks her father to stand with his arms outstretched and become a tree.

Comments: This whimsical story continues throughout the day, with more creatures visiting the father and making themselves comfortable as though he were a real tree.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

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Father Bear holding his song

Papa’s Home 

by David Soman (Author).

Brief summary: Papa is going away for a little while, and Aunt Jessie will come to take care of the little bear. Father and son spend the day doing activities together. At the same time, the child asks questions about what it will be like when the father is away. The father quietly answers his child’s many questions with reassurance that everything will be okay.

Comments: Lovely illustrations that capture the emotional expressions of the father and child.

The text in this book allows for a reader’s theater opportunity with the child’s voice in green ink; Papa’s in purple ink.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

A woman with long red hair kneeling and hugging a child Mother Picture Books
Children's Book Recommendations

Mother Picture Books

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Mother picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Mother Picture Books– https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/12CS5H0573OX2?ref_=aipsflist .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A mother and daughter dressed in pink mariachi outfits. The mother has guitarron and she has a violin.

Mamiachi & Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band

by Jolene Gutiérrez (Author), Dakota Gutiérrez (Author), Mirelle Ortega (Illustrator) 

Summary: Rosa’s mother is a mariachi. Today is Rosa’s turn to play her violin with her mother’s group. She is nervous but after hearing the beautiful sounds from the guitar, trumpet, and vihuela, she knows this is where she belongs.

Comments: How cute is it that the author used the combination of Mami (which means mommy) and mariachi(a traditional Mexican folk musical ensemble) to create mamiachi.

This is a lovely book celebrating cultural heritage, sisterhood, and musical instruments.

The backmatter includes the history of mariachi and how women have now been included. There is also a labeled diagram of a charra suit.

Rating: 4/5📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A woman wearing a skirt and beret sitting on a wheelchair holding her toddler daughter.

Mama Car

by Lucy Catchpole (Author), Karen George (Illustrator) 

Summary: A toddler shares the daily adventures she has with her mother. The perspective of the mother’s wheelchair is shown through the girl’s eyes. She has a tricycle while dad has the big car, and Mom has a Mama car.

Comments: The use of the wheelchair is part of the normal life of the family. Instead of focusing on what the mother cannot do, it focuses on how the mother engages with the child. What a refreshing story that is not about a disability but about ability. This is a definite read-aloud for teachers and librarians to share.

One thing I enjoyed seeing was the author’s photo in the back while sitting in her wheelchair with her two beautiful daughters on either side. Lovely story.

The illustrations were created using gouache paint and colored pencils.

Rating: 4.5/5📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover for A Cup of Quiet with a grandmother's arms wrapped around a granddaughter's shoulders while the girl holds a cup.

A Cup of Quiet 

by Nikki Grimes (Author), Cathy Ann Johnson (Illustrator)

Summary: When a grandmother and granddaughter’s day becomes a bit too noisy, they retreat to the garden to find peace and stillness together.

Comments: The illustrations were created with mixed media, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and digital.

Rating: 4.5/5📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Fierce aunties book cover with woman gathered around a girl

Fierce Aunties! 

by Laurel Goodluck (Author), Steph Littlebird (Illustrator)

Summary: This text honors the important, loving, and protective roles that aunties hold in Native families and communities, especially during times when parents may be preoccupied. Aunties are not limited to being a mom’s or dad’s sister; they can also be older cousins or close family friends.

Comments: The illustrations were created in Procreate.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

The Greatest River cover of a young girl with long black hair is in the green river with many flowers floating above her head.

The Greatest River 

by Namita Moolani Mehra (Author), Khoa Le (Illustrator)

Summary: Ananda, a young girl, listens to her sick mother talk about the legend of the Ganga, a holy river that heals those who bathe in its waters. Ananda accompanies her aunt, Maasi, to bathe in the Ganges River in India and experiences a spiritual connection.

Comments: The author’s note explains that at 13, she traveled from New York with her mother to bathe in the sacred river.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A young monkey with a baby turtle, bird, and snake on him.

Grumpy Monkey Mom for a Day

by Suzanne Lang (Author), Max Lang (Illustrator)

Summary: Jim Panzee volunteers to take care of jungle babies so their mothers can rests. He learns that being a mom is not as easy as it looks.

Comments: A fun and whimsical book to read aloud.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Home is a Wish book cover with a young girls face looking into a puddle

Home Is a Wish 

by Julia Kuo (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: A young girl, her mother, and Amah leave their home for a new one in a different country where everything feels unfamiliar. Over time, they work together to create a new home.

Comments: A gentle book about immigration that would be a wonderful read aloud.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet.

Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

I loved you first book cover with mothers and children riding giant white geese in the sky.

I Loved You First

by Jenna Bush Hager (Author), Barbara Pierce Bush (Author), Ramona Kaulitzki (Illustrator)

Summary: This book is a heartfelt expression of the unconditional love a parent feels for their child as soon as they hold their child and spend time with them as they grow up.

Comments: The illustrations were created using hand-painted textures and digital watercolor, and pencil brushes in Photoshop.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Midnight Motorbike cover with a mother and daughter riding on a motorcycle with a large moon in the background

Midnight Motorbike 

by Maureen Shay Tajsar (Author), Ishita Jain (Illustrator)

Summary: A dreamy bedtime adventure where a girl and her Amma take a motorbike ride through the moonlit city, celebrating imagination and connection while smelling, seeing, hearing everything around them.

Comments: The illustrations were created with gouache, acrylic gouache, crayons, and colored pencils.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

My Mom cover with a young mother and her daughter playing in a stream.

My Mom 

by Susan Quinn (Author), Sarah Mathew (Illustrator)

Summary: A gentle and loving tribute to the many roles a mother plays in her child’s life, from nurturer to superhero.

Comment: This would be a nice bedtime story.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Outside Mom, Inside Mom book cover with it divided in half with the mom and child in outside and inside

Outside Mom, Inside Mom 

by Jane Park (Author), Lenny Wen (Illustrator)

Summary: A Korean American child and his mother, Umma, behave differently in public compared to how they act in private. When they are outside, they use English, but when they are at home, they communicate in Korean. They adapt their language to fit their social identity, switching between languages as needed until they feel more comfortable and safe in their new environment.

Comments: I appreciated how the mother and child shared how they express their feelings and behavior in different environments.

The illustrations were created in gouache and colored pencils.

A superb read aloud!

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

That's Not Funny, David book cover with David about to fling mash potatoes across the table.

That’s Not Funny, David! 

by David Shannon (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: David is a comedian who tries to make everyone laugh, but he discovers that not all of his antics are funny to everyone. Ultimately, he still has his mother’s unconditional love.

Comments: He’s back! I missed David. I’d recognize that giant head and triangular teeth anywhere. Children identify with the antics of this little boy and laugh out loud.

A must for every library.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

wash day with mama book cover of a mother washing her daughter's hair

Wash Day with Mama 

by Monica Mikai (Author)

Summary: A young girl treasures each step of her hair washing ritual with her mother, who shares self-care, self-love, and pride in one’s identity tips while sharing jokes and singing.

Comments: Sweet story of mother and daughter bonding.

The illustrations were created digitally using Procreate on an iPad Pro.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover of We Leap Together with a mother humpback whale and baby coming up out of the water with a mother and child watching from the shore

We Leap Together 

by Christopher Silas Neal (Author)

Summary: A humpback whale and calf are compared to the many similarities of a human mother and her child.

Comments: The illustrations were created with mixed media. This is an example of comparative narrative. It also can be paired with a nonfiction whale book. Or, create a chart with the love of the whale mother to that of the human child.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A little yellow chick with a blue background. Cover of Cheeky Chick!

Cheeky Chick! 

by Julia Jarman (Author), Tom Knight (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Mother Hen firmly instructed her chicks to stay close to the roast and strongly advised them not to wander off due to the fox lurking nearby. Despite her warning, one of the chicks recklessly went on a little adventure and encountered various farm animals along the way. Unfortunately, the chick eventually met the fox who relentlessly chased after it. The question now is, can the chick outsmart the fox and make a daring escape?

Comments: This is a humorous yet serious story that teaches children to listen to their mothers and stay close to home to avoid danger.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A World of Love 

by Aimee Elizabeth Reid (Author), Christopher Lyles (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Animal parents and their offspring are described in a rhyming text that explains how they express their love for each other in unique ways.

Comments: This is a lovely bedtime story with beautiful illustrations that emphasize the depth of the love between a parent and a child.

The illustrations are made using a combination of collage, hand-painted papers, pencils, and crayons.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A mother is holding her elementary aged daughter. Trees, flowers, and a forest are in the background.

For You, I Will 

by Elle Duncan (Author), Laura Freeman (Illustrator)

Brief summary: The mom made a promise to her daughter that she would teach her how to be confident in the world and achieve success. She plans to do this by setting a loving and supportive example. This promise is something she plans to keep for her daughter’s entire life.

Comments: The illustrations were created digitally.

This would make a reassuring bedtime story to share with a daughter.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Yaya is a young girl holding a white flower wearing a vest jacket with the ocean, beach, and her mother with her friends sitting on a beach towel.

Yaya and the Sea 

by Karen Good Marable (Author), Tonya Engel (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Yaya and her mother take the subway to meet her mother’s friends and go to the sea for their annual spring equinox prayer to Mama Ocean.

Comments: The book is based on the author’s true story. The Author’s Note explains the ritual and symbolism of the objects offered to the sea.

The illustrations were created with acrylic underpainting and finished with oils on primed archival paper.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

An orange mother dog inside with her pup on its bed.

Counting on Mom 

by Odd Dot (Author), Valentina Jaskina (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This is a counting book that goes up to ten, featuring mothers taking care of their young.

Comments: The story features cute animals with happy faces, making it a gentle bedtime tale for toddlers. It includes a counting and a motherly theme.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy wearing overalls is being held by his mother who has on a pink shirt. A green wallpaper is in the background.

Mamá’s Panza 

by Isabel Quintero (Author), Iliana Galvez (Illustrator)

Brief summary: The boy explains that “panza” means belly and describes different types. His favorite is his mother’s because it was his first home – a soft, cuddly, and comforting place.

Comments: This was created with scanned color pencils and digital paintbrushes.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Lilly and her dog are behind the couch while her mommy and new friend are sitting. Lilly is giving him rabbit ears. All have happy faces

Mommy’s New Friend 

by Shelley Tougas (Author), Sara Palacios (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Lilly shares what she wants to do and say when her Mommy’s new friend, Carl, visits, but instead, she politely adjusts to the new routines and learns how to live with someone new in her life while still loving her parents, even though they are no longer together like before.

Comments: This book is a must-read for teachers, school counselors, and divorced parents. It follows Lilly’s journey of growth and acceptance in the midst of family changes.

The illustrations were created with cut paper, acrylic, and digital media.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

An orangutan and her baby are hanging on a tree branch with the baby on her stomach

Mamas and Babies 

by Christie Matheson (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: This primary nonfiction picture shows different mothers and how they care for their offspring.

Comments: These charming watercolor illustrations capture the bond between mother and child, each one spanning two pages.

This nonfiction book would make a lovely bedtime story due to its gentle and soothing pictures and words.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Cover of If You Were the Moon, My Love with a purple moon in a quarter crescent

If You Were the Moon, My Love

By Alina Loux (author & illustrator). Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ken-Ken Books. 2023. PreK-2. Hardcover. ISBN: 979-8-9865279-4-9.

Brief summary: This gentle rhyming and rhythmic lullaby of unconditional love for a parent to a child will give your little one sweet dreams.

Each stanza is a single illustration that extends across both pages with calm, eye-pleasing colors. At the same time, the four-line stanzas have an ABCB rhyming pattern that is soothing to the ears.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

* I received a complimentary digital copy of this picture book for an honest review.

Cover for Sari-Sari- Summers with lola and her granddaughter, Nora in front of the store

Sari-Sari Summers 

by Lynnor Bontigao (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: Nora is old enough this summer to help her lola, her grandmother, in the sari-sari store in the Philippines. The granddaughter cleans all of the shelves that hold various items in the little store.

A heat wave comes, and all the customers stay home from the hot sun. Lola has an idea to bring back business.

Traditional text as well as speech bubbles. Recipe on the back page. Several two-page spreads.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for Milko with a boy hugging a bunch of pink with monarch butterflies around him

Milko 

by Samuel Narh & Freda Narh (Author), Alisa Knatko (Illustrator)

Summary: Milko misses his mother, who has gone to Ethiopia for a year instead of being home with them in Bolivia. His sister, Abena, cries too, but Papa cannot console them. No one does it like Mama.

Milko counts down the days. Will she ever return?

Comments: I recommend this to school counselors, librarians, teachers, and parents who are away for jobs or military deployment.

This SEL text serves as a perfect prompt for a heart-centered writing activity. Students could compose a letter or draw a picture for someone they are currently missing.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for One Day of the bacck of a mother holding a baby over her shoulder whose face we see

One Day 

by Joanna Ho (Author), Faith Pray (Illustrator)

Summary: A mother cradles her infant son and dreams and shares all the wonderful ways her boy will be as he grows up.

Comments: The beautiful two-page spread illustrations support the quiet, reflections of the hopes and dreams a mother has for her child. I think this would be one teachers could share with students and have discussions of their future aspirations.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of Because I'm Your Mom with a Monster mom with two horns holding her baby monster up in the air

Because I’m Your Mom 

by Ahmet Zappa (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Summary: A monster mom tells her child all the fun and silly things they can share together, no matter how outrageous they may seem.

Comments: The monster characters make the message of unconditional love feel approachable and lighthearted. The mother’s voice can be protective but also humorous.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

If you enjoy this book, you may be interested in reading Because I’m Your Dad.

Cover of Because I'm Your Dad with a green monster dad with a purple baby monster on his head

Cover of Miss Irwin with a pastel image similar to Impressionism style of a woman and a little boy who is holding up a brown bag to her

Miss Irwin 

by Allen Say (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Andy notices his grandmother’s front door is open and stops by to let her know. He discovers his mother is watering the roses. Andy goes inside the kitchen to keep his Grandma company. He notices a white box and takes it to her, wondering what is inside.

His grandmother believes she is his kindergarten teacher, Miss Irwin. Andy plays along, remembering that his mother told him his grandmother was struggling with her memory. He learns about a boy named Willie and what is inside the box.

Comments: Allen Say certainly captured Alzheimer’s with a compassionate story all can understand. The illustrations of the images are not seen clearly and symbolize blurred memories.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of Mommy Time of a mother holding a baby boy and the older sister outside in flowers

Mommy Time 

by Monique James-Duncan (Author), Ebony Glenn (Illustrator)

Summary: A stay-at-home mom spends time with her boy as the father and sister are away. The daughter is collected from school, and now the two children share mommy time.

Comments: The book is about a day in the mom’s life and the time she spends with her children. This book could be introduced as a read-aloud asking students what activities they enjoy doing with their mother. What is one way the characters showed they loved each other without saying it?

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

There is a set of five emojis with sad to happy faces Emotions and Feelings Picture Books for Children
Children's Book Recommendations

Emotions and Feelings Picture Books for Children

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Emotions picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Emotions and Feelings Picture Books– https://amzn.to/48NBD2O .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

The Visit 

by Núria Figueras (Author), Anna Font (Illustrator), Lawrence Schimel (Translator)

Summary: Little Fox’s mother needs to leave the den and tells her not to open the door for anyone. There is a knock at the door. Silence walks in and soon fills the entire place. Fox begins to interact with Silence and concludes that the quietness isn’t so scary.

Comments: This is an allegorical picture book that is an excellent resource for SEL. It personifies silence– an abstract concept–to help kids understand that mindfulness and being alone are not scary.

I think this book could also be beneficial for discussing safety regarding opening the door despite Little Fox’s mother telling her not to. I would explain how this is a metaphor and not something we would do in real life.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Sydney is sitting on her father's shoulders outside on the lawn with flowers. She is holding a snowglobe with a blue butterfly flying above her.

Sydney’s Big Speech

by Malcolm Newsome (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)

Summary: Sydney feels shy on her first day of school and is worried about the speech she has to give to the class. Her father reminds her of all the role models who had to give speeches and practices with his daughter to help her build confidence.

Will Sydney be able to give her speech about what she wants to do when she grows up?

Comments: The back page has short biographical sketches of the female leaders the father shared.

The illustrations are created using watercolor and digital media.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A young Vincent Van Gogh is sitting in an almond tree sketching sunflowers and iris that are all around him; Book cover of Vincent: Starry Starry Night

Vincent: Starry Starry Night 

by Judith A. Proffer (Author), Yoko Matsuoka (Illustrator) Introduction by Don McLean

Brief summary: A young Vincent Van Gogh sees the world differently from other children, expressing his sadness through paintings of sunflowers, irises, and clouds in nature.

Comments: Young readers learn that there are those who feel sadness but can have a place with everyone else. Vincent Van Gogh was able to express his sadness in his art.

This would make a superb book for art teachers to share during a Van Gogh unit of study.

Don McLean wrote an introduction to this book which was inspired from a song he wrote called, “Vincent” which I have attached.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*I was sent a complimentary copy of this book.

A mother otter and her pup are floating on the water while they giving snuggles. Water lilies and a water fly are around them. Cover of Animal Snuggles.

Animal Snuggles: Affection in the Animal Kingdom

by Aimee Reid (Author), Sebastien Braun (Illustrator)

Summary: Young readers are shown how various animals display affection towards their babies.

Comments: There are large double-paged illustrations with the parent and baby.

There’s a back section of the animals and more specific details of how they snuggle with their young, the name of a baby, and their home.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A girl at the beach with her mother and dog

Billie and Bean at the Beach

by Julia Hansson (Author), B.J. Woodstein (Translator)

Summary: Billie and her dog, Bean, go to the beach. Bean enjoys running around and playing in the sand, while Billie just wants to rest in the umbrella’s shade. Her mother encourages Billie to take a swim, and the girl is stung. After her mother comforts and calms Billie’s emotions, the little girl decides to try the water again with the help of a gift Bean has dug up. The girl enjoys the underwater silence and fish. Billie dives towards the bottom and finds something shiny that makes her resilience worth returning to the sea.

Comments: Will we find out what it is in a sequel? What an excellent discussion to have with the class.

This is a Swedish translation.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy looking out of a yellow school bus with optimistic emotions

The Bright Side 

by Chad Otis (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: A boy shares that his family lives in an old school bus until they get a house again. It was hard to leave his friends. His parents encourage him to look on the bright side of things. He gets to take showers outside. Have pizza toast with bread and ketchup. He learns to use his imagination to create something he does not have.

He is nervous about attending a school where everyone knows each other and the routine. Will he learn how to fit in with everyone else?

Comments: The author shares that he did live on a school bus for four years and did not go to school until he was in third grade. I thank him for sharing his story of houselessness.

This book could be shared to help others understand those in poverty and, hopefully, develop empathy and understanding. Written in a way that a child could understand.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Sad girl out on the lake in a small boat with a face of sad emotions

Mouseboat 

by Larissa Theule (Author), Abigail Halpin (Illustrator)

Brief summary: A girl who has recently lost her mother goes on a trip to their lake house with her father. She misses her mother but can not find a connection until she takes out the mouse boat she and her mother built together. She can face her emotions.

Comments: The illustrator caught the facial expressions of a mourning girl and the sad tone in the house of grief with cool and darker colors. Well done.

I could follow the storyline with or without the text, which is an excellent picture book to me. I’d like to see more picture books with this duo. They complement each other well.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover to Willow with a green face peeking out of a cover full of green leaves

Willow

by Elisabeth Sophia (Author), Anita Bagdi (Illustrator)

Summary: This anthropomorphic story is about a tree creature standing by a lake going through all of the seasons with the insects and birds that consider her their home. A severe storm breaks her limbs and her soul. A flock of yellow birds helps rebuild her.

Comments: This is such a beautiful metaphor of grief and resilience. Teachers could ask how it feels when a storm comes into their lives. This would be a great book for SEL, exploring the healing process. I think it could also be shared as a way to explain how community (yellow birds) can help heal.

Rating: 4.5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Various families depicted on the cover with many emotions

You Are Loved: A Book About Families 

by Margaret O’Hair (Author), Sofia Sanchez (Author), Sofia Cardoso (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Young readers are talked to by Sofia Sanchez, who explains that a child is loved by many people but most of all by one’s family. There are many different types of families. Sometimes a family is not perfect. There are arguments, sadness, anger, and other emotions. But a family makes up and continues loving one another.

Comments: This is an optimistic book with brightly colored illustrations of all cultures, ages, races, etc. Readers will be able to see and understand that there are families unlike theirs but still have shared love for one another.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗 1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Boys at the beach

The Noise Inside Boys: A Story About Big Feelings 

by Pete Oswald (Author)

Brief summary: Brothers yell how they feel while playing outside on the beach. One boy is encouraged by his father to take a moment and experience the feeling and name it. Be aware of your emotions and name them to understand them. He is told that a feeling will come and go. 

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

children wearing the same clothing as the background wall

Wallflowers 

by Mackenzie Joy (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: Shy and quiet children who would rather observe and not be in the spotlight are given encouragement to be themselves. They may like to be heard at times, but not in an extroverted way.

Comments: This book celebrates introverts and does not try to change them from being wallflowers but instead bloom with their emotions.

The illustrations are drawn with them looking like the background.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Tow girls playing in the rain with their dog with happy emotions

Sometimes: A Day Full of Feelings 

by Stephanie Stansbie (Author), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)

Brief summary: A brother and sister experience everyday feelings that come and go. They learn to recognize their feelings in different situations, realize that another one will come along, and learn how to move through that one too. Emotions are everyday occurrences.

Comments: There is a back page of encouragement to help young readers to get through more difficult feelings.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A boy sitting at his desk at school reading while releasing his emotions by tap dancing under the desk

Stanley’s Secret 

by John Sullivan (Author), Zach Manbeck (Illustrator)

Summary: Stanley is a shy and quiet boy. He helped the janitor and would tap dance as he swept. One day the principal saw him and encouraged the boy to sign up for the talent show where he could share his gift with others. Will Stanley be able to get over his shyness? 

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A close-up of all boy thinking from the book's cover of Do You Remember.

Do You Remember? 

by Sydney Smith (Author)

Brief summary: A mother and son exchange memories of when the father was still with them. They have moved to a new home in the city where everything is new. They decide that they will begin to make new memories together.

Comments: This book could be shared as a read-aloud between two people. The mother’s voice is in red ink; the boy’s is in blue.

We are not told where the father is or what happened to him. This could be a discussion point with students.

The soft and calm illustrations match the mood of lying in bed and reminiscing.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A squirrel is holding a nut in the middle of the forest this is the picture book cover of Evergreen.

Evergreen 

by Matthew Cordell (Author)

Brief summary: Evergreen, an anxious squirrel, lives in Buckthorn Forrest with her mother who has asked her to take soup to a sick Granny Oak who lives on the other side of the forest. Although frightened, Evergreen leaves the tree and heads towards Granny Oak’s, encountering several forest animals along the way.

Comments: This picture book is divided into a new chapter for each animal Evergreen meets. The illustrations are done with a 005 Micron Pen and painted with watercolors.

Students will be in suspense with each forest animal encounter wondering if the squirrel will be eaten.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗 1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Leda is being moved down the slide by gravity with four action figures of herself which are joyful at the top of the slide to grumpy at the end of it.

Gravity Is Bringing Me Down 

by Wendelin Van Draanen (Author), Cornelia Li (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Leda wakes up and falls out of bed blaming gravity for the beginning of a clumsy and “off” sort of day. She has breakfast where gravity visits again causing her to spill food. Leda goes to school having more gravity related incidents. She says gravity is having a bad mood.

After school, her parents take Leda to a children’s museum where she plays and is able to adjust her mood for the rest of the day.

Comments: This book could be a bibliotherapeutic read to show how a person can start in a grumpy mood but can turn it around.

There is a gravity theme throughout the book.

Rating:3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Harriet is looking into a pond and sees the reflection of a lion. There is landscape in the background of mountains, a house, and trees.

Harriet’s Reflections 

by Marion Kadi (Author)

Summary: An old lion is looking at his reflection in the water before it dies. His reflection is still alive and bored, so it wanders the jungle and comes across a house with a little girl named Harriet inside, who is very grumpy.

The lion follows Harriet to school, and when she comes to the next mud puddle, he jumps in and becomes her reflection. Harriet is surprised at how fierce and confident she feels that day and has forgotten all about her old reflection. Will Harriet ever want to have her old reflection back?

Comments: This is a French translation that was published in 2021. I found the book to be unique, creative, and well-written.

The illustrations are bright and have several large two-page spreads. I always like it when the end pages are decorated.

I sent me a complimentary copy to give an honest review.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover of Dare to Be Daring with readers looking up a flight of basement stairs with a frightened girl with her classmates behind her cheering her on as she peers down with a flashlight.

Dare to Be Daring

by Chelsea Lin Wallace (Author), Lian Cho (Illustrator)

Summary: This rhyming picture book features children confronting initially daunting challenges, only to discover they’re not as scary as they seem. Throughout the book, one little girl repeatedly tries to overcome her fear of descending the basement steps. Will she dare to be daring?

Comments: Wouldn’t this be such a great picture book to share with students during the first month of school when they are trying new things? I think it could help their confidence to see other kids daring themselves to be brave.

The illustrations were created using gouache and colored pencils.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

A library building with a sign say library. Library-Themed Picture Book Recommendations
Children's Book Recommendations

Library-Themed Picture Book Recommendations

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Library-themed children’s book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These titles can be found on my Amazon Storefront under Library-Themed Picture Books — https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/G8Z5QEBVNOJH?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d .)

‼️This list will continue to grow as new titles are added. ‼️

Michal Threets in cartoon form holding a stack of books while waving. Students with different backgrounds are on either side looking or holding books. There is even a dog.

I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy 

by Mychal Threets (Author), Lorraine Nam (Illustrator)

Summary: The story follows a welcoming librarian as children and families enter the library exploring everything the public library has to offer.

Comments: The simple, upbeat text and bright, colorful illustrations emphasize that everyone belongs in the library. The positive, emotional tone is a calming welcome.

The author’s gentle and inviting words will inspire readers to create a lifetime friendship with the library.

This would make such a fun read-aloud for the first time students visited the school library.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page .

Harry Houdini in a white strait jacket hanging upside down with a book tucked in his arms

Houdini’s Library: How Books Created the World’s Greatest Magician 

by Barb Rosenstock (Author), Mar Delmar (Illustrator)

Brief summary: In this picture book biography, Erik Weisz, better known as Harry Houdini, first discovered reading through his father’s library. His father lost his job and could not find another one, causing his family to sell their possessions including the library. Throughout his career as an escape artist, he collects books wherever he goes, slowly building a new library.

Comments: This narrative nonfiction text can spark discussions of how libraries matter and can change people’s lives. Ask students how books and libraries influence them.

The illustrations were created using cut paper, acrylic gouache, and glue.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page

A family sitting on the floor looking at a book with all sorts of books, toys, worms, plants around them.

A Family of Readers 

by Rob Sanders (Author), Gabbie Benda (Illustrator)

Summary: A family visits the library and explore all of the sections of the library, first choosing books to read, next going to story time, classes, and an author visit. This proves more that libraries have something for everyone and are community hubs.

Comments: I love the modern take of this library having a large variety of media, programs, and classes for the whole community. The illustrations are inclusive featuring diversity. The library has a variety of ages all doing different activities. The story and illustrations move, are positive, and are full of details.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page

Lone wolf is sitting on the floor reading a book with two children peering over the bookcase looking at him.

Lone Wolf Goes to the Library

by Kiah Thomas (Author), K-Fai Steele (Illustrator)

Summary: Wolf is reading his library book in the back yard each time the careless postman throws his mail over the fence unknown to Wolf. They were in regards to his late library book. The wolf tries to avoid contact with others on his journey to return his book.

Comments: This picture book with short chapters emphasizes the lone wolf’s desire to be by himself in peace and avoiding others so that he can just read a book in quietness. I think this would be a fun read-louds that would help students learn about those who prefer independent study.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page

Orson peeking over a library shelf looking at us.

Orson and the World’s Loudest Library 

by Laura Gehl (Author), Stephanie Roth Sisson (Illustrator)

Summary: Orson visits a library and finds it overwhelming with noisy children all around him. He tries shushing everyone but Ms. Lana shows him a quiet place–a reading room. After awhile, Orson decides that it really wasn’t what he was looking for after all.

Comments: This book that is a debate between and quiet and loud environment would be relatable to those who are sensitive to noise. Teachers could discuss how different environment affect our ability to learn.

The illustrations were created in pencil and colored digitally.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page

Boyd reading outside the log cabin library with two dogs sitting beside him while sitting on a stump.

The Library in the Woods 

by Calvin Alexander Ramsey (Author), R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)

Summary: There is a storm that destroyed the family farm in 1959. Boyd, a boy of nine, discovers a library in the woods of North Carolina located in their new area where they moved. It is a log cabin especially for Black neighbors. He walks through the door and is stunned to see so many books in one location. He starts a lifelong relationship with libraries.

Comments: This story is based on the author’s life. The back pages give more details of his experience.

This could lead to discussions of how it is a privilege to have a public library and how history changed to include all.

The illustrations were created using acrylic on illustration board.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

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Roshan and his owner with children looking at the books the camel has on its back.

The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan 

by Marzieh Abbas (Author), Anain Shaikh (Illustrator)

Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book is based on the real-life “Camel Library” project in Pakistan where Roshan the Camel now carries books instead of wood to the children in the area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comments: This is a wonderful story to read-aloud that could lead to many discussions such as the pandemic, problem solving, and the importance of books.

The back pages tell more details and a photo of the camel.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Fanny wearing glasses and a purple dress holding a book. There are book shelves behind her.

Fanny’s Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born 

by Richard Michelson (Author), Alyssa Russell (Illustrator)

Summary: In the 1920s, Fanny, an immigrant from Russia, noticed that books in the library rarely reflected her Jewish heritage. She began attending the Saturday Evening Girls Club that helped her learn about the world around her. She began to work as a librarian’s assistant, eventually becoming the director. She helped immigrants to learn about American customs but not forgetting their own.

Comments: She helped create the first Jewish Book Week, which is annually in late February to early March.

More about her life can be found in the back matter.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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various babies climbing on a pile of books

Never Give a Baby a Library Card

by Erin Sandberg (Author), Tom Booth (Illustrator)

Summary: Grandmother, Mom, and the baby go to the library to get a library card for the child. A man comes running to the desk shouting, “STOP!” This humorous and fast-paced story tells all of the things the baby will learn from books from cooking, driving, and learning about rocket science. A little girl points out all of the positive things changing everyone’s mind.

Comments: The book is a humorous read-aloud that promotes reading at an early age and its benefits.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Book cover of Book Comes Home. Three children are holding books in their hands

Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey

by Rob Sanders (Author), Micah Player (Illustrator)

Summary: Book loves being in the library, going home with patrons, returning to its home in the library until one day Book is picked up and placed in a dark room in the back of the library. Book is now in the Banned Book Closet with other books who were confused about why no one loved them anymore. Will a protest from readers bring out those books in the Banned Book Closet or will more join?

Comments: This is a gentle anamorphic story of a book’s viewpoint. The story explains the concept of censorship and the role of advocacy to protect books.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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The book cover of The Keeper of Stories. Firefighters taking out books from the burning brick building with people in the street holding piles of books

The Keeper of Stories

by Caroline Kusin Pritchard (Author), Selina Alko (Illustrator)

Summary: This narrative nonfiction book tells about the 1966 fire at the Jewish Theological Seminary Library in the Upper West Side of New York City. A group of people made a long chain and removed the water-damaged books out from the library to dry elsewhere.

Comments: This is a wonderful story of how a community worked together to figure out a way to dry out the books before they were all lost. Paper towels were sent from all over the city saving about 170,000 books.

The illustrations were created with acrylics, colored pencil, collage, and found objects. They show the tragedy but also the spirit of the people.

The back matter includes more information, including photographs.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

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Ruthie Rose with two of her classmates looking up in the sky with arms outstretched.

Ruthie Rose’s Big Idea: A Poetry Story,  2025

by John Schu (Author), Holly Hatam (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Ruthie Rose wakes up with a big, bright, beautiful idea that she shares throughout her school with her enthusiasm and positivity. Soon, with the help of many classmates and a few teachers, her idea becomes concrete, resulting in a special space.

Comments: This is a celebration of how ideas grow and can change into something concrete that a community can share.

The digitally-created illustrations have bits of classic poems.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A bunny sitting on a stack of books with a book opened. Another bunny is looking up at the other bunny. In a meadow of wildflowers

Just One More Story 

by Perry Emerson (Author), Sean Julian (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Pip and Bun, bunny siblings, have different views about reading. Pip loves to read while Bun does not. With the help of Pip, she finds an action-packed adventure book in a Little Free Library and gets Bun hooked.

Comments: The illustrations are gentle and colorful, perfect for a bedtime read or classroom read-aloud. I liked the theme of anyone can enjoy reading once they find the right story.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A woman with gray hair is reading with a little boy, Abuela and Alfonzo. There is a large oak tree behind them.

Abuela’s Library

by Lissette Norman (Author), Jayri Gómez (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Alfonso and his Abuela visit the library every Saturday and read under their favorite oak tree until it has to be cut down. Alfonso comes up with an idea of turning the stump into a library for the neighborhood and the community. How will this happen?

Comments: This is a true lemons into lemonade story emphasizing the importance of children having access to books.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Clarisse is looking into the clear glass doors of a library seeing people and books.

No Cats in the Library 

by Lauren Emmons (Author, Illustrator)

Brief summary: Clarisse, who doesn’t understand the squiggly lines in books but loved the pictures, came across a building full of books. She keeps trying to sneak inside and succeeds, exploring all over until she comes across a little girl who reads to the cat. The librarian comes across the cat. Will she put Clarisse outside?

Comments: The warm and soft colors used to illustrate the story are cozy and calm. This would be a lovely story to introduce the concept of reading to pets. I often practiced reading aloud the books I was going to share with my students that week with my ginger cat, Leo, who sat and listened, just like a student.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A girl with very bright orange hair is holding books.

A Love Letter to My Library 

by Lisa Katzenberger (Author), Rob Sayegh Jr. (Illustrator)

Brief summary: A young girl gives thanks for all of the various services her library provides such as providing books, story time, and the fish tank.

Comments: I love how this book emphasizes that a library is more than just a building but a community center.

I think this book could be read first and then have the students write love letters to their school or public library about what they find enjoyable.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Book cover of Go Forth and Tell with Augusta Bakers as a woman holding books with city buildings behind her.

Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller 

by Breanna J. McDaniel (Author), April Harrison (Illustrator)

Summary: Augusta Braxton Baker used to listen to her grandmother’s storytelling, which influenced her so much that she became a storyteller. Augusta attended a teacher’s college in New York and then worked at the New York Public Library in Harlem. 

Her legacy continues even today, through the “Baker’s Dozen: A Celebration of Stories” annual storytelling festival which is sponsored by the University of South Carolina College of Information and Communications and the Richland County Public Library.

Baker was a librarian remembered for her advocacy of creating and encouraging positive and uplifting stories with African-American characters.

Comments: The back sections include Timeline, Citations, and an Author’s Note.

The illustrations were created using mixed media, acrylics, and artist pens.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A man is sitting on a green striped chair with his children on either side of them reading a book together with a rhino behind them. Books are strewn all over the ground with the car's trunk door open

The Liebrary 

by Amanda Pearlstein (Author), Howard Pearlstein (Author), Maren Amini (Illustrator).

Summary: Mikayla and Drew take out books from the library and read about things that don’t make sense. Should they believe everything they read? The children suddenly understand when they return their books.

Comments: Cute story. It could be used to start a research project to demonstrate why it is essential to check the facts.

Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗

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an orange cat sitting on the floor of the library with books around him

Jack the Library Cat

by Marietta Apollonio (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Jack loves being in the library, but the librarian, Ms. Fisher, keeps throwing him out. Pascal, a new friend, sneaks the orange cat into the library so they can read together. When they are discovered and Jack is about to be removed again, Pascal convinces the librarian to allow Jack to stay as an official library cat.

Comments: This is an excellent book to read aloud and to ask if any students also read to their pets. Finding out if there are any shelters nearby that have programs with children reading to cats or dogs could be suggested for those without pets.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Cover of picture book, This is a Story, of a girl book hugging a book.

This Is a Story 

by John Schu (Author), Lauren Castillo (Illustrator)

Summary: The title page begins this story with a girl receiving a library card from her father.

One word on a page of a book from a shelf waits in a library. A little girl walks to the library with her father and younger sibling. She goes into the children’s section carrying a seahorse kite, where a librarian helps her narrow her search down to the perfect one–a sea horse library book. She begins to read.

The little girl has found her special library book and now helps her younger brother find his. She uses her library card to check it out.

Comments: This is a lovely story of the magic of finding the right book and an introduction that the role of a librarian as someone who helps match a reader’s personal interest to the many, many books on the shelves.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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If you enjoy this book, you may like John Schu’s This is a School.

Cover of picture book, This Book is my Best Friend with two children in a library both pulling in opposite directions of a book

This Book Is My Best Friend 

by Robin Robinson (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: Two best friends, Sunny and Aarush, want to check out the same library book, “Factory Friends,” but there is only one copy. They each try to persuade the other why the book is their best friend and needs it more. Having failed to book talk each other into other books to check out instead, they discover how to share the library book.

Comments: I recommend this book to school librarians who have students fighting over a book, as I have had many times in my school libraries. (They did not always share, so I had a big die on my desk. The one who rolled the highest number could read it first).

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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Cover of Palace of Books with author and illustrator, Patricia Polacco as a girl looking at the Willard Library

Palace of Books 

by Patricia Polacco (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: As a girl, Patricia Polacco’s family moves from Union City to Battle Creek, Michigan. It is hard for her to adjust from living in a rural area.

One day she walks home from school, taking a different route, and discovers a stately building with giant pillars along the front with many steps leading up to a porch. It is the Willard Library and full of books for people to borrow. Mrs. Creavy, a librarian, helps Patricia find bird books and even shares the notable books of John James Audubon, full of watercolors of birds.

Soon, Patricia paints birds and shares them with her class. This sparks an Audubon bird club at Fremont Elementary School for the next sixty years.

Comments: I will always recommend a book by Patricia Polacco, as she is one of the best storytellers and illustrators in the USA. I was honored to have her as a guest author for our elementary school. I will always cherish having lunch with this legendary author and illustrator that day in our little elementary library.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

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The Library Fish Learns to Read (The Library Fish Books) 

by Alyssa Satin Capucilli  (Author), Gladys Jose  (Illustrator).

Brief summary: Library Fish lives in a bowl on the desk of the librarian, Mr. Hughes, where she watches the students check books in and out of the public library. One day, she is listening to Mr. Hughes tell a story about a dog learning how to read and is inspired that she too wants to learn to read.

After the librarian says good night, Library Fish gets out of her bowl (with special accommodations) and begins to teach herself the ABCs. Each night she practices until she can read books.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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A man and woman holding books are between two shelves of books in a library.

Love in the Library 

by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (Author), Yas Imamura (Illustrator)

Brief summary: In the Minidoka incarceration camp in Idaho during World War II, a young woman named Tama works at the camp’s library. Every day, George visits her returning books. Although they are in a camp, they find comfort in the stories and one another.

Comments: This is actually based on the author’s maternal grandparents. There is not so much emphasis about camp life but more on how they found joy and hope in the library.

The illustrations were created with gouache and watercolor. The author’s note in the back matter includes a photo of her grandparents which shows students that history is made of real people.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

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Children of various backgrounds are either reading or dancing around the book's title

Our Incredible Library Book (and the wonderful journeys it took) 

by Caroline Crowe (Author), John Joseph (Illustrator).

Brief summary: Readers will learn about a library book’s adventures into several children’s homes.

Comments: This books is in rhyme and would make a fun read-aloud. It gives a behind-the-scenes look of a library book as it visits different family.

I think this would pair well with book care to help keep books safe for the next student. This would demonstrate how NOT to treat a book.

This book was first published in the UK.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

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A young girl wearing a green dress is hugging several books with a library in the background.

A Library 

by Nikki Giovanni (Author), Erin K. Robinson (Illustrator)

Brief summary: After Monday’s breakfast, a young girl returns her library books and shares all of the possibilities she can be using her imagination. It isn’t just a building, but a place of freedom to dream.

Comments: This is a lovely ode to libraries and would be a great read- aloud. For a writing exercise, have students finish the sentence: “A library is…” using figurative language.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A young girl and a young woman are standing in front of Al-Qarawiyyin Library.

Behind My Doors: The Story of the World’s Oldest Library 

by Hena Khan (Author), Nabila Adani (Illustrator)

Summary: Al Qarawiyyin Library tells us about itself being built in 859 in Fez, Morocco, and being the oldest library in the world. Fatima al-Fihri built a mosque and school for her community with a small library that grew over the centuries.

There is a room that can only be entered by four guards, who have to turn all of the keys at the same time for the copper doors to open. Now, only the curator has the keys. What could be so precious inside?

Comments: This narrative nonfiction book is told from the perspective of the library, from its very beginning until Dr. Chaouni, an architect who was hired to restore the building, renovates it.

The illustrations were created digitally.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A large white dog is listening to Madeline Finn read her book.

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog 

by Lisa Papp (Author)

Summary: Madeline Finn struggles with reading, especially out loud. She gets upset when she makes a mistake, but she really wants a gold star instead of the ones she keeps getting that say “Keep trying.”

Madeline goes to the library with her mother and finds a room full of children reading to dogs. She is paired with Bonnie who doesn’t mind if she makes mistakes. Will Madeline ever get a gold star?

Comments: This is a wonderful story to teach about a growth mindset, showing how Madeline hasn’t mastered reading yet, but improves with practice.

This is an ideal mentor text for Book Buddy programs, whether students are reading to older peers or to library dogs and cats..

This is also a social-emotional learning story noting how Madeline Finn’s body language changes from the beginning of the book to the end when she gains confidence.

The illustrations were created with pencil, watercolor, and digital coloring.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

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A hamster, Stanley, is driving a book mobile full of books

Stanley’s Library

by William Bee (Author)

Summary: Stanley the hamster fills his colorful bookmobile with books before heading to the park. He helps his friends find their favorite topics and returns just in time to help Charlie set up for a special author visit

Comments: This is a fun, vibrant book for toddlers and preschoolers. The bold text and simple illustrations make it a great choice for early readers.

For teachers, this is a wonderful mentor text for a social studies unit on community helpers, as it introduces the concept of a bookmobile and how libraries reach out to serve their neighborhoods

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Children of various backgrounds are around a little library either getting books, holding, or reading them.

The Little Library (Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom Series)

by Margaret McNamara (Author), G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Summary: Jake and friends visit the new school library looking for books to check out. Librarian Beck helps Jake find a book that is right for him. Jake begins to really enjoy woodworking- themed books, and he creates something special for his school during the summer months when their library is closed.

Comments: I love how the librarian was able to find a book that interested Jake, a reluctant reader who just needed a little help finding his niche.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Bats pulling down a book with a computer cables. One bat is holding a book.

Bats at the Library

by Brian Lies (Author)

Summary: A colony of bats notice that there is a window open at the library and decide to go inside and explore. They make copies of themselves with the copier, splash in the water fountain, and enjoy storytime all before the sun rises.

Comments: This rhyming text makes a fun read-aloud. It emphasizes that libraries are exciting places where stories come to life. Ask students what they would do if they were in a library overnight.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A small orange kitten is sitting on top of a stack of books.

Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!

by Vicki Myron (Author), Bret Witter (Author), Steve James (Illustrator)

Summary: A kitten was left in a library book drop in Spencer, Iowa, on a cold night. The next morning, librarian Vicki Myron found him, gave him a warm bath, and named him Dewey Readmore Books. He became the town’s beloved library cat.

Comments: I love how this story emphasizes that a library is a sanctuary for everyone–even an abandoned kitten.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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A lion is looking over the shoulder of a little girl sitting on the floor reading a book while a boy is leaning against the feline.

Library Lion

by Michelle Knudsen (Author), Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)

Summary: A lion wanders into the library. Since there were no rules saying a lion could not be in the library and he wasn’t breaking any rules, Mrs. Merriweather, the head librarian and a strict rule follower, allows him to stay. He becomes a very helpful lion and obeys all of the rules, until one day he has to break one to get help.

The cat believes he is no longer welcome and leaves. Mr. McBee goes to look for him to explain that sometimes we need to break the rules for very good reasons.

Comments: This a superb beginning-of-the-year read-aloud to discuss library etiquette and rules. It can demonstrate that safety comes first and some rules may need to be temporarily overlooked in the case of an emergency.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

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A toddler is looking through books on a shelf in the library. She has a green backpack beside her.

Lola at the Library (Lola Reads)

by Anna McQuinn (Author), Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator)

Summary: Lola puts her library books in her backpack ready to go to the library with her mother, a tradition they do every Tuesday. They walk to the library, return the books, and pick out new ones after story time.

Comments: This is a gentle book about a book checking-out routine of a toddler. I think it would be an excellent read-aloud for kindergarteners first visiting their school library. It could also be used for teaching first, next, then, and last.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

A plant growing inside half of the earth that has its top missing Earth Science Picture Book Recommendations for Kids
Children's Book Recommendations

Earth Science Picture Book Recommendations for Kids

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Earth science picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Earth Science Picture Books– https://amzn.to/415qQvG .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

A girl in a red hoody is in a motored boat with her grandfather on water that has a school of fish underneath with a tale of a whale nearby.

Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us

by Olga Fadeeva (Author), Lena Traer (Translator)

Summary: This book about water is both interesting and informative. It features a girl and her grandfather who explore everything there is to know about water. The book covers various topics, such as the history of water, its importance to humans and nature, and how it is used. It provides detailed answers to many of the questions about water.

Comments:  The book is an absolute must-have for all school or public libraries. The questions are thought-provoking. The book is loaded with nonfiction text features that are instrumental in learning and presenting facts. Furthermore, the pastedown endpapers of the book reveal fascinating water facts. The acrylic paint and water illustrations are simply stunning and magnify the text.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

If you enjoyed this book, you may also like Wind by Olga Fadeeva, translated by Lena Traer.

Amazon page

*I received a complimentary copy for an honest review.

Abigail has on a pink backpack, with a hat in her right hand and a walking stick in the other. She is by water looking at a waterfall.

Abigail and the Waterfall: Loving God’s Good Earth

by Sandra L. Richter (Author), Michael Corsini (Illustrator)

Summary: On the first Saturday of every month, a family hikes through the forest, appreciating the beauty of nature around them. They sit by a creek having a picnic while listening to the sound of the water. They make sure to pick up all their trash before they leave.

They continue to their favorite spot: a waterfall. After enjoying its splendor and the plants and animals that live around it, they hike back to the car, grateful for the chance to see all the beautiful plants and animals along the way.

Comments: The text is sprinkled with nature-based Bible quotes and ways that we can take care of the earth.

There is “A Note From the Author” at the back of the book on ways to take care of the earth.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

*I received a free copy of this book.

A orange rock formation with the title of the book in a concrete poem shape of awesome earth

Awesome Earth: Concrete Poems Celebrate Caves, Canyons, and Other Fascinating Landforms

by Joan Bransfield Graham (Author), Tania Garcia (Illustrator)

Summary: This is a collection of concrete poems (also known as shape poems) that are shaped in various geological formations.

Comments: Young readers will enjoy following the words as they shape the geological landform. The backdrop illustrations of Tania Garcia complement the poem.

Rating: 4/4 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

A young boy is hiking with backpacks on in South Sister where there are pine trees, mountains, and a lake.

Climbing the Volcano: A Journey in Haiku 

by Curtis Manley (Author), Jennifer K. Mann (Illustrator)

Summary: A family hikes up South Sister, an Oregon volcano, and the young boy shares his observations in haiku, including the terrain, animals, and insects encountered.

Comments: The back sections of the book include “More About Climbing a Mountain,” which provides information on the volcano, necessary equipment, poetry, and living organisms, and “Further Information,” which lists books and websites.

The illustrations are created with a mix of collagraph and monotype printmaking, pencil drawing, digital collage, and paint.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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Cover of Angela's Glacier with Angela as a young woman climbing the blue glacier using walking sticks waring a green coat and blue pom pom hat with a gray fox following her

Angela’s Glacier 

by Jordan Scott (Author), Diana Sudyka (Illustrator)

Summary:  Angela’s father carries his baby daughter on his back while he climbs up ,Snæfellsjökull( translated as snow mountain glacier), a national park in Iceland made up of the glacier and black volcanic lava. They see the plants and wildlife in the area. They listen to the glacier.

As the young girl gets older, she continues to go up the glacier, finally able to hike by herself. When Angela becomes very busy and feels overwhelmed, she finds listening to the glacier calming.

Comments: The afterword tells young readers that the book is inspired by the author’s friend, Angela Rawlings.

I learned that glaciers can have different sounds made by the wind, snow falling on it, water going through a moulin /mo͞oˈlen/(a tunnel inside carved by meltwater), and dripping water.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

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The Greatest River cover of a young girl with long black hair is in the green river with many flowers floating above her head.

The Greatest River 

by Namita Moolani Mehra (Author), Khoa Le (Illustrator)

Summary: Ananda, a young girl, listens to her sick mother talk about the legend of the Ganga, a holy river that heals those who bathe in its waters. Ananda accompanies her aunt, Maasi, to bathe in the Ganges River in India and experiences a spiritual connection.

Comments: The author’s note explains that at 13, she traveled from New York with her mother to bathe in the sacred river.

This gives readers a view to Hindu beliefs and explores the significance of the holy bath. It also can be a resource for students facing family health struggles.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of the picture book title The Tree and the River with a lone tree on the banks of a river

The Tree and the River 

by Aaron Becker (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: This wordless picture book begins with a tree growing on the banks of a river. It observes humans throughout the many decades changing with the seasons and years that have gone by.

Comments: Aaron Becker brilliantly captures the Mother Nature vs. humankind aspect through these detailed and thought-provoking illustrations.

This book can be used as a writing exercise of the perspective of the river during a specific time or over a time as it changes.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Great Gusts cover with a girls walking up a hill with an orange umbrella shielding her from the gusts of wind blowing the tree's branches.

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them 

by Melanie Crowder (Author), MEGAN BENEDICT (Author), Khoa Le (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book introduces young readers to various winds around the world. Each of the fourteen winds is accompanied by a poem and a descriptive paragraph. A world map in the back helps to understand the winds’ locality.

Comments: The illustrations were created digitally.

The back sections are What Makes the Wind?, How Are Winds Named?, Local Poetic Traditions, Where the Winds Blow(map of fourteen winds), Glossary, and For Further Reading.

This book could be used in so many ways in the classroom. Students could create wind lines showing the path of each gust, create their own anemometers or weather vanes, or map the world where each different wind is located.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The Great Lakes book cover of an adult, dog, and boy in a canoe paddling up to a shore.

The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure 

by Barb Rosenstock (Author), Jamey Christoph (Illustrator)

Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book explains how the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior) were formed, the plants and marine life that inhabit them, and how humans have both utilized and harmed these vital waters.

Comments: The illustrations are created using digitally combined drawings and watercolors. Some back sections include A Message from a Great Lakes Caretaker and Author’s Note.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Hike It book cover with a family camping with a tent getting ready to hike with walking stick, map, and backpack. Their camp is surrounded by hills, trees, and flowers.

Hike It: An Introduction to Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking through the U.S.A. 

by Iron Tazz (Author), Martin Stanev (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book alternates with a brief description of a park with double-paged illustrations, and then the next double-paged illustrations will be survival tips or advice related to camping or hiking.

Comments: The illustrations were created digitally.

The back section is Further Reading with websites, books, and apps.

This book could be used in the classroom to have students learn about topographical mapping, create their own ten essential practical life skills and safety, or give students a budget and have them calculate the costs of a hiking trip including food, equipment and park entrance fees.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.

a sprout growing from a hand Origins Picture Book Recommendations for Kids
Children's Book Recommendations

Origins Picture Book Recommendations for Kids

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Origins picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Origins Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4sDksaZ.)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

The cover of The CHhildren of the Sun with a person looking across a desert with a river to one side and the sun beaming down above

The Children of the Sun: An Inca Legend

by Micaela Chirif (Author), Juan Palomino (Illustrator), and Lawrence Schimel (Translator)

Summary: The Sun god was looking at his reflection in a lake when a spark of his flame fell into it, creating a young man, Manco Cápac (MAN-koh KAP-pak), and a young woman, Mama Ocllo (MA-ma AUK-yaw). He gave his children a long stick and told them to make the first city. The stick will know when they are there: Cuzco, the capital of the Inca civilization.

Comments: This lyrical retelling of an Inca creation myth is illustrated with an earthy palette, complementing the origin story of the first city, and the cultural and spiritual perspectives of how the world was shaped.

The back matter includes more information about the legend and helpful terms.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

*I received a free copy of this book.

The picture book cover of We Go Way Back with two molecules with eyes are beginning to separate into two

We Go Way Back: A Book About Life on Earth and How it All Began

by Idan Ben-Barak (Author), Philip Bunting (Illustrator).

Summary: Young readers examine the definition of “life” and where it all begins. The book explores a complex question by breaking it down into a slow progression of how the Earth was created and how molecules formed.

Comments: Large and colorful illustrations also help clarify the concepts.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

The picture book cover of Remember with red and pink Mother Nature images around the beautiful face of the girl with long braided black hair

Remember 

by Joy Harjo (Author), Michaela Goade (Illustrator).

Summary: The poem encourages a young girl to remember one’s heritage, parents, and Mother Nature through reflection on how all is connected.

Comments: The eye-appealing two-page glossy illustrations are in the voice of the Indigenous culture.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

The picture book cover of We Are Human Animals with a child and wolf looking into each other's eyes

We Are Human Animals 

by Rosie Haine (Author and Illustrator)

Summary: The family and people are Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who lived about 25,000 years ago when humans rose with the sun and slept when it set. They made tools from nature around them, ate what they picked or caught, and everything they owned was handmade. Some animals were their friends, while others were eaten (or run from). The stars were their GPS. They were closer to Nature. We are still human animals but are very different today in many ways.

Comments: Author’s Note briefly explains how the first humans lived on Earth.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

How the Sea Came to Be: (And All the Creatures In It) 

by Jennifer Berne (Author), Amanda Hall (Illustrator)

Summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book is divided into Part One: The Birth of the Sea, Part Two: The Birth of Life, Part Three: All That the Sea Came to Be…From Then to Now, and a section of informative back pages including a foldout of ocean creatures over time.

Comments: The text is in a stanza of four lines with lines 2 & 4 rhyming. The illustrations are large and colorful; I found myself stopping to soak up the way the creatures were evolving.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

The picture book cover of You Are My Pride with a large sailboat on the blue ocean

You Are My Pride: A Love Letter from Your Motherland 

by Carole Boston Weatherford (Author), E. B. Lewis (Illustrator).

Summary: This touching poem, illustrated with large two-page illustrations done in watercolors, is a lovely letter from Mother Nature telling her human children how much she has loved them since the beginning of their creation on Earth.

Comments: The back pages briefly explain the Developments in Early Human Evolution. It is written from the perspective of the Earth speaking to us.

This would be an ideal mentor text for lessons on point-of-view and personification. Perhaps students could write a letter back to the earth.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted

Earth with eyes and limbs wearing a sash saying earth day Earth Day Picture Book Recommendations for Children
Children's Book Recommendations

Earth Day Picture Book Recommendations for Children

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Earth picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Earth Day Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4lz4b4n .)

❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗

Cover of the picture book The Day the River Caught Fire with three children looking at the river on fire

The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement

by Barry Wittenstein (Author), Jessie Hartland (Illustrator)

Summary:  In the summer of 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire when sparks from a passing train ignited the debris in the water. It was not the first time the river caught on fire.

Comments: Young readers will learn about how the river became so polluted and what happened to change the pollution from worsening.

The narrative nonfiction story continues to reveal how polluted rivers across the country sparked widespread protests and ultimately led to the creation of the first Earth Day.

Back pages include sections: Author’s Note, Environmental Time Line, Clean Water Act, To Learn More, and a Bibliography.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

The picture book cover of Black Beach with Sam holding a picket sign saying "Save our planet." Marine animal life are with her while the oil rig is spilling oil onto the water

Black Beach: A Community, an Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day 

by Shaunna & John Stith (Author), Maribel Lechuga (Illustrator)

Summary: While in class in Santa Barbara, Sam notices her teacher’s concern after a quiet exchange with the principal, leaving her uneasy. At home, her parents explain that Union Oil has caused a spill nearby. When the family visits their favorite beach, they find it covered in black oil. The community comes together to clean the shoreline and rescue affected animals

Comments: This narrative nonfiction title connects a specific historical event to the origin of the national Earth Day holiday which was held on April 22, 1970.

There are several sections in the back of the book: Author’s Note, Selected Bibliography, Timeline, Earth Day Today, Earth Day Every Day, and How to Become an Environmental Activist.

Teachers and homeschooling parents could share this book as a supplement in addition with Earth Day activities.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

For more details or to buy, click here.

A boy and girl are under a tree with squirrels and birds and butterflies around them as they stand on grass an d flowers.

Happy Earth Day! (My Little Golden Book About…) 

by Deborah Hopkinson (Author), Jennifer Zivoin (Illustrator)

Summary: In this narrative nonfiction, young readers learn about the history of Earth Day, what the holiday is, and why it is important.

Comments: This book discusses environmental conservation with facts and resolutions done in a sensitive and gentle way for children. The back matter includes ways to help the Earth.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Book cover to The Night Before Earth Day with a variety of people tending a community garden

The Night Before Earth Day

by Natasha Wing (Author), Amy Wummer (Illustrator)

Summary: The diverse neighbors work together to make a better earth by creating a community garden, planting trees, and recycling, to name a few activities.

Comments: This rhyming style is in the classic Christmas poem. This book would make a great introduction supplement to Earth Day or environment units of study. Emphasis is on how people work as a team to take care of the planet.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for Dino Earth Day with various dinosaurs in bright colors picking up trash in a park and recycling

Dino-Earth Day (Dino-Holidays) 

by Lisa Wheeler (Author), Barry Gott (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Dinosaurs come together on Earth Day to help clean up the park, plant a garden, recycle, and do other things to help the planet.

Comments: This rhyming book with bright colorful illustrations is perfect for young dinosaur lovers .

Lisa Wheeler does school visits. When I was teaching, we had her as our guest author, and the students and teachers loved her presentation.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Four crayons holding hands while standing on top of the Earth

The Crayons Love Our Planet

by Drew Daywalt (Author), Oliver Jeffers (Illustrator)

Brief summary: The crayons celebrate the different parts of the Earth they make. Each one is proud of what is drawn, especially Beige, who keeps trying to add wheat to every scene.

Comments: This is a small hardcover book (about 6″ x 7″) which would be a nice book in the little hands of toddlers or preschoolers that gently teaches about the beauty of Earth.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A girl is amongst the grass, water, insects, and birds on the cover My Friend Earth

My Friend Earth

by Patricia MacLachlan (Author), Frenci Sanna (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This book is a personification of Earth as a young girl who follows the changing seasons of the world as she tends to all of the animals, causing rain and snow, and tending the plants.

Comments: This is such a wonderful book to read and explore. It is interactive with die-cut pages that layer over one another to show different parts of the ecosystem. There are flaps and curved pages. The cover is raised so that one can touch the outlines of the illustration. The poetic text of Patricia MacLachlan beautifully ties it all together.

The illustrations were created in pencil, ink, and digital painting.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Earth Day: Ready-to-Read Level 1 (Robin Hill School) 

by Margaret McNamara (Author), Mike Gordon (Illustrator)

Brief summary: The first grade students in Mrs. Connor’s class are thinking of big ways to save the planet for Earth Day but Emma feels overwhelmed and is concerned that her everyday contributions may not be enough. Her father and Mrs. Connor help Emma understand that small, daily actions can have big results for the Earth.

Comments: This beginning reader book helps to examine the topic of environment issues gently and focuses on empowering kids by teaching them small actions they can do.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Fancy Nancy: Every Day Is Earth Day: A Springtime Book For Kids (I Can Read Level 1) 

by Jane O’Connor (Author), Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Fancy Nancy learns about being green at school and decides to try what she learned at home, not realizing that she is overstepping. She learns that not being so rigid all of the time is helpful.

Comments: This beginning reader is in classic Fancy Nancy humor and fancy vocabulary words. The back matter includes the new words and also some catchy slogans such as “Less than a mile? Then bike in style.”

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.