The Best Mother: A Picture Book By C. M. Surrisi
For every child who’s ever wondered if the grass is greener, The Best Mother affirms that there’s nothing better than your own mother’s love. When Maxine wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one morning, she wonders if the problem might be her mother. What if she could try out a new mom who doesn’t make her brush her teeth or comb her hair? Enlisting Mom to help her with the search, Maxine interviews various prospects to be her new mother at the park, the toy store, and the zoo. Unfortunately, these other mothers present a host of new problems and concerns. Maybe her “old mother” was the best mother of all?
DREAMERS by Yuyi Morales
Yuyi Morales brought her hopes, her passion, her strength, and her stories with her, when she came to the United States in 1994 with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn’t come empty-handed. Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It’s the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it’s a promise that you can make better tomorrows. This lovingly-illustrated picture book memoir looks at the myriad gifts migrantes bring with them when they leave their homes. It’s a story about family. And it’s a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own strengths wherever we roam. Beautiful and powerful at any time but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless.
How to Spot a Mom by Donna Amey Bhatt
How to Spot a Mom is a tongue-in-cheek tribute and ode to all moms, everywhere. Young readers and parents alike can learn all about moms, from what they are (super-humans!), to some of the special skills they have, including detecting fibs, solving mysteries, and conflict resolution. This beautifully illustrated book is the perfect “Spotter’s Guide” to moms. You’ll discover that all moms are unique, and you’ll meet many different types of mom—from the Outdoorsy Mom who loves fresh air and the Chatty Mom who’s always got a story, to the Rebel Mom who never reads the instructions. You may spot yourself, or your own mom on the pages, too!
Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
Love comes in many forms. It can be shown by lending a helping hand, baking a cake, or reading a book together. No matter what your family looks like, the one thing we all have in common is the love we have for each other. This vibrant and inclusive book is a great gift for those you love most.
Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin
This cheerful book follows a family from morning to night in lively rhyme that rolls off the tongue. There’s a buzz for each bug, and a breeze for each tree, and plenty of hugs for you and me. The toddler and mommies take a morning bike ride to a farm stand, they visit a zoo in the afternoon, and in the evening there’s the bath and storybook routine before the child is tucked cozily into bed. There are seas for ships and kisses for lips, so we can whisper I love you! This is sure to become a preschool favorite, for bedtime and any time.
To the Moon and Back for You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant
For anyone who has struggled with infertility on the road to motherhood, this book is a must-have. It’s a heartfelt and hope-filled love letter from a mother to her child. She describes the storms she weathered and the mountains she climbed along the path to her miracle baby.
JUST LIKE A MAMA by Alice Fay Duncan
Celebrate the heart connection between adopted children and the forever families who welcome them with kindness, care, and unconditional love in this powerful picture book. Carol Olivia Clementine lives with Mama Rose. Mama Rose is everything—tender and sweet. She is also as stern and demanding as any good parent should be. In the midst of their happy home, Carol misses her mother and father. She longs to be with them. But until that time comes around, she learns to surrender to the love that is present. Mama Rose becomes her “home.” And Carol Olivia Clementine concludes that she loves Miss Rose, “just like a mama.”