12 Lovely Books to Read with Preschoolers on Mother’s Day

A young boy reimagines his mother as a mechanic, a chemist, a quarterback, and so much more as they go about their day playing and spending time together. We see the hero a mama is in the eyes of her child, simply by spending time together. It’s adorable!

Some children are unable to live with their biological mother, and this book is a wonderful story about having someone who is not your mother taking on that role. It’s filled with lightness, appreciation, and love, while being honest about still missing your biological parents. I highly recommend this book to show people that love truly makes a family.

I am so fond of A Chair For My Mother that I created a Mother’s Day story time activity and DIY Mother’s Day gift based upon it! This book is a unique narrative about a girl, her mother, and her grandmother who lost everything in a fire. It shows a community coming together to help people in a hard situation, and three generations of women dreaming and working together to support a loving mom. It’s a beautiful story with colorful illustrations that has a constant place in my home and classroom libraries.

A classic for decades, the beautiful illustrations and simple words tell the story of how constant a mother’s love is for her child. Even if a child changes or goes away (or, say, becomes a boat), their mother’s unwavering love will follow them wherever they go.

Actress Julianne Moore has written something truly special with My Mom is a Foreigner But Not to Me. Children explain that though their mother’s food, clothes, accent, or language may seem strange to others, for them, those things mean home.

This nonfiction book explores the way elephants live their lives. Groups of elephants are led by one strong matriarch who has a memory like, well, an elephant! Female elephants teach the calves, watch out for danger, and take care of everyone in their family. A wonderful way to look at matriarchs in the wild.

This book is such a feast for the eyes that even if it had no words, it would make the list. Luckily for us, it also has a great story. A young girl loves her mommy’s khimars and borrows her favorite yellow one to wear for an entire day. This is a beautiful and positive way for Muslim children to see themselves in books and a great window into another culture for non-Muslim children.

In yet another great children’s book by Grace Lin, we meet a young girl and her mother. When spring begins to arrive in the little girl’s neighborhood, all of her neighbors plant beautiful flowers. But as her mother begins planting the ugliest vegetables, her daughter learns the value of heritage, cultural exchange, and the way food brings people together, as she spends time with her mother. (Bonus: there’s a great recipe in the back!)

This book hits home for the many children who may have gotten a gift from Grandma that they might not like or know what to do with. Its vibrant and delightful illustrations add humor to the story of a girl learning to love the lemon tree her grandmother gives her.

Arthur Dorros is another constant fixture on my classroom bookshelf. This bilingual Spanish and English book recounts a day in the life of a young girl and her mama. They share love, laughter, and snacks with one another and other members of their family. Sweeping illustrations and bright colors make this book a wonderful way to spend time together.

This is a book written in rhyme about a family with two moms. They spend the day riding bikes, visiting the zoo, and making sweet memories, all while reminding their child that they always have enough hugs and love for them.

This book by First Nations author Nicola I. Campbell and First Nations illustrator Julie Flett is a story about a grandmother (“Yayah”) taking her grandchildren outdoors to forage. She passes down generational knowledge about plants, mushrooms, and Nɬeʔkepmxcín language. Through this book we see that knowledge is a form of love. Culture and resilience are something important to all communities, especially when others have tried to erase it. It’s a true delight to read.