Everyone’s family situation is different, but often children of same-sex couples don’t have nearly as many literary stories to read and feel seen. That’s why author Michael Joosten’s Me and My Two Moms is such a great find. The book shows readers how very similar same-sex families are with examples of how they eat together, read bedtime stories together, play together. And what could be better for children than affirming a loving depiction of an LGBTQ+ family as a way to celebrate mothers’ — be it one or two — love for their children in the everyday ways they go about showing it?

Finding beauty in your uniqueness is something moms instill in their children and that’s the story behind this children’s book, Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. When a young girl of Asian descent begins noticing she looks different than her classmates, her mother helps her celebrate her appearance. This mommy-and-me children’s book is especially poignant as it helps children understand that the way they look is a gift passed down from their family and tells a story about their history. It’s as much a tale about pride as it is about self-love, something every child should be reminded of.

Me & Mama won the Caldecott award for its beautiful illustrations and gorgeous prose including: “On a rainy day when the house smells like cinnamon and Papa and Luca are still asleep, when the clouds are wearing shadows and the wind paints the window with beads of water, I want to be everywhere Mama is.” Too often we focus on the big moments in life, the special holidays or shared wins, but what about the love that can be found in the simple moments? Those cozy afternoons reading books together on the couch or a day spent playing outside together? That’s what this poignant book is all about.

Mommy-and-me children’s books often focus on them being a soft place to land, a gentle caretaker, or the place children run to when they need support. And all of that is true. But what about the other side of mom as a tough, hardworking hero? That’s what this uplifting book, Mighty Moms, is all about. With a rhyming format and cheery illustrations from Joyce Wan, it’s the follow up to the equally well received Mighty Dads. Using trucks as a metaphor, the book is an ode to moms everywhere. And kids can’t get enough. “My son loves to read this and say his name for all of the little trucks and say Mama for all of the big trucks!” writes one Amazon reviewer.

What makes your mom magical? That’s the question My Mom is Magical asks readers as it gives suggestions of the magical powers mamas hold. Is your mom sweeter than a cloud of cotton candy? More sparkly than a universe of stars? Well then, you’ve got a magical mama. For unicorn lovers, there’s no better book to share the covers the topic of moms and their love for their babies. Each page features the silly mystical creature celebrating the wonder of moms, including a unicorn leading a band of bananas with the words “sillier than a band of bananas.”

One of the leading board book authors, Leslie Patricelli takes big topics, like what a mother is, and makes it simple and fun for a baby to understand. With rhymes like “Now we dance. Wiggle, wiggle. I can make my mommy giggle!” kids will love reading this book over and over again. Mommy makes a perfect bedtime story for even the littlest listeners thanks to its simple verbiage and illustrations including the hilarious “Mommy thinks that I’m delicious” complete with an image of mom giving her baby tummy raspberries. The board book design also ensures its durability, even if your sweet baby likes to nibble the corners while you read.

Introduce your child to feminism from a young age with Home Base: A Mother, Daughter Story that follows one brave mom and her gutsy daughter as they attempt to tackle challenges in their life. Made in a graphic novel fashion, the illustrations carry the story that follows a bricklayer mom as she attempts to get a new job and her daughter who tries out for the baseball team. “⁠⁠I love that this book features a mom with tattoos that is a single parent in a male-dominated industry. Swipe to see the end pages, a haggard Mama juggling it all, the two giving it their all, and the smug little kitten who shows up throughout the book,” writes one Amazon critic.

Written by Hollywood star Gabrielle Union, this mommy-and-me children’s book is a celebration of new life that all mom’s can appreciate. It talks about how even after all the pomp of a new baby’s arrival ends, the party continues within the family as they salute their new addition. Welcome to the Party has been praised by other celebrity authors including Jimmy Fallon and Hoda Kotb, but everyday readers love it just as much as well. “I loved the artwork! Everything is so colorful! I love a book about our beautiful black babies!!” writes an Amazon fan.

Unconditional love is difficult to explain to a child. So use this book instead. In it a mama fox explains how she loves her children whether they’re frightened, happy, sad, or bashful. Let’s be honest, the title I Love You Because You’re You is a message all of us could stand to hear more often. So imagine the power this book has on the emotional development and self-esteem of a small child. Kids will feel the love thanks to the warm imagery from illustrator David McPhail which flip the script on the fox, a typically maligned character in children’s literature.

A little giraffe wanders off from his mother, then searches the jungle to find her finding many look-alikes along the way. But only one true mom will do in this sweet story. That’s Not My Mom is a book any child can relate to, especially at their knee-high to a grasshopper stature when they’re searching a crowded room for mom. It can be scary, but so rewarding when they find their true mama and every kid knows who that is. That’s Not My Mom also features beautiful illustrations and a fold out page element that adds to the surprise on each page.

In many ways, shared wishes are the foundation upon which children and parents form their relationships. And that’s the heart of For All The Stars Across The Sky, a book that looks at how a mom and child share their wishes with each other each night. Sometimes those wishes are silly, like a child’s wish to be big, as big as a giant. Sometimes it’s a wish that they could be fishes and swim the ocean together. But what they’re wishing for isn’t as important as the fact that they’re wishing together. An ideal tuck-in story, “the soft colors of the illustrations are beautiful and provide a dreamy atmosphere to the story,” one Amazon reviewer writes.

In The Kissing Hand, a raccoon mama kisses her baby’s hand so he can always carry her with him. This has become an elementary school favorite and a great way to reassure children on their first days at school. ”The book itself is so well written. It's full of kindness, empathy, compassion and understanding. Young Chester Raccoon is scared of going to school and doesn't want to go. His mother, who is full of wisdom, finds a way to let him know that she's always with him...even when they're apart,” explains one Amazon reviewer. And isn’t that what every mom hopes to ensure to her babies? You are loved even when I’m not by your side.

“But Mama, but Mama, what if I were a super smelly skunk, and I smelled so bad that my name was Stinky Face?” Yep, like most moms, even in this scenario you’d still love your child unconditionally. That’s what I Love You, Stinky Face teaches children. A great children’s book for a mom or grandma to read, “this is our new favorite book! My toddler grandchildren love it! They relate to Mother's love and encouragement,” explains one Amazon fan. You can see the appeal. First off, there’s the thrill of hearing an adult use the word stinky. Then there’s the reassurance that even at their worst, kids will be loved unconditionally by their parents (and extended family for that matter).

A dose of Mom a day keeps the doctor away in this tale about how moms make everything better. But the beauty of My Mommy Medicine is it expands the definition of mother to all the caretakers out there filling in the role of Mom, from grandmas to foster parents to extended family members. This warm and fuzzy book is the one to reach for on those days when a child is home sick from school or needs a little extra TLC. Take it from a reader: ​​”I bought this book when my son was sick for the very first time, and it was so tender reading it to him while he cuddled me. I love the story line and the illustrations. A must have!”

Part of a mom’s job is being the keeper of her family’s history and passing those stories on. But for families for whom a history of enslavement is part of the tale, there’s this beautiful book to help share the stories of struggle. From the acclaimed Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project: Born On The Water shares moms love for their babies through the tragedy of slavery. With poetic language and stunning illustrations from Nikolas Smith, the picture book paints an image of pride and resistance. “This book is a must read for Black Indigenous People of Color and White readers in understanding the beauty, power, and resilience of Black/African American peoples. Loved this story and will read over and over to all the young Black and biracial/multiracial youth in my life,” writes one Amazon reviewer.

Author Miranda Paul and Caldecott Honor Artist Jason Chin deliver a story that helps big siblings understand the arrival of a new addition, from lessons on Baby’s growth inside Mom’s belly to the actual birth scene. Nine Months: Before A Baby Is Born is part children’s story, part early biology lesson thanks to Chin’s detailed illustrations that give kids an up close look at every step of a baby’s development in the womb. For instance, on one page it says “Weeks 17-21” then spells out all of the changes happening to the baby: “Lips. Flips. Curve, dip, and groove. She has a face.”

Military moms are a special kind of superhero. They serve and protect at home and abroad, which is why they deserve special recognition, and Hero Mom gives them just that. Readers love that this book isn’t just about the big jobs, but the smaller less popular ones too that are just as important. Case in point: “All military mothers should get this book. I'm a Marine Corps dog handler and it even mentions K9! It fits every mother's job and very well written!! Your kids will love it!” writes one Amazon reviewer. Every child can see their military mom reflected in this powerful book that’s sure to instill plenty of pride.

This beautifully illustrated book follows one girl’s desire to dress up in saris to look just as lovely as her mother. Will her wish come true? It’s her 7th birthday and her mom allows her daughter her wish. But what it illustrates even more than a daughter’s desire to play dress up, is her impulse to mimic her mom. And what child hasn’t felt that? Moms are the ultimate role model. Is it any wonder, kids want to be just like them? Let your child see themselves in the charming Mama’s Sari.

In some families, the nighttime routine of putting everyone’s hair up is as much a part of bedtime as brushing teeth. That’s what makes Bedtime Bonnet so special. One way a mom shows love to her babies is through helping them learn how to care for themselves. Here a mom and dad do just that with their family, even when their little girl loses her bedtime bonnet. “I loooove this book ! It’s more like a bedtime humor with my daughter. It also shows how to appreciate our hair care at night,” writes on Amazon reviewer.

This heartwarming tale is an ideal book for moms because it shows, in sweet verse, how a bear and its cub spend a day, just doing the simple things together, like chasing each other or touching noses. And isn’t that a lot of what motherhood is about?I Love You to the Moon and Back is so beautifully illustrated, it might make you tear up, so be warned. That said, tears of joy are worth it when you share this touching tale with your own baby.

Kids will test a mother’s limits. In poetic verse, this book shows that push-and-pull while interspersing lovely arctic characters including whales, wolves, puffins, and sled dogs, throughout. If that sounds simple enough, consider how powerful seeing this scenario can be for a child. One reviewer puts Mama, Do You Love Me? this way: “Yesterday my daughter randomly told me ‘mom even if I’m mad at you I still love you.’ I’m convinced it’s because of this book. It’s heartwarming and sweet and is all about unconditional love.”

Children’s books about Mom’s love may seem like a dime a dozen, but the really good ones, the ones you keep returning to again and again are an exclusive list. Hoda Kotb’s You Are My Happy belongs right up there. In Kotb’s first children’s book, she takes inspiration from her own bedtime routine with her daughter, Haley Joy. This sentimental book features a mama bear and her cub as they share the joys of the day with each other in simple rhyme. In short, “Beautiful illustrations, sweet story, simply a book to be cherished forever,” says one Amazon critic.

Are You My Mother?, a book about a baby bird searching for its mama, has been delighting readers since it was published in 1960. As the little bird discovers, his mother never abandoned him, she was just getting food to feed and take care of him. What mom can’t relate? And what child can’t either? What makes kids come back to this book again and again is the silliness, like when the little bird confuses an excavator for his mom. But it’s the conclusion, when the little bird finds his mama, that kids will really appreciate.

In a moment of anger or frustration, have you ever heard your child say, “I don’t even need you!” It happens to the best of us, but this charming picture book, starring a mama bear and her cub, will remind your child that they really need you after all. With thoughtfully designed illustrations, the book spells out all the ways in which a mama can make life better, from pointing out beauty in the world to always showing them their truth even when others don’t see it. Why A Son Needs A Mom is a book to return to even on the toughest mother/son relationship days.

Bilingual children’s books are a great way to introduce children to a family’s native tongue. But this one doesn’t just do that, it’s also a celebration in English and Korean about a group of brothers’ love for their mom. In trying to find the perfect birthday gift for mama, they come up with a creative way to say just how much they care. I Love My Mom is a book moms can read to all their babies, in either language.

Selected as a Best Book of 2018 by NPR and Kirkus Reviews, Mommy's Khimar is about a little Muslim girl playing with her mom’s khimar (head scarf). As she wraps the cloth around herself, she can feel her mother’s love wrapping her up too. “My mom bought this for me for my baby shower do I can teach my little girl all about Islam. I love the colorful pictures, the simple language for a child to understand and the fact that it shows Muslims and non-Muslim family members, as well as Muslims from different parts of the world coming together and showing acceptance,” writes an Amazon fan.