Books

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These 16 Children's Books About Love Will Make You All Mushy

-You'll love snuggling up with these stories.

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How do you show a child you care? How do you express that your love is unconditional and never ending? How do you make them feel secure in your overwhelming adoration for them? Well, you say it every single day to start. And if that doesn’t get the point across, the next best bet is to turn to picture books. Kid’s literature is brimming with great stories that help explain these feelings and these 16 children’s books about love do just that.

Children’s picture books help explain tricky topics like love with illustrations and simple phrases that kids can easily digest. And thankfully, there’s no shortage of options. From the tear-jerker tomes like On the Night You Were Born (which I still have yet to get through without becoming a blubbering mess) to the playful classic Runaway Bunny, one need only Google “children’s books about love” to find a massive library of great reading material. But if you had to pick one (or, in this case, 16) these are some of the best: filled with colorful images, snappy prose, and great storylines you won’t mind reading again and again (and again). And don’t forget to spread the love by considering purchasing from a local bookseller. Nothing says love like showing some to book merchants who keep your community well read.

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1

Big Love

Get your Klennex handy before you turn the page on this beloved children’s book. Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare discuss how much they love one another and it’s downright adorable.

2

Beyond Birth

Whoo boy, if the previous suggestion made you blubber, prepare for an all-out sob fest with this one. Basically this book looks at how when a baby comes into a parent’s life the world suddenly feels remarkable beyond belief.

3

Familial Love

Trying to make sense of making room in a family for a new baby is something older siblings might grapple with. But this book tackles the tough topic through the lens of love.

4

Sacrificial Love

Shel Silverstein’s prolific work is often defined as silly, but this book that he wrote in 1964 is much more serious. It’s a poignant book about self-sacrifice, which some might say is the ultimate form of love.

5

Llama Drama

We’re big Llama, Llama fans in my house. These simple rhyming books about the trials and tribulations of a little llama always seem to sum up profound ideas in a way kids can understand and this book is no different.

6

Carrying Love On

A go-to for early childhood educators, this book is all about how even when you’re not with your child, they carry you wherever they go.

7

Enduring Adoration

I’m going to guess that this is one of the top baby shower gifts and for good reason. The Runaway Bunny describes how no matter where a baby bunny goes, a mother bunny will find him because she loves him so.

8

Awe-Inspiring Tenderness

Love comes from Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and depicts the many ways we express love from “In the beginning there is light and two wide-eyed figures standing near the foot of your bed and the sound of their voices is love” and beyond in this touching picture book.

9

Girl Power

Have a little girl in your life who needs to know how much you adore her? Dear Girl is a good choice. It’s a love letter to girls everywhere and reminder to just be themselves.

10

Grandparent Love

The love of parent and child is only part of a familial bond and in this beautiful illustrated book, the power of a grandma’s love takes center stage — a great gift from the grans in your child’s life.

11

Loss & Love

The concepts of separation anxiety and loss are hard for kids to understand, let alone deal with. But in this book, the author explains to kids that An Invisible String made of love always connects you to the people you care about.

12

The Color of Love

If you’re familiar with The Day the Crayons Quit, you’ll be thrilled to discover this V-Day appropriate sequel. The crayons are back and they’re using their colors to describe love.

13

On Loving the Lonely

As one Amazon reviewer put it, “This is, at it's heart, about the transformational effect of love on a lonely man, about reaching out to people you might overlook, about being a part of a community / connecting with people, and about how a person can enrich others' lives by sharing their unique strengths and talents.” Sounds like a message everyone should hear.

14

Beary Big Love

“There are so many bears in the world dear, but there's no other one that will do.” So sweet you’ll get a toothache, this is a must-have.

15

I Ruff You

If you ask me, it’s never too soon to introduce your kids to puns and this book is full of them all based around the concept of love.

16

Love That Forgives

Girlpie is what her mama calls her even when she makes mistakes. This sweet story shows that love forgives and that family's must be there for each other.

Now next time your baby says, "Tell me a story", you'll be prepared.

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