The Children's Book Review has a list of children's books that talk about love and family.

Before Love (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, illustrated by bestselling illustrator Loren Long) came out, I had the chance to see award-winning author Matt de la Pea read an early version of the book at a SCBWI Lines and Letters conference a few years ago. In general, hearing an author read his or her own work is always a good thing. In this case, it was especially moving (yes, a watery-eyes kind of moving that filled the large room with a buzzing energy that, at that moment, could only be described as love).

In the beginning, I wanted to get my hands on a copy so I could also get a better look at the rich illustrations. It's now mine! You can read this list of books if you love them: A list of 10 picture books for kids about unconditional love.

The truth is, love comes in many forms. Everyone has a different way of seeing it. It's true that when we give and receive unconditional love, we're sure to be happy. Aha! Parents, a great site run by Dr. Laura Markham, says: "Unconditional love is like a muscle. It can be used to do good things for people." It needs to work out every day. In life, compassion is the work that gets done. To get strong, you know that it takes a long time.

Ten steps to unconditional love are given in one of her articles. I think that reading books about unconditional love together as a family would be a good way to give the "unconditional love muscle" some of the attention it needs every day. These ten kids' books can help teach kids and adults how to show unconditional love. They can also help fill your home and mine with happiness.

Amazing Picture Books About Love

Love

Written byMatt de la Peña

Illustrated by Loren Long

Author Matt de la Pea and bestselling illustrator Loren Long have written a story about the strongest bond there is and how it connects us all in different and powerful ways.

People with wide eyes stand near the foot of your bed, and the sound of their voices is love. In the beginning, there is light. When you ride in the back of a cab, the driver softly plays love songs on the radio. Everything smells new and fresh, and it smells like life.

Matt de la Pea, a Newbery Medal-winning author, and Loren Long, a best-selling illustrator, have written a heartfelt book about love. They show how this universal bond carries us from the moment we are born through our childhood and beyond. It has a lyrical text that is both soothing and inspiring, and this story is a must-read for people of all ages.

 

Years 4-8

Dear Girl

Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal

Illustrated by Holly Hatam

I Wish You More author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and her daughter Paris Rosenthal have written the heartwarming and inspirational Dear Girl.

Dear Girl is an amazing letter of love that you write to the person you love the most.

Amy and Paris write a sweet story, and the illustrations by Holly Hatam are so beautiful that any girl who reads this book will think she's perfect, no matter what she likes to do.

That's what this book tells girls to do. It also tells them to love who they are, inside and out.

Years 4-8

Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love

Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Illustrated by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer

From the author of I Wish You More, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, comes this delicious follow-up to Cookies and Christmas Cookies. It defines words that are linked to love.

If you want to know how to say "I love you," this book is for you. It talks about everything from giving your friend the last cookie (selfless) to waiting to lick the bowl together (kind). Meanings are made clear in a different kind of dictionary, which is just as heartwarming as baking cookies with someone you love.

There are a lot of good things in Amy Krouse Rosenthal's sweet little lessons mixed with the warm and inviting illustrations by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer, which make this one of the best books out there! Take another bite. (Another.)

This would be a great Valentine's Day gift, especially if it came with some home-made cookies!

Years 4-8

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

Written and Illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin

The New York Times bestseller that celebrates the dreams, acceptance, and love that parents have for their children now and always! Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme is full of all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their kids. It goes from being brave and bold to being creative and clever. A clever gatefold with kids in costumes makes this a book grown-ups will want to read over and over again to kids, young and old. The illustrations are beautiful and sometimes funny. Any time would be a good time to get this as a gift, but it is especially good for birthdays, births, and graduation. The Wonderful Things You Will Be has a message that is both loving and true that will last for generations.

Years 3-7

Someday

Written by Alison McGhee

Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

A mother's love leads to a mother's dream, which is every mother's dream, for her child to live life to the fullest.

This is a book you'll want to share with someone else right now. It's a simple, powerful ode to the power of love and the power of life. A copy of this book would be a great gift for Mother's Day, Graduation Day, or any other day.

Years 3-7

An Awesome Book of Love

Written and Illustrated by Dallas Clayton

When Dallas Clayton wrote An Awesome Book! for his son, everything changed. Across the United States, Dallas has been hand-selling his book to kids at schools and in stores. The author of An Awesome Book of Love!, a heartwarming follow-up to his first book, looks at the many ways that love comes in. This book is a great gift for Valentine's Day, or any day you want to show someone how much you care.

Years 4-8

All the Things I Love About You

There are so many things that a mother loves about her young child. Most of all, she loves him no matter what.

An author and illustrator who is a best-seller has written a book that is both funny and heartfelt. LeUyen Pham used her experience as a mother as well as her storytelling skills to write the book. There are many reasons that Mama likes her little boy. For example, he says "Mama" even when he's asleep. He laughs, and his hair stands up in the morning. All the Things I Love About You All the Things I Love About You is a simple and beautiful book about the unconditional love between a mother and her child. In reading this book together, kids and parents will both learn about the little things that make love grow stronger every day. This book is for both kids and parents.

Years 4-8

Wherever You Are: My Love Will Follow

Written and Illustrated by Nancy Tillman

This is what the publisher has to say about the book: It was more important to me than you'll ever know.

Love: So, I sent it to go with you wherever you go:

Love is the best thing we can give our kids. It's the only thing they can take with them every day.

It might look like these heartfelt words and images from Nancy Tillman if love could be made into a thing, like this. It doesn't matter how close or far, young or old your friends and family are. Here is a book you can share with them.

Order a Copy: Online: Indiebound – Amazon – Barnes and Noble –

Years 4-8

Guess How Much I Love You: 20th Anniversary Edition

Written bySam McBratney

Illustrated byAnita Jeram

In honor of twenty years of sharing love to the moon and back, this anniversary edition has a beautiful new cover.

It's sometimes hard to say how much you love someone. The two hares found out that love is not easy to measure. This is a great book to read to your child at bedtime because it shows how close parents and children are.

Ages 3 and up

The Runaway Bunny

Written by Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Clement Hurd

Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, is celebrating her 75th birthday with The Runaway Bunny.

Mother: "If you run away, I'll run after you. My little bunny is you.

It's like a game of hide-and-seek, but a little bunny keeps running away from his mother. Children will be deeply comforted by this loving and steady mother who finds her child each time.

Because the Runaway Bunny was written in 1942 and has never been out of print, it's been called a classic book. Generations of people have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its words and pictures.

Years 4-8

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