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    The Children's Book Review

    Ten Kids Picture Books About Unconditional Love

    Bianca SchulzeBy Bianca Schulze10 Mins Read Ages 0-3 Ages 4-8 Best Kids Stories Book Lists Picture Books Social Emotional
    Ten-Kids-Picture-Books-on-Love-and-Unconditional-Love
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    A list of children’s books about love and family | The Children’s Book Review

    Back a few years ago during a SCBWI Lines & Letters conference in Colorado, I was incredibly lucky to hear award-winning author Matt de la Peña do an early reading of his then-forthcoming picture book, Love (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), illustrated by bestselling illustrator Loren Long. In general, it’s usually a wonderful thing to hear an author read his or her own work—but in this case, it was outstandingly 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).

    Ever since I have wanted to get my hands on a copy so I could also get a closer look at the rich illustrations. And now I have a copy! Love makes my heart skip a beat every time I pick it up, and it inspired me to put this list of books together: Ten Kids Picture Books About Unconditional Love.

    There’s no doubt about it, love shows itself to us in many different ways. It doesn’t always look the same to every child, parent, or family. However, when we give love unconditionally and feel loved unconditionally we certainly feel happier. Aha! Parenting, an excellent parenting site run by Dr. Laura Markham (Clinical Psychologist, mom, and author) says: “Unconditional love is like a muscle. It needs a daily workout. Compassion is the heavy lifting of life. You know it takes daily practice to build that kind of muscle.”

    In one of her articles, she provides ten steps to unconditional love, and I believe that some snuggly family reading with books that focus on love and unconditional love could only aid in giving the “unconditional love muscle” some of the daily attention it needs. So, in an effort to fill the hearts of the children and adults in your home, as well as my own, here are ten kids’ books that can help instill unconditional love.

    10 Amazing Picture Books About Love

    Love by Matt de la penaBook CoverLove

    Written by Matt de la Peña

    Illustrated by Loren Long

    Publisher’s Synopsis: From Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long comes a story about the strongest bond there is and the diverse and powerful ways it connects us all.

    “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.
    …
    A cab driver plays love softly on his radio
    while you bounce in back with the bumps of the city
    and everything smells new, and it smells like life.”

    In this heartfelt celebration of love, Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long depict the many ways we experience this universal bond, which carries us from the day we are born throughout the years of our childhood and beyond. With a lyrical text that’s soothing and inspiring, this tender tale is a needed comfort and a new classic that will resonate with readers of every age.

    Order a Copy Now: | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers | 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1524740917


    Dear Girl by RosenthalDear Girl

    Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal

    Illustrated by Holly Hatam

    Publisher’s Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of I Wish You More, Amy Krouse Rosenthal and her daughter Paris Rosenthal comes to the heartwarming and inspiring Dear Girl,

    Dear Girl is a remarkable love letter written for the special girl in your life.

    Through Amy and Paris’s charming text and Holly Hatam’s stunning illustrations, any girl reading this book will feel that she’s perfect—whether she enjoys jumping in a muddy puddle, has a face full of freckles, or dances on tabletops.

    This book encourages girls to always be themselves and to love who they are—inside and out.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0062422507


    Sugar Cookies Sweet Little Lessons on LoveSugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love

    Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

    Illustrated by Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer

    Publisher’s Synopsis: From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of I Wish You More, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, this delectable follow-up to the bestselling Cookies and Christmas Cookies defines words that are associated with love.

    From letting your friend have the last cookie (selfless) to waiting to lick the bowl together (considerate), here is a book for anyone looking for the right words to say I love you. Meanings are illuminated in this different kind of dictionary, which is every bit as heartwarming as the experience of baking cookies with someone you love.

    Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s sweet little lessons, mixed with warm and inviting illustrations by mother-daughter duo Jane Dyer and Brooke Dyer, make for a book that will hit the spot! Go ahead, have another bite! (And another.)

    A lovely Valentine’s Day present, especially with some home-baked cookies.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 2009 | ISBN-13: 978-0061740725


    The Wonderful Things You Will BeThe Wonderful Things You Will Be

    Written and Illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin

    Publisher’s Synopsis: The New York Times bestseller that celebrates the dreams, acceptance, and love that parents have for their children . . . now and forever!
     
    From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin’s rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. With beautiful, and sometimes humorous, illustrations, and a clever gatefold with kids in costumes, this is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over to kids—both young and old. A great gift for any occasion, but a special stand-out for baby showers, birthdays, and graduation. The Wonderful Things You Will Be has a loving and truthful message that will endure for lifetimes.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0-385-37671-6


    Someday by Alison McGheeSomeday

    Written by Alison McGhee

    Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

    Publisher’s Synopsis: A mother’s love leads to a mother’s dream — every mother’s dream — for her child to live life to its fullest.

    A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is the book you’ll want to share with someone else…today. The perfect gift for Mother’s Day, Graduation Day or Any Day – share a copy with every special person in your life.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers | 2007 | ISBN-13: 978-1416928119


    An Awesome Book of Love by Dallas ClaytonAn Awesome Book of Love

    Written and Illustrated by Dallas Clayton

    Publisher’s Synopsis: When Dallas Clayton wrote An Awesome Book! for his son, everything changed. A self-published sensation, Dallas has visited schools and stores across the United States, hand-selling his book one kid at a time. An Awesome Book of Love!, his heartwarming follow-up, explores the many faces of love. This book is a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day—or really for any day, you’d like to tell someone special how much you care.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 2012 | ISBN-13: 978-0062116666


    All the Things I Love About YouAll the Things I Love About You

    Publisher’s synopsis: There are oh so many things a mom loves about her young child. But most of all, she just loves him, no matter what.

    Bestselling author and illustrator LeUyen Pham combines her experience as a mother and her proven storytelling skills in a humorous and heartfelt love letter of a book. In All the Things I Love About You, Mama lists the reasons she loves her little boy: the way his hair sticks up in the morning, the way he says “Mama” (even in the middle of the night), and the way he laughs. Simply written and beautifully illustrated, All the Things I Love About You honestly speaks to the unconditional love between a mother and her child. Children and parents alike will treasure this heartwarming book and, in reading it together, appreciate the small actions that make love grow stronger every day.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Balzer + Bray | 2010 | ISBN-13: 978-0061990298


    Wherever You Are Book CoverWherever You Are: My Love Will Follow

    Written and Illustrated by Nancy Tillman

    Publisher’s synopsis: . . . I wanted you more than you’ll ever know,

    so I sent love to follow wherever you go. . . .

    Love is the greatest gift we have to give our children. It’s the one thing they can carry with them each and every day.

    If love could take shape it might look something like these heartfelt words and images from the inimitable Nancy Tillman. Here is a book to share with your loved ones, no matter how near or far, young or old, they are.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Feiwel & Friends | 2010 | ISBN-13: 978-0312549664


    Guess How Much I Love You 20th Anniversary Edition By Sam McBratneyGuess How Much I Love You: 20th Anniversary Edition

    Written by Sam McBratney

    Illustrated by Anita Jeram

    Publisher’s Synopsis: Celebrate twenty years of sharing love to the moon and back with this anniversary edition with an elegant new cover.

    Sometimes when you love someone you want to find a way of describing just how much. But, as Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare discover, love is not an easy thing to measure! A wonderful book for bedtime reading, this story captures the deep and tender bond between parent and child.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 3+ | Publisher: Candlewick | 2014 | ISBN-13: 978-0763674489


    The Runaway BunnyThe Runaway Bunny

    Written by Margaret Wise Brown

    Illustrated by Clement Hurd

    Publisher’s Synopsis: Celebrating 75 years, The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, beloved children’s book author of Goodnight Moon.

    “If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.”

    A little bunny keeps running away from his mother in this imaginary game of hide-and-seek. Children will be profoundly comforted by this lovingly steadfast mother who finds her child every time.

    The Runaway Bunny, first published in 1942 and never out of print, has indeed become a classic. Generations of readers have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its reassuring words and loving pictures.

    Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 2017 (Revised) | ISBN-13: 978-0064430180

    —

    LOVE_BlogBanner

    About the Author

    Matt de la Pena Photo Credit: Heather Waraksa
    Matt de la Pena
    Photo Credit Heather Waraksa

    Matt de la Peña is the author of Last Stop on Market Street, which won the Newbery Medal and was chosen for a Caldecott Honor. He is also the author of the award-winning picture book A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis and six critically acclaimed young adult novels. Matt teaches creative writing and visits schools and colleges throughout the country. Matt lives in Brooklyn.

    About the Illustrator

    LorenLong_Credit_Helen-Adams
    Loren Long
    Photo Credit Helen Adams

    Loren Long is the author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Otis series. He’s also the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama, as well as the re-illustrated, #1 New York Times bestseller The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. He lives near Cincinnati with his wife, two sons, and two Weimaraners.

    The book list Ten Kids Picture Books About Unconditional Love was curated by Bianca Schulze. Discover more books like the picture books listed here by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Love, Picture Books, and Unconditional Love.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Best Selling Picture Books | June 2018
    2. Best Selling Picture Books | November 2018
    3. Bestselling Picture Books | February 2020
    4. Best New Picture Books | January 2018

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Alison Mcghee Amy Krouse Rosenthal Anita Jeram Atheneum Books for Young Readers Balzer + Bray Brooke Dyer Candlewick Dallas Clayton Emily Winfield Martin Feiwel & Friends HarperCollins Holly Hatam Jane Dyer Leuyen Pham Love Matt De La Pena Nancy Tillman Paris Rosenthal Peter H. Reynolds Picture Books Random House Children's Books Sam Mcbratney Unconditional Love Valentine's Day Books
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    Bianca Schulze
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    Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

    4 Comments

    1. Linda Baie on January 22, 2018 10:33 am

      Wonderful list, Bianca. At one time or another, I’ve read them all, and loved each one with either my children, my students, or now, my grandchildren. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Bianca Schulze on January 22, 2018 12:07 pm

        Thanks, Linda! I’m so glad you like the list, too. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Pingback: Part One - What is Love? -

    3. Stanton on March 2, 2020 11:33 pm

      Appreciation to my father who shared with me regarding this web site, this webpage
      is really amazing.

      Reply
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