Diverse Picture Books about Mothers
These diverse books about mothers celebrate their unconditional love for their children. They are a great way for your students to discuss different types of families from different cultures.
Diverse Picture Books About Mothers
Explore a wonderful collection of diverse picture books about mothers, mums, mommies, mammas, majis, okaasans, muters, etc. You will find mothers from different cultures, wear different clothes, are single mothers, get frustrated with their children and those who struggle with poverty.
These books about mothers all have one thing in common, they celebrate their contribution to our lives and their unconditional love for their children.
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Books about Mothers
They are perfect books for Mother’s Day, but these children’s books about mothers should be read all year round. They are a great way to show your students different types of families from different cultures.
Again! by Emily Gravett
A dragon wants his bedtime story again and again. When his mother falls asleep during the fourth reading the dragon cannot control his emotions and burns a hole through the back of the book!
Promotes manners and self-management.
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Grace’s love of reading and role-play motivates her to audition for the role of Peter Pan in the school play. The other children tell her she can’t play a boys part. Her mama and Nana tell her she can be anything she wants, helping her find the confidence to audition and win the role of Peter Pan.
Promotes determination, self-esteem, enthusiasm, tolerance, and gender roles.
The Big Big Sea by Martin Waddell
Watch the bond between a mother and her daughter as they take a walk on the beach under the moonlight. The girl falls asleep in her mother’s arms after returning home.
A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Rosa, her mother and grandmother are devastated when their home is destroyed by fire. The community helps them by donating items they will need.
Promotes community, generosity, responsible decision-making and perseverance.
Deep In The Sahara by Kelly Cunnane
In Mauritania, young Lalla wishes to wear a malafa like her mother and older sister. In the Muslim tradition, women wear colourful material over their heads and clothes. When Lalla learns a malafa is not only beautiful but honours her faith, her mother wraps one around her body.
Don't Forget by Patricia Lakin
A trip to the shops to buy ingredients for a surprise birthday cake for her mother reminds a young girl how the Jews were treated in the past.
Eyes That Kiss in the Corner by Joanna Ho
A young Asian girl notices her eyes kiss in the corners, just like her mother, grandmother and little sister. She feels empowered by this connection to her family and is filled with love and appreciation for her own identity and beauty.
Promotes self-affirmation, identity, empowerment, self-esteem, intergenerational relationships and making connections.
Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! by Mem Fox
Harriet has a series of naughty mishaps that tests her mother’s patience. But Harriet and her mum know that they love each other no matter what.
Promotes forgiveness, self-management and manners.
Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood
A loving mother saves her seven children (names after the days of the week) from an evil witch. The witch, Heckedy Peg, turns the children into food and takes them to her home, a cave. The mother tricks the witch into giving her the children back.
Promotes discussions on caring, disobedience, creative thinking, and prediction.
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho
A Caldecott Honor book from Thailand. A mother with her sleeping baby implores the animals to be quiet in repeated phrases. It is all in vain as by the end of the book we discover the baby is awake.
It's a No-Money Day by Kate Milner
With no money or food in the cupboard, a mother is forced to visit a food bank. Told from her child’s perspective we see the shame of the mother but the joy the daughter gets from the kindness of others.
The Journey by Francesca Sanna
A mother makes the unimaginable decision to escape war with her two children. They travel by car, truck, foot and boat for their gruelling journey to safety.
Reinforces themes of conflict, immigration, compassion, independence and courage.
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
Koala Lou worries when her busy mother forgets to tell her how much she loves her. She sets out to win the Bush Olympics to win back her mother’s love. She doesn’t win but realises she had never lost her mother’s love.
Love Is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer
Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijan
A young girl longs to wear one of her mother’s saris but she is too young to wear the complicated outfit. Her mother realises how important it is for her so she wraps her in a blue sari and the girl is thrilled to be just like her mother.
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña
Milo watches people from a train and sketches the lives he imagines they live. Nervous and excited, he visits his mother in prison, where he shows her sketches of their family eating ice cream outside their home.
Use in the classroom to discuss bias, judgement, observation, curiosity, and visualizing.
Missing Mummy by Rebecca Cobb
Realising her mother isn’t coming back, a girl experiences a range of emotions, from being scared, angry, guilty and lonely. The people in her life show her how special she was to her mommy and how her mommy will always be special to her.
Reinforces themes of acceptance, bereavement and emotions
No David! by David Shannon
David is a boy who breaks the rules; flooding the bath, jumping on the bed, and breaking a vase. His mum repeatedly says “No!” until David apologises and he gets his mother’s forgiveness.
Promotes themes of self-management, love and forgiveness.
Pea Pod Lullaby by Glenda Millard
Fleeing from danger, a mother, her children and a dog escape on a boat. They are joined by a polar bear floating on an iceberg. With courage, they travel into the unknown with the hope of finding a new home.
Saturday by Oge Mora
Ava waits all week for the weekend to arrive as Saturday means special mother and daughter time. She is disappointed when things don’t quite go as they planned, but she learns that things will work out.
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o
A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager
Three children talk to each other about their mothers. One boy answers the questions of his curious friends about what it is like to have two mummies.
Vanishing Colors by Constance Ørbeck-Nilssen
A young girl and her mother shelter in a bombed-out building of a war-torn city. As her mother sleeps, a bird from her mother’s stories visits the girl. The bird prompts the girl to remember the colours, sights and sounds of her life before the war. In the morning, the girl and her mother set out with hope and courage for a new life.
This translated book reinforces immigration, war, courage and hope.
You're Snug With Me Chitra Soundar
In a frozen landscape, two bear cubs are born. They express curiosity about what lies beyond their den, deep underground. Mama Bear teaches them about the land of snow and the ocean full of ice. She whispers to the cubs that they will always be snug with her.
Your Name Is a Song by J Thompkins-Bigelow
A young girl leaves school frustrated after a day of her classmates and teacher mispronouncing her name. On their walk home she tells her mother she doesn’t want to go back, who in turn tells her daughter “your name is a song.” She returns to school empowered and shares what she has learned.
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What Next?
What do you think about these books about a mother’s unconditional love? Do you have any other suggestions?
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