Great Picture Books About Grandparents

Mia and Abuela now share a bedroom but Mia doesn’t speak enough Spanish, and her grandmother doesn’t speak enough English for them to share stories. As they grow more comfortable with each other and learn to communicate, a new pet parrot named Mango strengthens their connection as they teach the bird both their languages. Also available in Spanish as Mango, Abuela Y Yo.

A young boy uses lively sketch illustrations to reveal that what some people say about elderly people isn’t true about his grandparents! While everyone’s experiences with grandparents are different, this short, funny book offers a great opportunity to talk about assumptions people make about aging.

When Kiyoshi asks his grandfather where poems come from, Grandfather Eto takes him for a walk to see and feel the poetry on their neighborhood streets. With his grandfather’s gentle guidance, Kiyoshi learns how to take time to find inspiration in the world around him. Warm illustrations invite readers to walk along and find beauty in the everyday — and the sharing of small moments, too.

Grandma Mimi’s purse is full of wonderful treasures, including a surprise for her granddaughter! As they cozy up on the couch and empty the purse together, Mimi shares how each item relates to who she is and the love she has for her granddaughter and her family. Bright, energetic illustrations create just the right mood for discovering the magic of Mimi’s bag.

A young girl visits her abuelo who is a pregonero — a singing street vendor in Cuba. She sings along with him to help him sell all kinds of fruit. And when she can’t visit, they sing their love for each other in letters back and forth between two countries. Musical language and joyful illustrations celebrate music, food, family visits, and hugs made of words. Also available in Spanish as Un Pregón de Frutas.

Llama Llama is nervous and excited about staying at Gram and Grandpa’s house overnight for the first time. There are fun things to do and new things to try, but Llama Llama has a big worry at bedtime — Fuzzy Llama isn’t with him! Happily, Grandpa finds a way to help Llama Llama feel at home. This rhythmic read-aloud is also available as a board book.

At a Sunday family gathering, a boy is now big enough to put on Grandpa’s old chef jacket and help Granny make mac ’n’ cheese, greens, and more. Even though he gets tired, Granny praises his efforts as he keeps up with her to prepare a delicious feast. And while Granny is resting before dinner is served, the boy makes a sweet contribution for the table all by himself. Dig in!

Daniel Tiger loves spending time with his Grandpere! But Daniel is always sad and misses Grandpere when he leaves. When Daniel talks with Grandpere and his mother about how he feels, they give him suggestions for things he can do when he’s missing Grandpere. Daniel then uses his imagination to make believe all kinds of ways he and Grandpere can send love to each other when they are apart. When Daniel learns that Prince Wednesday is also missing someone, Daniel shares his ideas to help his friend and together they come up with ways that help them both feel better.

Nana loves living in the city but her visiting grandson finds the city busy, loud, and scary. To help him feel brave, Nana makes him a fancy red cape and shows him that busy and loud can also mean extraordinary. Watch how the illustrations grow more vibrant as the boy comes to love and appreciate the city.

A boy and his moshom, which is the Swampy Cree word for grandpa, take a trip together to visit the trapline where Moshom once hunted, fished, and lived off the land with his family. Moshom introduces his grandson to places and stories that hold meaning for him and his family. As they return home, both imagine how the trapline used to be. Simple, muted paintings add to the quiet, conversational tone of this journey of memory and history.

Molly and her dad are heading out into the Alaska wilderness to help their journalist friend Nina, and Dr. Antigone, a scientist, put bands on the legs of baby sandhill cranes so that they can learn more about how they migrate. When the young birds are scared and won’t let them get close enough to do the banding, Molly knows who to call for help — Grandpa Nat! Grandpa Nat’s great idea of calling to the birds by singing their songs and doing their dances is fun — and it works! Kids can try spreading their own wings when you join the author for a PBS KIDS Read-Along of this title.

Although they speak different languages, Jyoti and her grandmother Sita Pati, who lives in India, learn to communicate and bond through playing games, shopping, eating good foods, and even caring for their teeth! Rather than saying goodbye when they have to part, they look forward to the future when they will see each other again. Bright, warm illustrations capture the special memories Jyoti and Pati make together.

Reading with a grandparent is special fun! The enthusiastic grandkids in this book have all kinds of advice on reading to a grandma or grandpa, from finding the perfect spot to read together to using different voices for reading out loud. Readers will get lots of laughs as well as fun ideas for spending time with grandparents and good books.

Dayeon wants to be like her grandmother and become a haenyo — a Korean female freediver that hunts for sea snails and other treasures from the sea. But Dayeon is a little nervous about diving below the waves. Her grandma reassures her and helps Dayeon face her fears, take her first dive, and start the journey of becoming a haenyo. Learn more about “Korea’s granny mermaids” and their fascinating history in the back of the book.

When his grandson feels anxious about going to school, Big Papa picks him up to take him for a ride in his time machine. On each stop of their time-traveling journey, Big Papa shares things that scared him during important moments in his earlier life – and explains how he never let fear stop him. In this charming book, Big Papa helps his grandson understand what it means to be brave (and to love deeply, even when it isn’t easy).