Brooke's Books - Families

Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, is back with her monthly column sharing recommendations on great picture books for your collection. 

Families, as we know, come in all different shapes and sizes. This month’s books highlight some of my favorite new picture books depicting diverse families and celebrating their love. 

I Sang You Down From The Stars

Tasha Spillett-Sumner

Little Brown, 2021

A mother embraces the love she feels for her baby as she awaits its arrival in this picture book filled with Native cultural detail. 

We Became Jaguars

Dave Eggers

Chronicle Books, 2021

While a grandmother watches her grandson, they experience an epic adventure by transforming into jaguars. Gorgeous illustrations and storytelling make this book a great choice to introduce imaginative play. 

Watercress

Andrea Wang

Holiday House, 2021

A girl discovers more about her Chinese heritage is this autobiographical picture book. Lush illustrations and simple text create an emotionally accessible book for children and adults of all ages. 

Fatima’s Great Outdoors

Ambreen Tariq

Kokila, 2021

After a long, hard week, a family experiences their very first camping trip in this delightful picture book. The families sticks together and has a wonderful camping adventure that many kids will be able to relate to.

My Dad

Susan Quinn

Quarto Kids, 2021

This beautiful celebration of dads highlights the extraordinary things a dad does during the day. Sparse text and appealing illustrations make this a great choice for storytimes.