Grandparents can be an incredibly important part of a child's life, whether they live nearby or far away. And thankfully, more and more picture books are published each year to celebrate this special relationship.
Our list of books includes stories of meeting a grandparent in person for the very first time to the simple but joyous parts of spending a day together.
Together with You by Patricia Toht and Jarvis – a boy and his grandmother find joy in every season’s activities, but that joy mostly comes from just being together. A lovely story with stunning illustrations.
Song in the City by Daniel Bernstrom and Jenin Mohammed – a young blind girl and her grandmother take in all the sounds of the city, which turns into a beautiful song.
I Really Want to See You, Grandma by Taro Gomi – Yumi and her grandmother have the same idea at the exact same time: they want to see each other. The problem is, they keep missing each other! Simple yet silly and absolutely delightful.
Our Favourite Day by Joowon Oh – Grandpa follows the same routine every day, except for Thursday. That’s a special day he spends with his granddaughter. This stunning book celebrates the love between a grandchild and grandparent with gorgeous watercolour and paper-cut illustrations.
Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Grenias and Tracy Subisak – Kylie has only met her grandmother on video chats, but is now visiting her and Taiwan for the very first time. A wonderful look at how families bring language and culture together, it’s perfect for children who have a long-distance relationship with family members or are growing up in different countries and cultures.
Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo – overwhelmed by all the crowds and scary things in the city, a little boy’s grandmother makes him a cape to help him be brave and take in the sights. A wonderful story about facing your fears and finding the wonder in life.
I’ll Go and Come Back by Rajani LaRocca and Sara Palacios – when Jyoti visits her grandmother in India, she’s overwhelmed at how different it is from her home. This gorgeous book’s title comes from a saying in Tamil, where instead of goodbye you say “I’ll go and come back”, which is exactly what happens when Jyoti’s grandmother later visits her.
Storm by Sam Usher – the fourth book in this delightful series of a boy and his grandfather through the seasons. This one sees the two of them deciding it’s a perfect day to fly a kite, and end up having an adventure as a storm blows in.