Special Books for Mother’s Day

Mother With Son Boy Sitting On Floor At Home And Reading Book To

by Jennifer Diamonti, Senior Youth Services Librarian

This May we honor all the mothers in our lives. For over 100 years, we have celebrated Mother’s Day, and all that mothers do for their children. Anna Jarvis spearheaded the movement to create this holiday to commemorate her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who was born in nearby Culpeper.

The elder Jarvis was an advocate for women and families who worked throughout her life to improve her community. Her death was the motivation for the younger Jarvis to campaign for the creation of the holiday. Anna Jarvis’ efforts paid off when, in 1914, Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday of May to be Mother’s Day.

Mothers, grandmothers, and other maternal figures are integral to who we become as people and can influence who we become as readers. An important aspect of a child’s early literacy skill development is making books available to your child and letting them see you enjoying reading. The library can help you achieve both of these goals!

Encourage your child to check out books on their favorite topics, select titles for younger children you think they would enjoy, and take home a few books for yourself. If you decide a book is not for you, return it and try another! Library books are a great way to try new titles and find new favorites.

Another way to enjoy new books is by registering to attend the library’s online story times held twice each week. Children up to age five and their families can enjoy songs and rhymes together and listen to a book or two selected by that day’s reader.

Having trouble deciding what to read? Give the library a call to speak with one of our librarians for reader’s advisory service or complete a Bookmatch request on the library’s website to receive up to ten suggested titles based on your or your child’s interests.

One special way mothers and children can spend time together on this Mother’s Day, and every day, is by reading together. Reading to children from infancy is an important part of their early literacy development. Finding a quiet moment to share a book together can be a nice bonding experience between a mother and child and foster a love of reading that can last a lifetime.

The relationship between a mother and child is often explored in children’s books. Children enjoy reading about what is familiar to them, and there is little more familiar to a child than their mother. These titles feature mothers bonding with their babies, special days spent with Grandma, and favorite characters exploring maternal relationships. In their pages, you may explore separation anxiety and the angst of sharing Mother with a new sibling, experience hardships and joyful times together, and, of course, celebrate a mother’s love. Many of these diverse selections are award-winning books, classics of juvenile literature, or by tried and true authors in their field. Although children in preschool through 3rd grade are the intended audience for the titles below, these books would be wonderful to share with younger children as well.

Animal Mothers

I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb; illustrated by Suzie Mason

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn; illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak

Llama Llama Home With Mama by Anna Dewdney

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown; illustrated by Clement Hurd

Whose Chick Are You? by Nancy Tafuri

Grandmothers

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña; illustrated by Christian Robinson

Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina; illustrated by Angela Dominguez

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo

Mother and Child

Lala Salama: A Tanzanian Lullaby by Patricia MacLachlan; illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon