It’s hard to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift for a beloved mother or grandmother. If you are looking for a special Mother's Day gift for a mother or grandmother who loves children’s books, here are some children’s picture books and one book of quotations from children’s books that should appeal to them.
1. My Mom
Anthony Browne's My Mom is his tribute to all of the roles mothers play, from cook and gardener to the good fairy who makes a sad child happy and the juggler who juggles multiple responsibilities. Best of all, according to the child who describes her, “SHE LOVES ME! (And she always will.).” Browne's fanciful illustrations, with their reoccurring flowers and hearts fabric motif, are a delight. (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2005. ISBN: 0374350981)
2. Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers
Lee & Low Books
This joyous celebration of the love between mothers and children and grandchildren combines poems by 13 Latino writers with vivid artwork by Paula S. Barragán M. The reader is swept up in the love of Abuela (Grandmother), the richness of a home where both Spanish and English are spoken, and the color and lushness of experiences that come into children's lives in a loving family. (ISBN: 1584300191)
3. Pieces: A Year in Poems & Quilts
HarperCollins
This book is an excellent choice for the mother or grandmother who appreciates the beauty of handmade quilts and enjoys poetry. Each of the 20 poems about nature by Anna Grossnickle Hines is illustrated with a delicate and beautiful miniature quilt created by Hines. The visual imagery in her poetry is brilliantly captured in the accompanying quilts. Hines includes an interesting section on making the quilts at the end of the book. (ISBN: 0688169635)
4. Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop's Fables
Algonquin Books
If your mother appreciates beautiful books and words of wisdom, she’ll enjoy this book. Helen Ward has illustrated 12 of Aesop's fables with exquisite watercolor and ink paintings. Each fable is introduced with an illustration on two facing pages that prepares the reader for the story to come. The tales themselves, a combination of little and well-known fables, the artwork, the large size of the book, and the quality of the paper all add to its appeal. (Chronicle Books, 2004. ISBN: 0811844501)
5. What the Dormouse Said: Lessons for Grown-ups from Children's Books
Algonquin Books
If your mother or grandmother loves children's books, she’ll definitely enjoy What the Dormouse Said: Lessons for Grown-ups from Children's Books, a collection of quotations from more than 200 children's books that was compiled by Amy Gash. As Judith Viorst says in the book's foreword, "At their best, children's books offer insights we'll want to remember and ponder and savor and learn from and revel in." (Algonquin Books, 1999. ISBN: 1565122410)
