8 Cute and Cuddly Baby Books About Love

This is a rhyming book that follows little ones doing all kinds of every day activities with their mothers. Of course my favorite is, “Pillows piled to form a nook, we dive deep into a book,” but I also really liked, “Mama’s sleeping like a rock, but when I knock, she’s on the clock.” It is also nice that this book has mother-child pairs that are different across activities, so it is not just illustrated with the pair you see on the cover.

The illustrations in this are so beautiful and comforting. The simple text follows several little children as they look in the mirror and the reader says “I love mine…She loves hers…He loves his…” and so on. If you like this, you should read Bloom, also written by Ruth Forman and illustrated by the very talented Talia Skyles.

This is one of my personal favorites. There is something so endearing about Sandra Boynton’s books and characters, and they are definitely among my absolute favorites. They are a perfect mix of whimsical and serious. I can’t handle too much sappiness, but these strike a lovely balance in my opinion. If you haven’t heard of her before, you have many, many good books by her to explore. So, I am thrilled to share my love of her work here. I highly recommend that you read this title to your own little “pookies,” or perhaps to your inner child. Couldn’t hurt, could it?

This is a lovely rhyming picture book that starts, “Inshallah you are all that is gentle and good…Inshallah you feel safe, like all children should.” The illustrations are vibrant and rich, and the text lovely and compelling. For readers unfamiliar with the expression “inshallah,” there is an author’s note at the beginning to explain. I think this would appeal to many families, regardless of their religious background. If you like this, you might also try Hena Khan’s middle grade novel Amina’s Voice.

This one is a testament to love, regardless of how you say it in your language. As someone not familiar with the Canticos characters, I still loved this little book and could see the appeal for many other readers. If you like this, there is also I Love My Mommy/Te Quiero, Mamá and Little Chickies/Los Pollitos to try.

I wish I could tell you I woke up every day embodying the grateful vibe of this book, but well, you’d be forgiven for calling bull on that right away. Yup, I’m an adult and I just do not wake up feeling sunny all the time. However, this rhyming book does a nice job of reminding us that we can all feel a little more gratitude for the world around us. I also like the paper collage-like illustrations.

I really like Jonathan Stutzman’s other books, so it is no surprise that I also found this one heartwarming. If you like tiny dinosaurs with big hearts, then you should pick this up. If you’re not already a fan, try Stutzman’s other great titles like Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug, Llama Destroys the World and Llama Unleashes the Apacolypse. Nope, not kidding about that last one. You kind of have to read it to understand.

I will leave you with one book about loving and missing someone, since I think this is such a universal experience for both kids and adults alike. With Lots of Love is a beautiful picture book about a girl, Rocio, who moves away from her abuela to a new home in the United States. She misses so much about her old life in an unnamed Central American country, including of course the grandmother herself.