Diverse Books About Grandparents

Grandparents Day is the perfect time to honor the special place grandparents hold in our children’s hearts. These diverse books about grandparents celebrate all of the ways that grandparents touch our lives: helping children regulate their emotions, connect across distances, and discover the enduring beauty in the world.

Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Diverse Books About Grandparents

Masala Chai, Fast and Slow is a lovely tribute to how grandparents can help children regulate their often frenetic energy. Aarav only knows one speed – fast! His grandfather tries to teach him to slow down, but it is not until a minor accident that Aarav learns the true value of taking your time. Aarav wants to make a cup of sweet and spicy masala chai as a treat for his beloved grandfather, but his many attempts to make it fail until he remembers his grandfather’s wisdom, that masala chai cannot be rushed. This story itself warms you up just like a good cup of masala chai. It even includes a recipe at the back, so you can practice patience just like Aarav – and enjoy that sweet reward at the end!

Don’t miss my interview with author Rajani LaRocca!

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Abuela and Niña have enjoyed a special relationship from the very first time Abuela held her little granddaughter. Over the years, the two enjoyed many wonderful days together – playing, making papel picado, or just eating pan dulce in the park. And every week, Abuela put away a few pesos to save up for a special gift for her granddaughter. But when a financial crisis makes her careful savings worthless, Niña helps Abuela remember that the best gift of all are the special times they spend together. A beautiful book about what is most important in a relationship.

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In so many families, grandparent visits are even more precious because distance makes them less frequent. One little girl experiences a rush of emotions when her grandfather comes from Iran to visit, with gifts of walnuts and saffron. She takes him on a tour of all of her favorite places in the countryside surrounding her home, including a tunnel she discovered herself, as he patiently listens and follows along. Though she wishes he could stay longer, the time they do have together is made even more special because it is so short. A wonderful tribute to how adept grandparents are at bridging the distance and forming close emotional bonds even when the physical distance is great.

Buy Grandpa Is Here! on Amazon or Bookshop

I had to include another book by the wonderful Rajani LaRocca! I’ll Go and Come Back is a sweet story about a young girl’s connection to her grandmother, even though they live so far apart in America & India. It is a perfect read for this summer, as so many of us are visiting with relatives for the first time since the pandemic. The story is especially meaningful for my kids, who sometimes have the same mix of feelings about visiting family in Costa Rica: the strangeness of being in another country and the difficulty of communicating in their second language, mixed with the intense love for family and longing to be together. This lovely picture book is a wonderful reminder to anyone about how love can stretch across the world.

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Grandparents are often the architects of favorite childhood memories. It’s Time for Berries! is a celebration of the special times two sisters spend with their ningiuq (grandma). They love to be in the outdoors with ningiuq, fishing and digging for clams, but they especially love to pick berries in the summer. And afterwards, they can enjoy all of the wonderful treats their ningiuq makes with the berries they picked. A tribute to how grandparents can help children appreciate the gifts the natural world brings with each new season. It is also a love letter to the landscape of Nunavut, and to the Inuit families that live there.

Buy It’s Time for Berries! on Amazon or Bookshop

Children’s Books About Families of All Kinds

Picture Books About Grandparents

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