Book picks similar to
Loving Hands by Tony Johnston


picture-books
picture-book
family
mothers

Three Squeezes


Jason Pratt - 2020
    When you could neither talk nor standlife’s hourglass still filled with sand,I gently held your tiny handand gave it three soft squeezes.When you awoke within the nightAnd cried from fear and called for light,I held you safe with all my mightand gave you three long squeezes.Follow a father and his son from babyhood to baseball games to graduation and beyond in this loving saga about the unbreakable bond between generations.A perfect gift, Three Squeezes is a tender, rhyming picture book that is an ode to the love between parent and child, no matter how old the child (or) parent is.

I'll Meet You in Your Dreams


Jessica Young - 2021
    Each evening when the sun has set, as nighttime casts a starry net, I'll hitch a ride on moonbeams, and meet you in your dreams. This poetic and tender story celebrates the parent-and-child bond in its many forms and offers gentle assurance of love across a lifetime. Two parents' dreams of the future with their children—from early dependence for nourishment and basic needs, to the parent as home base for a child in later life—mirror an always-changing but unbreakable relationship. Written in lyrical rhyme and accompanied by breathtaking art by the incomparable Rafael López, I'll Meet You in Your Dreams affirms that parental love is a constant force, transcending boundaries of space and time.

Mommy's Best Kisses


Margaret Anastas - 2003
    A loving rhyme and tender full-color illustrations of animal mothers and their babies demonstrate the best way to say I love you.

Outside My Window


Linda Ashman - 2018
    One child looks out over a boulevard lined with palm trees, another sees a train whistling past snow-capped mountains, and another waves to her father as he tends to their garden. But while their lives may seem different, there’s something important that they all share. This beautiful book will spark readers’ curiosity and imagina­tion with its celebration of global diversity.

Let Me Hold You Longer


Karen Kingsbury - 2004
    With the tenderness of a mother speaking directly to her child, Karen reminds us not to miss last days of kindergarten and last at bats in Little League amidst the whirlwind of life. Adapted from a poem in Rejoice, mothers and grandmothers everywhere will identify with the tenderhearted reflections in Let Me Hold You Longer. An ideal gift book for special occasions from baby showers to graduations. Now includes a bonus CD read by Karen!

A Hug Is for Holding Me


Lisa Wheeler - 2018
    Some hugs are tight and some hugs are snug . . . but guess who gives the BEST hugs?

Good Night, Good Night


Sandra Boynton - 1985
    Includes words and music to the song.

That's Me Loving You


Amy Krouse Rosenthal - 2016
    Wherever you are,Wherever you go,Always rememberAnd always know. . . That feeling you always have in your heart?That's me loving you.Amy Krouse Rosenthal captures parents’ desire to be ever-present in this simple and touching poem offering reassurance of their love. Signs of affection can be found in the natural world around us—from a soft breeze to a shimmering star.

Together


Emma Dodd - 2016
    In fact, every day this little sea otter spends with his parent is special, just because they are together.

All the Things I Love About You


LeUyen Pham - 2010
    But most of all, she just loves him, no matter what.Bestselling author and illustrator LeUyen Pham combines her experience as a mother and her proven storytelling skills in a humorous and heartfelt love letter of a book. In All the Things I Love About You, Mama lists the reasons she loves her little boy: the way his hair sticks up in the morning, the way he says "Mama" (even in the middle of the night), and the way he laughs. Simply written and beautifully illustrated, All the Things I Love About You honestly speaks to the unconditional love between a mother and her child. Children and parents alike will treasure this heartwarming book and, in reading it together, appreciate the small actions that make love grow stronger every day.

A Dark, Dark Cave


Eric Hoffman - 2016
    Strange creatures skitter along the walls while bats brush past. A wild howl makes the cave feel just a teensy bit darker. But readers are in for a delightful surprise when a beam of light reveals a softer side of the cave.Told in spare rhyming text alongside stunning illustrations, A Dark, Dark Cave will ignite a young reader's imagination and inspire creative play. This just-spooky-enough story is sure to become a read-aloud favorite.

On the Night You Were Born


Nancy Tillman - 2005
    The moon stayed up till morning. The geese flew home to celebrate. Polar bears danced.On the night you were born you brought wonder and magic to the world. Here is a book that celebrates you. It is meant to be carried wherever life takes you, over all the roads, through all the years.This debut picture book by Nancy Tillman has touched the hearts of readers of all ages, from the youngest readers, to new mothers, to grandparents. A New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestselling book, On the Night You Were Born is sure to be a beloved addition to family libraries.

Just Say Boo!


Susan Hood - 2012
    From rattling bones to ghostly footsteps, Susan captures all the best scares of the season—and teaches just the right way to dispel fears in favor of fun. Jed Henry's lustrous watercolors add the perfect crisp chill to this fall-weather story.For if a skeleton groans as she rattles her bones, what do you say?

Swim Swim Sink


Jenn Harney - 2020
    One straight line.New happy flock. All feeling fine.Until, that is, the last ducking sinks when she should swim. Let's try that again . . . and again and again. All this sinking is ruining the rhyme!Little ones will love following the antics of these adorable ducklings, and parents will enjoy the way the book goes off the rails halfway through. Everyone will laugh at the tiny ducky's string of failures and cheer when it comes up with the best solution of all.

Moo Moo, I Love You


Tom Lichtenheld - 2020
    I love giving you a big s-moo-ch. My love for you is as big as . . . a MOO-SE! With a universal message and warm, funny text that families will read and reread together, this exuberant book from two picture book superstars at their best, is a moo-velous choice for gifts year-round to fans of I Love You to the Moon and Back and Guess How Much I Love You.