Father’s Day Booklist
Are you looking for amazing books that celebrate fathers? Well, check out our amazing selection of Fathers’ Day books that celebrates fathers and fatherly figures!
In this lyrical picture book from two breakout picture book creators, a young Black child waits for—and worries about—her father while he’s away from home. A sensitive, poignant portrayal of a family’s worries, joys, and comforts, to sit alongside books by Jacqueline Woodson and Christian Robinson.
Every night when Daddy gets home from work, Olivia gives him a big hug and knows that the evening will be full of love—and fun. Together, she, Daddy, and Momma will make a feast for dinner, clean up, dance to old-school tunes, and read stories. But every morning when Daddy goes to work, Olivia worries, worries, worries. Be safe, she and Momma tell him. But what if he isn’t? Sometimes other people aren’t, like the people Olivia sees on the news. Thud, thud, thud, goes Olivia’s heart. Thump, thump, thump, all through the long day, until she hears the jangle of Daddy’s keys announcing he’s home.
Brittany J. Thurman’s poetic text deftly explores the day-to-day life of a young Black child and her family—their joys and their fears—with a rhythm and musicality perfect for reading aloud. Shamar Knight-Justice’s expressive artwork sings with color, texture, and warmth. Forever and Always respects the deep emotions of young readers while offering comfort and reassurance to any child waiting for a loved one to come home. For readers of Nigel and the Moon, The Year We Learned to Fly, and Saturday.
A 2020 CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK
Set at one young boy’s annual family reunion, this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book by Kelly Starling Lyons and Daniel Minter is a rich and moving celebration of Black history, culture, and the power of family traditions.
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Best Children’s Books of the Year ―Bank Street College of Education
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book ―Chicago Public Library
★“A warm, loving, necessary reminder of the power in families coming together.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there’s nothing like going down home.”
Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they’ll share, but what will Lil Alan do?
Kelly Starling Lyons’ eloquent text explores the power of history and family traditions, and stunning illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor- and Caldecott Honor-winner Daniel Minter reveal the motion and connections in a large, multi-generational family.
Coretta Scott King Award winner
A young girl’s beloved uncle is a talented barber without a shop who never gives up on his dream in this richly illustrated, stirring picture book.
Everyone has a favorite relative. For Sarah Jean, it’s her Uncle Jed. Living in the segregated South of the 1920s, where most people are sharecroppers, Uncle Jed is the only black barber in the county and has to travel all over the county to cut his customers’ hair.
He lives for the day when he could open his very own barbershop. But there are a lot of setbacks along the way. Will Uncle Jed ever be able to open a shiny new shop?
Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall is a must read book. The main character Jabari wants to make a flying machine to fly across his backyard. The author skillfully presents a playful journey through the engineering process. As the main character is walking through each step of the process, his father is there to support, encourage, and advise him.
Two of his biggest bits of advice is for the main character to stay resilient and include his litter sister in the engineering process. The powerful illustrations display warm family interactions, intense problem solving, and the power of sibling teamwork. For parents, this book serves as a tool to teach us how to encourage and advise our children when they are engaging in problem solving play scenarios
by Sybil Rosen (Author), Camille Garoche (Illustrator)
A warm, wonderful picture book that gently reminds us of the importance of respecting our natural world and highlights the joys and rewards of helping others.
Join a girl as she helps a mama and papa bird build a nest in her bathroom, hatch their eggs, and teach their babies to fly away.
Renata and her Papi are hard at work at renovating their bathroom. Renata can't wait to build castles of bubbles in the deep, old-fashioned bathtub. But one morning, she finds dried leaves and pine needles heaped on a shelf in the corner. How did they get there? She soon realizes that a bird has built a nest on the shelf, and inside it are four rosy eggs! Weeks pass, and Renata watches as the wrens come and go, building a home in her bathroom... until, one day, with a little help from Renata, the birds are ready to fly.
by Michael Datcher (Author), Frank Morrison (Illustrator)
A stunning picture book comprising two incredible stories—the first part chronicles the adventures of a four-year-old Black girl named Harlem, while the second part describes the history of Harlem the neighborhood. From a New York Times bestselling author and a critically acclaimed illustrator.
In this beautiful picture book in two parts, meet Harlem: the girl and the neighborhood. Part one follows the adventures of a little girl named Harlem and her single father as they go on a museum “playdate” with painters Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat, listen to John Coltrane records, and conduct science experiments in their apartment ("The volcano erupts /Red lava on Valentine’s Day!").
Part two takes us back to the fourth year of the twentieth century in Harlem the neighborhood. Here, we are introduced to Philip A. Payton Jr., aka Papa Payton, whose Afro-American Realty Company gave birth to the Black housing explosion, helping to start America's Great Black Migration. Because of Papa Peyton, Black families—like Harlem and her father a century later—could move to Harlem and thrive and flourish.
This is a completely unique, absolutely gorgeous picture book by a New York Times bestselling author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator that weaves together the lives of a modern Black family and a historically Black neighborhood in New York City.
My Daddy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Martin Luther King III is a biography about Dr. King from the perspective of his son. The author provides a holistic perspective of the Dr. King primarily as a loving father who was civil rights leader. The author does an amazing job at showing the emotional impact of his father’s protests, jailing, and victories had on him as a child.
This book allows the reader to develop a great appreciation of the sacrifices his family made to make to the world better..
by Anna McQuinn (Author), Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator)
Bookworms big and small will be charmed by lovable Lola in this delightful sequel to LOLA AT THE LIBRARY that celebrates imagination and the love of reading.
Lola loves to go to the library with her daddy. Every night she reads a new story, and the next day, she acts it out. One day she's a fairy princess, the next day she goes on a trip to Lagos! She becomes a tiger, a farmer, a pilot. . . . what will Lola be next?
Children and adults will love following along with Lola's adventures. LOLA LOVES STORIES is a wonderful introduction to the power of reading and how it can inspire young minds at the earliest ages.
This gentle story of growing with books encourages little ones to discover the joy of reading as well as getting them ready and excited to visit the library.
Sweet, bright illustrations are from a kids-eye point of view. Perfect for a lap read or story time, the first in Lola series, LOLA AT THE LIBRARY is a book young readers will fall in love with.
