Next month is a month where my family will plan lots of time together—most of which will be spent eating food together. And I wouldn’t be the librarian I am without sharing this list of great titles where food and family are the focus of each story. So, pull up a snack and settle in to read these five picture books that just might make you pull your loved ones closer while also reaching for a snack!
Written by Winsome Bingham
Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025. Picture Book.
The young kid who is out of school for a Friday gets to spend the day with Granny. On Fridays, Granny goes and catches fish to use for the family fish fry on Friday nights. The narrator loves spending time with Granny as she teaches about fishing, filleting, and frying up good times with food and family.
By Tim Kleyn
New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Picture Book.
In this story a young girl named Margot and her grandfather wait on their island during a storm for the girl’s mother to come home on her boat. Other sailors come and need a place to wait out the storm…so Margot and Grandpa make grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone. This story tells about love for family and strangers/friends and how good food can help fill in all the gaps.
Written by Shruthi Rao
Illustrated by Darshika Varma
Salem, MA: Page Street Kids, 2024. Picture Book.
Kabir gets a basket full of a tasty treat called kadooboo to take home to his Amma; however, along the way Kabir keeps forgetting the name of the treat. (He calls it things like “book-oo-doo”, “dub-oo-koo”, or “duck-oo-boo”.) Eventually, he makes it home to Amma and they eat the tasty food while he remembers just what it is called.
Written by Jeanette Fazzari Jones
Illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett
New York: Two Lions, 2024. Picture Book.
Felicia’s grandpa has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t always remember things. But he does love to cook—especially spaghetti and meatballs. As Felicia and Grandma start cooking, Grandpa slowly starts to remember how to help and who Felicia is. This is a warm tale of a loving family and how food can help make and keep memories.
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Gracey Zhang
New York: Random House Studio, 2024. Picture Book.
This is a beautiful book (that won a Caldecott Honor) about soba deliverymen who go around the city delivering towers of trays holding noodles people have ordered. And of course, there is one particular soba deliveryman that is special to the children in this book, who watch for him to come to their house. Kids who like to try their hand at physical feats and love the idea of a family spending time together slurping noodles, will think this is a great book to read.
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