Story time is a wonderful time for families to come together. This collection of picture books centers on family: families playing together, learning together, and celebrating their histories and differences. All families will be able to relate to the stories found in these pages, regardless of their own backgrounds.
Written by Lucy Catchpole
Illustrated by Karen George
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2025. Picture book.
A child notices the similarities between her tricycle, her dad's big car, and her mom's Mama Car. The Mama Car can take them on expeditions, leading way to exciting adventures before heading back home. The Mama Car is special in many ways, but the most important thing is who it contains: Mama.
Written by Rachel G. Payne
Illustrated by Jose Pimienta
New York: Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2025. Picture book.
This "rough-and-tumble book of play" depicts a mom and her two children rough housing together. The illustrations depict various silly scenarios, like King of the Castle, Wrecking Ball, and Tickle-Bot. The family also learns the importance of having a code word for when one person gets hurt or doesn't like the game. This book will inspire families to have more fun rough housing during playtime!
Written by Winsome Bingham and Wiley Blevins
Illustrated by Jason Griffin
New York: Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. Picture book.
With beautifully done illustrations, The Table tells the story of two families and the object that connects them: a wooden kitchen table. Told in snippets of life events that happen around the table, families will relate to the ways the objects in our homes can carry significance long past their time in our lives.
Written by Desirée Acevedo
Illustrated by Víctor Jaubert
Madrid, Spain: Cuento de Luz SL, 2025. Picture book.
This picture book tells the story of a family in the form of a quilt, passed down to each woman in the narrator's family. Each patch tells the story of an amazing woman, all culminating in the narrator's daughter being added to the quilt. The beautiful artwork and story encourage families to honor those who came before them by learning about their lives.
Written by Veera Hiranandani
Illustrated by Nadia Alam
New York: Random House Studio, 2025. Picture book.
A young girl learns about her ancestors, including grandmothers from both Brooklyn and India, one grandfather who fled Poland, another who snuck out of Pakistan to join his family in India. Her parents help her realize how lucky she is to be both American and Indian, both Jewish and Hindu–to be many things at once.
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