Children’s Book Reviews
In a world filled with children’s books, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to find those which reflect your family and your lives.
We have done some of the ground-work for you.
Here you will find books in which breastfeeding , babywearing and family beds are normalised. Books to help toddlers on the journey to weaning. Books for children with big feelings and books about living your best life, whatever that looks like. Families come in all shapes and sizes and here you will see them in all their diversity. We have found books showing children growing up around the world and books showing families navigating big changes.
We have stories which honour the land on which we live and the people who have lived here for tens of thousands of years - and those who have recently arrived. And we have books about the wonderful planet we share, the challenges it faces and the ways we can help. We have books about the beginning of life … and the end and all the stages in between. Books for babies about their world and books for teens as it changes around them.
We love exploring books for children and the adults raising them to share and to enjoy in quiet moments.
We hope you enjoy them too.
Grandmother from the East, Grandmother from the West
Grandmother from the East, Grandmother from the West is a heartfelt, visually rich picture book celebrating bicultural grandparent-grandchild bonds. Through gentle, lyrical text, it contrasts one grandmother’s heritage from the East—full of dumplings, courage, and dragon spirit—with the other’s Western lineage of bread-making, healing hands, and soothing warmth. Freda Chiu’s expressive illustrations use rich red and blue palettes, symbolic endpapers, and joyful domestic scenes to underscore themes of unity and identity—without ever turning it into a “lesson.”
Family
This lyrical and heartfelt book explores the meaning of family from a First Nations perspective. It centres the connections between people, Country, stories, and community, showing that family is not only about who you live with but also about where you come from and who you belong to.
Up! How Families Around the World Carry Their Little Ones
This vibrant, cut-paper collage book celebrates the global tradition of babywearing. From the mountains of Peru to the villages of Vietnam, it shows caregivers carrying babies in slings, wraps, shawls, and arms—all with the same purpose: keeping their little ones close and connected.