Children's Books for Father's Day 2023

We’ve gathered a selection of celebratory titles for young readers to enjoy with their loved ones this coming Father’s Day, ranging from outdoor adventures and big family reunions to contemplative tales about the nature of fatherly—and grandfatherly—love, and more.

1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm

Valerie D. Johnson, illus. by Cee Biscoe. West Oak Lane Kids, $17.99 ISBN 979-8-986-30781-7. Ages 2–6.

A child narrator takes readers along on a numerically based exploration of their grandfather’s farm in this interactive title that counts from one to 10. As Biscoe’s softly rendered images of animal pens and garden beds lead to a big family feast, the text underlines Granddad’s descriptions of family traditions, making for a fond look at agricultural rhythms and intergenerational knowledge handed down.

Babajoon’s Treasure

Farnaz Esnaashari, illus. by Nabi H. Ali. Simon & Schuster, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-6659-0188-8. Ages 4–8.

This fanciful tale introduces a child’s view of her Iranian grandfather, and her own identity, through the lens of imagination. Miriam looks forward to her summer visit with Babajoon and Mamanjoon as “a magical adventure,” anticipating their beloved rituals.

A Bed of Stars

Jessica Love. Candlewick, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5362-1239-6. Ages 4–8.

The creator of the Stonewall Award-winning Julián Is a Mermaid offers a tale of first-time camping, father-child bonding, and feeling at one with the universe. See our cover reveal. The book received a starred review from PW.

Boy Dad

Sean Williams, illus. by Jay Davis. HarperCollins, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-06-311364-0. Ages 4–8.

This picture book from the team behind Girl Dad celebrates fathers who love to spend time with and support their sons. Williams is the founder and CEO of The Dad Gang, a social community of dads on a mission to redefine, revolutionize, and reshape the image of Black fatherhood.

Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family

Seamus Kirst, illus. by Karen Bunting. Magination, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-4338-4038-8. Ages 4–8.

A reunion becomes an occasion to expand a child’s definition of family in this educational picture book that reveals myriad connections based in love. When Dad, Daddy, and Harper road-trip to a family get-together, the child encounters previously unknown relatives, noting, “We were all so different!” Bunting’s jolly picnic scenes present figures of varied abilities, ages, familial configurations, and skin tones.

Daddy Dressed Me

Michael and Ava Gardner, illus. by Nadia Fisher. Aladdin, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-66592-195-4. Ages 4–8.

The Gardners draw inspiration from their blog of the same name for this story about a father-daughter connection forged by fashion. At school, Ava’s teacher announces a Move Up Day ceremony that will require children to recite poetry onstage. Though the protagonist feels nervous, her creative dad’s offer to make a new dress for the celebration gives her strength.

Daddy and Me

Gary Urda, illus. by Rosie Butcher. Little Bee, $8.99 board book, ISBN 978-1-4998-1351-7. Ages up to 3.

Various children across different settings introduce readers to their fathers and share what makes each dad special as they engage in activities together—cooking, reading, stargazing, and more.

Daddy & Me, Side by Side

Pierce Freelon, illus. by Nadia Fisher. Little, Brown, $18.99 ISBN 978-0-316-05586-4. Ages 4–8.

Freelon explores memory and intergenerational relationships in this quiet story about a brown-skinned duo’s fishing trip, which prompts remembrances of a late loved one. Opening with the father/son pair side by side in a tent in the woods, nature-filled storytelling establishes a contemplative tone with a reminiscence from Daddy: “I had fun here when I was your age. Your pop-pop and me.”

Fresh Juice

Robert Liu-Trujillo. Lee & Low, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-64379-113-5. Ages 4–8.

Art and his father discover that making some delicious sick-fighting juice to knock out a cold takes carrots, collards, cayenne, and community. Their search for the right ingredients brings them downtown, to the farmers’ market, to the food co-op, to the West African grocery—and to an unexpected encounter that unites everyone in a celebration.

From Here to There: A First Book of Maps

Vivian French, illus. by Ya-Ling Huang. Candlewick, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-5362-2511-2). Ages 3–7.

Anna and her father explore the world of maps in this story encouraging readers to chart their own neighborhoods.

Grandpas Are the Greatest

Ben Faulks, illus. by Nia Tudor. Bloomsbury, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-5476-1230-7. Ages 3–6.

Sprightly rhymes sing grandfathers’ praises in this enthusiastic, vocation-centric tribute about the “great long line of grandpas/ that leads all the way to you.” Featuring individual grandads who bake, build, explore, invent, and more gathered at a picnic, Faulks finds ways to spotlight each one’s interests as connected to their relationship with a beloved grandchild.

Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine

Hannah Moushabeck, illus. by Reem Madooh. Chronicle, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-79720-205-1. Ages 5–8.

Moushabeck makes her picture book debut with an intergenerational reminiscence of a family’s homeland, a place the narrator has “never been.” At the end of the day, three sisters await the return of their father, who tells them stories of his native Palestine.

Love Makes a Garden Grow

Taeeun Yoo. S&S/Wiseman, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5344-4286-3. Ages 4–8.

From the illustrator of Strictly No Elephants comes a personal tale of a girl who grows closer to her grandfather by tending the garden with him. As she grows up, she never forgets what she learned or loses her closeness with her nurturing grandfather.

Mis días con Papá/Spending Time with Dad

Elías David, illus. by Claudia Delgadillo. Piñata, $18.95 ISBN 978-1-55885-969-2. Ages 4–8.

In David’s debut, a bilingual picture book, a Latinx-cued child narrates a joy-filled day at home with Dad while Mom works at a shipping port. After Dad rises early to make Mom’s lunch, he and the child move through everyday activities. Delgadillo’s watercolors present cozy domestic scenes of the family smiling as they make their way through the day.

My Dad Is a DJ

Keith Henry Brown and Kathryn Erskine, illus. by Keith Henry Brown. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99 ISBN 978-0-374-30742-4. Ages 4–7.

Music helps a father and son renew their bond after a period of change leaves them out of sync in this emotionally honest story. Via first-person narration, Black-cued child Trevor describes connecting with their father, who’s DJ Dap Daddy on the radio. But when Dad moves out, Trevor begins to embrace new music with friends while Dad remains intent on the classics, creating a “new space between us.”

My Dad Is a Tree

Jon Agee. Rocky Pond, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-593-53137-2. Ages 4–8.

In this comic dialogue from Agee, a child plotting to stay outside “all day long” invites a parent to engage in pretend play—as a tree. As the farce builds beyond believable proportions and into moments of hilarity, Madeleine sagely proffers reassurances involving trees’ nature: “That’s OK, Dad. Trees don’t mind getting wet.”

My Dad Loves Me

Sara Miller, illus. by Flavio Remontti. Cottage Door, $9.99 board book, ISBN 978-1-64638-480-8. Ages up to 4.

In this board book, rhyming text and pictures of multicultural families pay tribute to the bond between father and child. Illustrations include a diverse range of families and their native language names for father.

My Ittu: The Biggest, Best Grandpa

Laura Deal, illus. by Thamires Paredes. Inhabit, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-77227-441-7. Ages 3–5.

Maniq lists all the reasons why her Ittu ((short for ittupajaaq, an Inuktitut word for grandfather) is the best.

The Nature Journal: A Backyard Adventure

Savannah Allen. Viking, $18.99 ISBN 978-0-593-52493-0. Ages 4–8.

Young Tim, who fits with his father “like bacon and eggs,” loves observing and collecting natural artifacts outdoors, just like his dad. But his father proves busy when Tim tries to share his nature journal, so the child heads to the attic, poring through his dad’s travel notebooks before falling asleep.

One, Two, Grandpa Loves You

Shelly Becker, illus. by Dan Yaccarino. Abrams, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-4197-6508-7. Ages 3–5.

In this joyful ode to the special bond between grandfathers and their grandchildren, a girl and her loving grandfather set out on an outdoor adventure.

Papa’s Home

David Soman. Little, Brown, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-316-42783-8. Ages 4–8.

Parting from a parent is hard, even when it happens with notice. In this reassuring story, Soman presents an adult bear who handles his cub’s separation anxiety with practiced calm. “Papa? Are you still going away tomorrow?” the cub asks. “I am,” Papa says, “but I’ll be back before you know it.” The book received a starred review from PW.

Quiet Time with My Seeya

Dinalie Dabarera. Roaring Brook, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-250-82427-1. Ages 3–6.

In Dabarera’s endearing picture book, a narrating child and their grandfather, both portrayed with brown skin, express fondness in ways that rise above verbal communication’s constraints. “Time with my seeya is quiet time,” explains the young narrator. “Mum says that’s because Seeya and I speak different languages. But that doesn’t matter to us, because my seeya and I like all the same things.” The book received a starred review from PW.

Tadpoles

Matt James. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8234-5005-3. Ages 4–8.

This stream-of-consciousness outing from James is voiced by a child who hunts for tadpoles with their father one rainy spring. The multimedia art’s spattered, stroked textures convey the feel of pages left out in a storm in James’s portrait of transition. The book received a starred review from PW.

This Is the First Book I Will Read to You

Francesco Sedita, illus. by Magenta Fox. Viking, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-593-40505-5. Ages 3–7.

It’s baby’s first story time and a new father is excited to read to his child. He’s also a little nervous. Which book should he choose?

What My Daddy Loves

Raissa Figueroa. Clarion, $19.99 ISBN 978-0-358-58877-1. Ages 4–8.

Leading on from the refrain “My Daddy loves,” children describe numerous shared activities for an affectionate morning-to-night picture of caregiving. Painterly digital illustrations from Figueroa get into winning specifics via narrative depictions of Black-cued fathers and children with various abilities doting on one another. The book received a starred review from PW.

When Daddy Tucks Me In

Sacha Cotter, illus. by Josh Morgan. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-72825-796-9. Ages 4–8.

A large bunch of keys inspires outlandish bedtime stories in this picture book about a brown-skinned father and child in a late-night moment. After the child narrator hears their father, who works late, arrive home, the youth prolongs a tuck-in session with questions about Daddy’s many differently shaped keys. In response, Daddy gamely describes a “lumpy, bumpy key” as fitting the ignition to a wild-looking vehicle called a “zippenburger,” and a “rusty” one as unlocking a padlock to the corral of a woolly mammoth.

See our roundup of 2023 titles celebrating mothers here.