Two children's books testify to a mother's unconditional love for her child. In The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown with pictures by Clement Hurd, a little bunny threatens to run away and become a fish, and his mother vows to be a fisherman; he will become a rock, and she a mountain climber; he a flying trapeze artist, and she a tightrope walker crossing the air to him. In Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse and illustrated by Barbara Lavallee, set in the Arctic, a little girl learns that her mother loves her more than the whale loves his spout and will love her till the stars turn to fish in the sky, even if she stayed away to sing with the wolves or turned into a walrus! These stories, and the ones listed below, are analogies of God's unreserved love for the Creation, no matter what we do.

  • Mama, Do You Love Me?: Barbara M. Joose offers this enduring tale of an Inuit mother's answers to her child's questions which reveal her unconditional love.
  • Thing-Thing: Cary Fagan salutes the yearning for love and acceptance that resides within all things.
  • The Little Toy Shop: Frances Wolfe presents a Christmas tale about a Bunny searching for love and a heart that accepts him.
  • Big Bear Hug: Nicholas Oldland offers a contemporary fable about the importance of expressing your affection and love.
  • Piglet and Granny: Margaret Wild reveals the rewards of patience and the bounty of the ties of love between grandparents and grandchildren.
  • A Splendid Friend, Indeed: Suzanne Bloom catches the essence of patience, sharing, and caring that is at the heart of friendship.
  • And Tango Makes Three: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell tell a true story about two male penguins at a zoo who become the parents of an infant whom they lovingly hatch and raise on their own.
  • What About Bear?: Suzanne Bloom illustrates how loving friendship is acting from the heart and not excluding anyone from the circle.
  • Bear in Love: Samantha Davis shares an enchanting tale about the adventures and delights of falling in love.
  • The Blue House Dog: Deborah Blumenthal presents an affecting tale about love, loss, and the unspoken ties which bring dogs and human beings together.
  • Grand: Marla Stewart Konrad shows how having a grandparent to love and enjoy is one of the essential joys of childhood.
  • Mad at Mommy: Komako Sakai demonstrates to children that anger is an emotion that comes and goes but parental love lasts a long time and is forgiving.
  • Zero Kisses for Me: Manuela Monari shows how a little boy who declares his independence in the morning still needs his mother's love at night.
  • Grandma's Wedding Album: Harriet Ziefert proves the vital role loving grandparents can play in explaining important rituals in life.
  • I Will Not Read This Book: Cece Meng tells a story about a vociferous little boy who refuses to read but who is lovingly helped to read.
  • Love Waves: Rosemary Wells celebrates the power, energy, and calming effect of love waves sent by parents to their children.

More Children's Books on Love