This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and to celebrate, this week’s Butler Bookshelf is highlighting picture books about moms and motherhood. Our feature pick is Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many Languages by Uma Menon and illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell. This charming picture book explores the many ways children refer to their mother. The main character calls her mom Amma, the word for mother in Malayalam, but after a conversation with her friend, she begins to wonder what other people call their mothers. She discovers that her friends have names for their mothers in Spanish, Greek, Arabic, and even Japanese. Bell’s mixed-media illustrations show many kinds of mothers and families, showcasing the diverse nature of families and the languages they use. Full of heart, this book is an excellent reminder of multiculturalism and the many ways families can look, sound, and function.

Check out more books about moms below!

My Mom
Susan Quinn
Illustrated by Sarah Matthew
The Quarto Group/Words & Pictures
Available now!

My Mom is a Mermaid!
Bill Canterbury
Illustrated by Jeff Harter
Random House Children’s Books/Doubleday
Available now!

Our Mothers’ Names: Love in Many Languages
Uma Menon
Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell
Candlewick Press
Available now!

To the End of the World, Far Far Away
Ronda Armitage
Illustrated by Victoria Turnbull
Candlewick Press
Available now!

We Leap Together
Christopher Silas Neal
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!