8 books about family and unconditional love

Throughout my life, my family has been an unconditional support and has given me the freedom of letting my dreams come true. 

This experience has inspired me to write and illustrate Our Love in which I portray family scenes where each animal shares and gives unconditional love. 

When I discovered picture books in my early twenties, I completely fell in love with them. I’m fascinated by how authors share their stories and how they can transform people’s lives. It changed my way of thinking, reading and creating. 

The stories I picked for this list are my top picture books that explore the theme of family and love, inspiring me to keep making stories. 

What would you do if you opened your front door and found seven babies in a box? I would probably freak out, but what Forest does through warm illustrations and humour is unique. 

She explores parenthood and its complicated, chaotic and wonderful relationship. Its tenderness and hilarious scenes make every page an unforgettable experience. 

To live in a world like Pokko is to dive into curiosity, self-discovery and family nurturing. With wonderful illustrations by Forsythe, where each character, colour palette and composition are well designed and flow in each page, this book feels like a classic. 

Every time I read this book out loud, I know the reaction is going to be an outburst of laughter and wonder. 

Wonderful, cosy and beautiful. This bilingual book by Paloma Valdivia evokes the relationship and unconditional love between parents and children with poetry and stunning illustrations. 

I saw this book at a Book Fair in Peru and I had the opportunity to attend one of her talks and see her creative process. Paloma is such a wonderful inspiration to everyone who wants to be a picture book maker. This story is a reminder that no matter how far we go, our parents’ love will never change. 

Little Pascaline goes shopping with her mother but not everything goes as planned for both. Beatrice Alemagna is a bestselling children’s books author. Her illustrations and story evoke adventure, wildness and the magic of being a child.

I felt related to the character and some of the scenes brought me memories of my childhood and all those times I asked my mom or dad for something at the shop and how important it was to have patience and listen to them. 

Living abroad is something I relate to since moving to the UK in 2022. During my studies, I met Laila’s work and her commitment to experiment and create. I know her passion for storytelling and illustration. 

This book reflects her ability to engage with everyone who feels far away from home. Her characters, use of colour and lyrical text makes this picture book a perfect reminder that we are like birds flying away, making our home everywhere we go. 

This is a story that reflects time changing and maternal love. I adore this book so much because of its poetry, page turn movement and meaningful illustrations. It shows how motherhood can be evocative and moving. The concept of love can be this, and I love it! 

When I was a child, going to bed was a difficult task. This book is full of what-if questions from a little girl who asks her dad before bedtime about the unimaginable situations he can be involved in. But, no matter how difficult those questions are, Felicita Sala shows with her wonderful storytelling and illustrations that a father’s love is unquestionable and nothing can break it or make it go away. 

I fell in love when I read this book for the first time. Every page has a detail that unfolds the story with a playful and creative approach. This is one of those books you want to read repeatedly, due to some impressive illustrations by the genius Anthony Brown. 

Our Love by Fatima Ordinola is out now.