Give picture books!

Although my world revolves around children’s books, I understand that most grown adults associate picture books with young kids, elementary school classrooms, and the noisy rear of the bookstore where toddlers congregate.

But I truly believe that stories for kids, and specifically picture books, are for all ages.

Picture books are a unique creation, as they combine visual artistry, accessible narratives, and simple truths that can provide inspiration, guidance, grounding, and joy to readers far older than the target audience.

Picture books can serve as a form of meditation, offering a heartfelt or playful moment of respite from the adult world. The emotional directness of well-crafted stories can allow for surprisingly profound experiences, packaged in an easily-accessible 32 or 40 pages.

While nostalgic picture books have their own value, many contemporary picture books provide new experiences or perspectives that can comfort and soothe, or energize and engage. The best picture books published today contain layers of story, tackling resonant themes like identity, self-love, social justice, environmental awareness, grief, and friendship. Other picture books are simply funny or ridiculous, and can offer a well-earned laugh with their humor.

Not only do picture book narratives hit hard across the seasons of life, but the art also makes these books worthy gifts. Picture books are an exquisite gallery of fine art, not only for child readers, but for the inner child of adults. Through picture books, we have the opportunity to appreciate how different illustrators interpret the world, which in turn enhances our own creative thinking and expression.

Picture books become more than just reading material – they are vessels for expressing care, understanding, and shared experiences across generations.

I love giving picture books as gifts, and I hope that the grown recipients of these books find something special for themselves between the covers, in the artwork, or in the whimsical world imagined across the pages.

Picture Books for the Grown Readers in Your Life

I encourage all adults to spend a leisurely hour in the children’s section of the bookstore, paging through new releases or rediscovering old favorites from your youth.

When shopping for someone you care for — the friend who had a really emotionally tough year, a family member who is getting older, a colleague who loves to laugh — you might stumble upon the perfect picture book.

Or, recommendations might be ideal! Here are some picture books I think are particularly well-suited for adult gifts.

For a friend who is considering a career change: Wolfgang in the Meadow by Lenny Wen

For someone going through a life transition: In Every Life by Marla Frazee

For a New Yorker: New York Melody by Hélène Druvert

For a beachy friend: Wave by Suzy Lee

For someone with dark humor: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

For a dog owner: Hot Dog by Doug Salati

For anyone who needs hope for our world’s future: We Are the Builders! by Deepa Iyer & Romina Galotta

For a housewarming gift: Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall

For an entrepreneur: What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada & Mae Besom

For a cat lover: No Fuzzball! By Isabella Kung

For a friend who needs to remember their worth: Stardust by Jeanne Willis & Briony May Smith

For anyone: Begin Again by Oliver Jeffers

Glimmers to share

✨Oscar Wilde NYC: I’ve walked past this restaurant many times, and this year I went in at Christmastime, sharing a late lunch with my littlest. It’s just as enchanting as the IG influencers promised, and it’s definitely worth stopping in during the season.

✨Instructions for Traveling West: Poems by Joy Sullivan

“First, you must realize you’re homesick for all the lives you’re not living. Then, you must commit to the road and the rising loneliness. To the sincere thrill of coming apart.”

I couldn’t even get through those first three lines without my heart seizing and tears brimming in my eyes, and the rest of this poetry was just as impactful.

✨Harney & Sons holiday teas: perfect for getting energized first thing on a cold morning, cozying up with a good story, or taking in a thermos on holiday excursions.