Why am I passionate about this?

As we grow up, the special relationships with family, friends, and caregivers are what give us our sense of place in the world, make us feel loved, teach us the important things in life, and give us the courage to face each step from childhood to adulthood and beyond. Therefore I love books that celebrate these very special people in our lives.


I wrote

Tiny Blue, I Love You

By Jo Empson,

Book cover of Tiny Blue, I Love You

What is my book about?

This is the story about a curious Little Blue Penguin. His questions about the natural world around him and all…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Grandpa Green

Jo Empson Why did I love this book?

This is one of my all-time favourite books. I’m a big fan of Lane Smith, I love his books and his illustrations are gorgeous – he has a wonderful ability to tweak his style to fit the specific book and storyline perfectly. Visually an intriguing delight, and a deeply touching narrative about shared time, memories, and love between Grandpa and Grandchild.

Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a boy who lived on a farm and a child who had chickenpox. He was a soldier, a husband, and, most of all, an artist.

By Lane Smith,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Grandpa Green as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a boy who lived on a farm and a child who had chickenpox. He was a soldier, a husband and, most of all, an artist.

Follow his grandson through a garden where memories are handed down through the shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten. Grandpa Green opens the door to a garden of wonder which parents and grandparents will be able to share with children for generations to come. An ode to the joys of a full life well lived as well as exploring some of the sorrow life…


Book cover of Guess How Much I Love You

Jo Empson Why did I love this book?

This is an absolute classic and has stood the test of time. I still get tears in my eyes after reading this book today, the same as I did reading it over 25 years ago (when it was first published) to my then small daughter. We still refer back to it today. The beautiful soft and delicate watercolour illustrations by Anita Jerum are the perfect match for the text which pulls at your heartstrings every time.

This gorgeous picture book has become a modern classic. The story of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare trying to express how much they love each other is one that has captivated adults and children the world over. 

By Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Guess How Much I Love You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Celebrate twenty-five years of love right up to the moon and back! A new board-book edition is perfect for little hands.

How much does Little Nutbrown Hare love his daddy? And how much does Big Nutbrown Hare love him back? The cherished tale of boundless affection is ready for boundless sharing in a durable board-book edition for the younger set.


Book cover of What We'll Build: Plans for Our Together Future

Jo Empson Why did I love this book?

Richly illustrated, this tender book depicts a conversation between a father and daughter; the promises he makes to her, the worries and reassurances, and the hopes and dreams. Oliver Jeffers books are always wonderfully unique and beautifully lyrical.

A father and daughter set about laying the foundations for their life together. Using their own special tools, they get to work; building memories to cherish, a home to keep them safe, and love to keep them warm. A heartfelt poignant story.

What shall we build, you and I? 

I’ll build your future and you’ll build mine. 

We’ll build a watch to keep our time. 

By Oliver Jeffers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What We'll Build as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

An instant New York Times bestseller!

From Oliver Jeffers, world-renowned picture book creator and illustrator of The Crayons' Christmas, comes a gorgeously told father-daughter story and companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller Here We Are!

What shall we build, you and I?
Let's gather all our tools for a start.
For putting together . . .
and taking apart.

A father and daughter set about laying the foundations for their life together. Using their own special tools, they get to work, building memories to cherish, a home to keep them safe, and love to keep them warm.

A…


Book cover of Last Stop on Market Street

Jo Empson Why did I love this book?

CJ begins his weekly bus journey around the city with disappointment and dissatisfaction, wondering why he and his family can't drive a car like his friends. Through energy and encouragement, CJ's nana helps him see the beauty and fun in their routine.

This is a stunning book about a Nana who creatively teaches her grandson to look deeper than face value – to see the beauty in every element of the world around them. It’s a rich story of humility and gratitude. Beautifully illustrated by Christian Robinson with bold, graphic shapes in a lovely retro style.  

This beautifully illustrated, emotive picture book explores urban life with honesty, interest, and gratitude. Last Stop on Market Street has won multiple awards and spent time at the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller List.

By Matt de la Peña, Christian Robinson (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Last Stop on Market Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn't he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty and fun in their routine and in the world around them. This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the love and understanding between grandparent and grandchild as the world comes…


Book cover of Hello, Mum

Jo Empson Why did I love this book?

Hello, Mum is a visual diary of the magical highs and absurd lows that many parents will recognise – from the shock and awe of the baby days to the delight (and terror) of the toddler years and the mayhem of sibling rivalry. Dunbar's fantastically funny, wise, and enchanting drawings capture this precious and fleeting time with heart-touching perfection.

I follow Polly Dunbar on Instagram and loved seeing her daily sketches, depicting the honest highs and lows of Motherhood in the form of beautiful loose pen drawings and handwritten text. So I was thrilled when this visual diary became a book. It is honest, funny, touching, and tender and a beautiful gift for a new mum.

By Polly Dunbar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hello, Mum as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Tender, funny, sometimes heartbreaking snapshots of motherhood.' - Shappi Khorsandi

Fantastically funny, wise and charming motherhood sketches from award-winning illustrator Polly Dunbar.

'Go away, I'm busy writing about the beauty of motherhood.'

Polly Dunbar is an award-winning illustrator who usually draws for children rather than adults, but when she had her own sons, she started recording the beautiful and maddening moments of parenthood with a doodle.

Hello, Mum is her visual diary of the magical highs and absurd lows that many parents will recognise - from the shock and awe of the baby days to the delight (and terror) of…


Explore my book 😀

Tiny Blue, I Love You

By Jo Empson,

Book cover of Tiny Blue, I Love You

What is my book about?

This is the story about a curious Little Blue Penguin. His questions about the natural world around him and all its wonders and the unquestionable love between Tiny Blue and his Papa.

Tiny Blue thinks his Papa is very wise and so must know the answers to everything! Perfectly capturing the curious nature of toddlers, Tiny Blue, I Love You is a beautiful exploration of nature and a heart-warming tale of the love between parent and child.

Book cover of Grandpa Green
Book cover of Guess How Much I Love You
Book cover of What We'll Build: Plans for Our Together Future

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No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

By Rona Simmons,

Book cover of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

Rona Simmons Author Of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I come by my interest in history and the years before, during, and after the Second World War honestly. For one thing, both my father and my father-in-law served as pilots in the war, my father a P-38 pilot in North Africa and my father-in-law a B-17 bomber pilot in England. Their histories connect me with a period I think we can still almost reach with our fingertips and one that has had a momentous impact on our lives today. I have taken that interest and passion to discover and write true life stories of the war—focusing on the untold and unheard stories often of the “Average Joe.”

Rona's book list on World War II featuring the average Joe

What is my book about?

October 24, 1944, is not a day of national remembrance. Yet, more Americans serving in World War II perished on that day than on any other single day of the war.

The narrative of No Average Day proceeds hour by hour and incident by incident while focusing its attention on ordinary individuals—clerks, radio operators, cooks, sailors, machinist mates, riflemen, and pilots and their air crews. All were men who chose to serve their country and soon found themselves in a terrifying and otherworldly place.

No Average Day reveals the vastness of the war as it reaches past the beaches in…

No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

By Rona Simmons,

What is this book about?

October 24, 1944, is not a day of national remembrance. Yet, more Americans serving in World War II perished on that day than on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, or on June 6, 1944, when the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, or on any other single day of the war. In its telling of the events of October 24, No Average Day proceeds hour by hour and incident by incident. The book begins with Army Private First-Class Paul Miller's pre-dawn demise in the Sendai #6B Japanese prisoner of war camp. It concludes with the death…


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Interested in gardens, bedtime, and imagination?

Gardens 45 books
Bedtime 40 books
Imagination 106 books