The Best Books About And For Mothers And Daughters
“What are the best books about Mothers And Daughters?” We looked at 164 of the top Mother & Daughter books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 12 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Mother & Daughter ” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 150+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 12 Best Books About Mothers And Daughters And The Relationships They Have
12 .) Beloved written by Toni Morrison
Lists It Appears On:
- Bustle
- RD
Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe’s new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement. After the Civil War ends, Sethe longingly recalls the two-year-old daughter whom she killed when threatened with recapture after escaping from slavery 18 years before.…
11 .) Koala Lou written by Mem Fox
Lists It Appears On:
- A Mighty Girl
- Happiness Mama
A young koala, longing to hear her mother speak lovingly to her as she did before other children came along, plans to win her distracted parent’s attention.
10 .) Ladybug Girl written by David Soman and Jacky Davis
Lists It Appears On:
- Happiness Mama
- Romper
After her brother tells her she is too little to play with him, Lulu, dressed as Ladybug Girl, makes her own fun.
9 .) Little House on the Prairie written by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Lists It Appears On:
- RD
- Scottish Book Trust
A family travels from the big woods of Wisconsin to a new home on the prairie, where they build a house, meet neighboring Indians, build a well, and fight a prairie fire.
8 .) Mommy Hugs written by Karen Katz
Lists It Appears On:
- A Mighty Girl
- Happiness Mama
A loving mother counts the hugs she gives her baby throughout the day.
7 .) My Mom is Magical written by Sabrina Moyle, Eunice Moyle, and Hello! Lucky
Lists It Appears On:
- A Mighty Girl
- Working Mother
This board book salutes the things that make a mom magical.
6 .) Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen
Lists It Appears On:
- RD
- The Guardian
In early nineteenth-century England, Elizabeth Bennett, a spirited young woman copes with the romantic entanglements of her four sisters, and her feelings for Fitzwilliam Darcy, a brooding gentleman.
5 .) The Best Mother written by C.M. Surrisi and Diane Goode
Lists It Appears On:
- A Mighty Girl
- Working Mother
After interviewing mothers at the park, the toy store, and the zoo, Maxine decides that her own mother is worth keeping.
4 .) Where’d You Go, Bernadette? written by Maria Semple
Lists It Appears On:
- Early Bird Books
- RD
When her notorious, hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled, and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenage Bee begins a trip that takes her to the ends of the earth to find her.
3 .) White Oleander written by Janet Fitch
Lists It Appears On:
- Bustle
- Early Bird Books
At the age of 12, Astrid has her world blown away when her mother is sentenced to life in prison for murdering her lover. Sharpened by harsh foster home environments, Astrid remakes herself as a survivor, and ultimately, an artist.
2 .) The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan
Lists It Appears On:
- Bustle
- RD
- Real Simple
In 1949, four Chinese women–drawn together by the shadow of their past–begin meeting in San Francisco to play mah jong, invest in stocks and “say” stories. They call their gathering the Joy Luck Club–and forge a relationship that binds them for more than three decades.…
1 .) The Secret Life of Bees written by Sue Monk Kidd
Lists It Appears On:
- Bustle
- RD
- Real Simple
Fourteen-year-old Lily and her companion, Rosaleen, an African-American woman who has cared for Lily since her mother’s death ten years earlier, flee their home after Rosaleen is victimized by racist police officers, and find a safe haven in Tiburon, South Carolina at the home of three beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August.…
The 150+ Additional Best Books About Or Featuring Mother And Daughter Relationships
# | Books | Authors | Lists |
13 | ‘The Charm Bracelet’ | Viola Shipman | RD |
14 | 5 Minutes’ Peace | Read Brightly | |
15 | 7 Top Destinations in SoCal You Can Visit | Train | RD |
16 | A Chair for My Mother | Vera B. Williams | Romper |
17 | A Gift for Mama | Linda Ravin Lodding and Alison Jay | Working Mother |
18 | A Gold Star For Zog | Julia Donaldson | Romper |
19 | A Sicilian Romance | Ann Radcliffe | The Guardian |
20 | A Tale Dark and Grimm | Read Brightly | |
21 | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Betty Smith | Real Simple |
22 | A Very Easy Death | Simone de Beauvoir | The Guardian |
23 | A Wrinkle in Time | Read Brightly | |
24 | African Folk Tales | Read Brightly | |
25 | All the World | Read Brightly | |
26 | American Girls | Nancy Jo Sales | RD |
27 | Anywhere But Here | Mona Simpson | Bustle |
28 | Apple and Rain | Sarah Crossan | Scottish Book Trust |
29 | Are You My Mother? By Alison Bechdel | Bustle | |
30 | Ask the Passengers | HBook | |
31 | B: A Poem | A Mighty Girl | |
32 | Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother | Amy Chua | RD |
33 | Be Patient, Pandora! | A Mighty Girl | |
34 | Beauty Queens | HBook | |
35 | Blue Nights | Joan Didion | Bustle |
36 | Borrowed Names: Poems About Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C. J. Walker, Marie Curie, and Their Daughters | A Mighty Girl | |
37 | Breakfast with the Nikolides | Early Bird Books | |
38 | Breath, Eyes, Memory | Early Bird Books | |
39 | Bunny Roo, I Love You | Melissa Marr and Teagan White | Working Mother |
40 | Call the Midwife | Jennifer Worth | RD |
41 | Cherries and Cherry Pits | Vera B. Williams | Romper |
42 | Code Name Verity | HBook | |
43 | Cold Kiss | HBook | |
44 | Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | Early Bird Books | |
45 | Everything is Mama | Jimmy Fallon and Miguel Ordóñez | Working Mother |
46 | Flightsend | Linda Newberry | Scottish Book Trust |
47 | Floating On Mama’s Song / Flotando en la cancion de mama | A Mighty Girl | |
48 | For You, Mom, Finally | Ruth Reichl | Bustle |
49 | Fortune’s Daughter | Early Bird Books | |
50 | Girl in the Mirror | HBook | |
51 | Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild! | A Mighty Girl | |
52 | Her Mother’s Daughter | Early Bird Books | |
53 | Hetty Feather | Jacqueline Wilson | Scottish Book Trust |
54 | Highwire Moon | Early Bird Books | |
55 | Hop on Pop | Read Brightly | |
56 | How to Babysit a Grandma | Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish | Working Mother |
57 | How to Raise a Mom | Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish | Working Mother |
58 | I Love Mom with the Very Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle | Working Mother |
59 | I Love My Mommy | Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd | Working Mother |
60 | I Really Want to See You, Grandma | Taro Gomi | Working Mother |
61 | I Will Love You | Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Lisa Anchin | Working Mother |
62 | I Would Tuck You In | Sarah Asper-Smith and Mitchell Watley | Working Mother |
63 | I’ll Hug You More | Laura Duksta and Melissa Iwai | Working Mother |
64 | I’ve Loved You Since Forever | Hoda Kotb and Suzie Mason | Working Mother |
65 | If I Could Keep You Little | Happiness Mama | |
66 | If Kisses Were Colors | A Mighty Girl | |
67 | If You Give a Mouse a Cookie | Read Brightly | |
68 | Imani’s Moon | A Mighty Girl | |
69 | Just Between Us: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal for Girls and Their Moms | A Mighty Girl | |
70 | Keeper of the Lost Cities | Read Brightly | |
71 | Kiss, Kiss! | Happiness Mama | |
72 | Lab Girl | Hope Jahren | RD |
73 | Leaving Time | Early Bird Books | |
74 | Left | Early Bird Books | |
75 | Letters to the New Mom: Write Now. Read Later. Treasure Forever | Lea Redmond | Working Mother |
76 | Lies My Mother Never Told Me | Kaylie Jones | Real Simple |
77 | Life on the Refrigerator Door | Alice Kuipers | Scottish Book Trust |
78 | Little Fish and Mommy | Lucy Cousins | Working Mother |
79 | Lola at the Library | A Mighty Girl | |
80 | Looking for JJ | Anne Cassidy | Scottish Book Trust |
81 | Loot | Read Brightly | |
82 | Love You Forever | Happiness Mama | |
83 | Love, Mama | Jeanette Bradley | Working Mother |
84 | Madeline | Ludwig Bemelmans | Romper |
85 | Mama Loves You So (New Books for Newborns) | Terry Pierce and Simone Shin | Working Mother |
86 | Mama, Do You Love Me? | Happiness Mama | |
87 | Mama’s Belly | Kate Hosford and Abigail Halpin | Working Mother |
88 | Mama’s Kisses | Kate McMullan and Tao Nyeu | Working Mother |
89 | Mama’s Day with Little Gray | Aimee Reid and Laura J. Bryant | Working Mother |
90 | Matilda | Roald Dahl | Romper |
91 | Me. . . Jane | Patrick McDonnell | Romper |
92 | Missing Mom | Early Bird Books | |
93 | Mom & Me & Mom | Maya Angelou | Real Simple |
94 | Mom and Me, Me and Mom | Miguel Tanco | Working Mother |
95 | Mommy Dressing | Lois Gould | RD |
96 | Mommy, Mama, and Me | A Mighty Girl | |
97 | Mommy’s Khimar | Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn | Working Mother |
98 | Mothering and Daughtering: Keeping Your Bond Strong Through the Teen Years | A Mighty Girl | |
99 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Frederik Bachman | RD |
100 | My Mama Had A Dancing Heart | A Mighty Girl | |
101 | My Name Is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout | Real Simple |
102 | My Two Moms and Me | Michael Joosten and Izak Zenou | Working Mother |
103 | Olivia | Ian Falconer | Romper |
104 | On Matricide: Myth, Psychoanalysis and the Law of the Mother | Amber Jacobs | The Guardian |
105 | On Mother’s Lap | Happiness Mama | |
106 | On the Night You Were Born | Nancy Tillman | Working Mother |
107 | Ordinary Grace | William Kent Krueger | RD |
108 | Pearl | HBook | |
109 | Pecan Pie Baby | A Mighty Girl | |
110 | Please, Baby, Please | A Mighty Girl | |
111 | Queen Sugar | Early Bird Books | |
112 | Ramona | Beverly Cleary | Romper |
113 | Ramona and Her Mother | A Mighty Girl | |
114 | Roadwalkers | Early Bird Books | |
115 | Room On the Broom | Julia Donaldson | Romper |
116 | Rosie | Early Bird Books | |
117 | Rosie Revere, Engineer | Andrea Beaty | Romper |
118 | Searching for Mercy Street: My Journey Back to My Mother, Anne Sexton | Linda Gray Sexton | The Guardian |
119 | Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son | Anne Lamott and Sam Lamott | RD |
120 | Someday | Happiness Mama | |
121 | Sundae Girl | Cathy Cassidy | Scottish Book Trust |
122 | Superhero Mom | Timothy Knapman and Joe Berger | Working Mother |
123 | Swing Time | Early Bird Books | |
124 | Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table | Ruth Reichl | RD |
125 | That’s Me Loving You | Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Teagan White | Working Mother |
126 | The Big Big Sea | A Mighty Girl | |
127 | The Blue Room | Hanne Ørstavik | The Guardian |
128 | The Book of Ruth | The Guardian | |
129 | The Bridge Ladies | Betsy Lerner | Real Simple |
130 | The Care and Keeping of Us: A Sharing Collection for Girls and Their Moms | A Mighty Girl | |
131 | The Chronicles of Narnia | Read Brightly | |
132 | The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes | DuBose Heyward | Romper |
133 | The Cutting Season | Attica Locke | RD |
134 | The Day the Crayons Quit | Read Brightly | |
135 | The Devil Kissed Her: The Story of Mary Lamb | Kathy Watson | The Guardian |
136 | The Glass Essay | Anne Carson | The Guardian |
137 | The Great Mother | Erich Neumann | The Guardian |
138 | The Kissing Hand | Read Brightly | |
139 | The Light Between Oceans | M.L. Stedman | RD |
140 | The Mommy Book | A Mighty Girl | |
141 | The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh, and Learn Through Their Love of Reading | A Mighty Girl | |
142 | The Neapolitan Novels | Elena Ferrante | RD |
143 | The Paper Bag Princess | Robert Munsch | Romper |
144 | The Phantom Tollbooth | Read Brightly | |
145 | The Roald Dahl Collection | Read Brightly | |
146 | The Runaway Bunny | Happiness Mama | |
147 | The Secrets of Sam and Sam | Susie Day | Scottish Book Trust |
148 | The Sign of the Beaver | Read Brightly | |
149 | The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry | Gabrielle Zevin | RD |
150 | The Ugly Vegetables | A Mighty Girl | |
151 | The Wholeness of a Broken Heart | Katie Singer | Bustle |
152 | Then Again | Diane Keaton | Bustle |
153 | To the Lighthouse | Virginia Woolf | RD |
154 | Travels with My Aunt | Graham Greene | RD |
155 | Up: A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure | A Mighty Girl | |
156 | Vinegar Girl | Anne Tyler | RD |
157 | Waiting for the Biblioburro | Read Brightly | |
158 | What Mommies Like | Judy Carey Nevin and Stephanie Six | Working Mother |
159 | What We Keep | Early Bird Books | |
160 | Where’s Mommy? | Beverly Donofrio and Barbara McClintock | Working Mother |
161 | Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You | Happiness Mama | |
162 | Wild | Cheryl Strayed | RD |
163 | Wolf Wilder | Katherine Rundell | Scottish Book Trust |
164 | You Are My Happy | Hoda Kotb and Suzie Mason | Working Mother |
12 Best Mothers And Daughters Book Sources/Lists
Source | Article |
A Mighty Girl | A Mother’s Love: 30 Books Celebrating Mighty Moms & Daughters |
Bustle | 10 Books on Mother-Daughter Relationships to Read for Mother’s Day |
Early Bird Books | 16 Books About Mother-Daughter Relationships |
Happiness Mama | 12 Favorite Children’s Books for Mother’s Day |
HBook | YA mother-daughter reading recommendations |
RD | the best books for mothers and daughters to read |
Read Brightly | The Books Kids Say Are the Best to Read with Their Moms |
Real Simple | 7 Gripping Mother/Daughter Books |
Romper | 13 Books Every Mom Should Read To Her Daughter |
Scottish Book Trust | 10 of my Favourite Mother-Daughter Relationships in Children’s Books |
The Guardian | The top 10 stories of mothers and daughters |
Working Mother | Wonderful Mother’s Day Children’s Books |