13 picture books about bread
Because 'Bread is Love'
My next picture book, Bread is Love (Roaring Brook Press), will be published in early 2026 and I can’t wait to share the cover/pre-order campaign/etc. with friends and family this year.
In the meantime: a baker’s dozen of books about bread. Happy reading/baking/eating!
Sun Bread (Dutton, 2001) by Elisa Kleve
The New York Times Book Review writes: Kleve “offers the ultimate in comfort food, which nourishes, cheers and literally lifts up those who eat it. In rhymed verse… a baker decides to escape winter's malaise by creating a sun in her oven. It's a big round golden loaf of bread complete with the smiley face found on so many children's drawings of the sun.”
Dad Bakes (Norton, 2021) by Katie Yamasaki
For Yamasaki, part of the beauty of this story is in the patience required in bread making — and life. ‘I did want to show how the waiting can also be kind of an opportunity,’ she adds. ‘While these kids are waiting for their parents to come back, how can we support them and provide them with enriched experiences?’ Yamasaki appreciated the chance to illustrate this patience through the father’s baking craft, as he rewards his daughter with a painstakingly made gift. — Kirkus
The Bread Pet (Barefoot Books, 2020) by Kate DePalma and Nelleke Verhoeff (illus.)
In this story about family, creativity, and community, Cora’s promise to her Uncle JB to keep his bread pet alive goes awry when it begins to grow exponentially.
Everybody Bakes Bread (Carolrhoda Books, 1996) by Norah Dooley and Peter J. Thornton (illus.)
A rainy-day errand introduces Carrie to many different kinds of bread, including chapatis, challah, and papusaa.
The Only Way to Bake Bread (Tundra Books, 2023) by Cristina Quintero and Sarah Gonzales (illus.)
A playful celebration of the various kinds of breads that people make around the world including Filipino pandesal buns, arepas, bao, campfire bannock and Jamaican hardo. Quintero, with the help of Gonzales’s engaging pencil crayon illustrations, walks readers through all the steps of making bread and the different ingredients used, along with some easy-to-follow recipes. — The Globe and Mail
Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji (Lee & Low, 2011) by Farhana Zia and Ken Min (illus.)
Zia, an elementary school teacher who grew up in Hyderabad, India, brings us a story that combines contemporary Indian-American life, good old-fashioned storytelling, and delicious food all in one place. Add in the rather striking illustrations by newcomer Ken Min and you’ve a tasty concoction worthy of your notice. — Fuse #8 Production
My Hands Tell a Story (Reycraft Books, 2022) by Kelly Starling Lyons and Tonya Engel (illus.)
School Library Journal writes in its starred review: “In this heartwarming story, Zoe, a young Black girl, shares reflective conversation with her grandma, inspired by Zoe’s observations of her grandma’s skillful, graceful hands as they bake bread together. The grandmother reveals how her hands hold memories, love of family, and a life lived with purpose, all of which reassure Zoe that her own hands hold strength to shape the start of her own life story.”
Rising (Candlewick, 2024) by Sidura Ludwig and Sophia Vincent Guy (illus.)
Carefully laying out each step of the baking process, from mixing ingredients to braiding the loaves, the book evokes Shabbat itself, conveying the beauty of taking time to rest and appreciate loved ones. — Kirkus
Challah for Shabbat Tonight (Algonquin Young Readers, 2024) by Sara Holly Ackerman and Alona Millgram (illus.)
A girl and her grandmother prepare for Shabbat dinner by baking challah.
Still There Was Bread (HarperCollins, 2024) by Lisl H. Detlefsen and David Soman
Kirkus writes: “This sweet story is full of heart, spotlighting the importance of intergenerational connections and the comfort of home.”
Fry Bread (Roaring Brook Press, 2019) by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal (illus.)
As happy as my kids are with this book, make no mistake, Fry Bread isn’t merely a feel-good story about a picturesque Native American family cooking together with joyful abandon and minimal mess. Fry bread is not the least divisive of foods: Born of mortal necessity, fry bread might seem the last food Native Americans would choose to celebrate (and many people choose not to). My children know fry bread isn’t ‘traditional,” and they know why. To his credit, Maillard doesn’t shy away from tackling that issue. “Fry bread is history ... the long walk, the stolen land ... with unknown food we made new recipes from what we had.” — NPR
100 Chapatis (Owlkids, 2023) by Derek Mascarenhas and Shantala Robinson (illus.)
Waiting for Mom and Dad to call about the arrival of a new baby is very frustrating for Simon — he can’t keep still! — so his grandfather, Pappa, suggests that they make chapatis, a tasty South Asian flatbread that Simon loves, to pass the time. Pappa made 100 chapatis when he was waiting for news the night that Simon’s dad was born so maybe grandfather and grandson can make 100 chapatis too before the call comes? Based on a family story, Robinson’s lively illustrations bring Mascarenhas’s charming story to life. — The Globe and Mail
What Should I Make? (Tricycle Press, 2009) by Nandini Nayar and Proiti Roy (illus.)
One of India’s most prolific authors says: “Neeraj’s mother is making chapatis and she’s given him a handful of the dough. What should he make with it? A snake? A mouse? A cat? But what if his creations come to life? ‘Roll it up, quick!’ says his mother. Roll it, he does, and makes a big round chapati — hot, light, and puffy after it’s cooked, perfect for snacking.”