Grandparents' Day is a day for honoring all grandparents and celebrating the connections between generations. This holiday gives grandparents a special opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of the strength, information, and guidance that older people can offer. Many celebrate by reading together, giving gifts, or by playing games and celebrating family traditions. For children whose grandparents have passed away, families may spend time together remembering those grandparents or instead might visit an elderly neighbor or volunteer at a nursing home.
National Grandparents Day became official in 1978, but the work of Jacob Reingold and Marian McQuade started it all. During the 1961 White House Conference on Aging, Jacob Reingold of the Hebrew Home was inspired by a speech and focused on recognizing the role of millions of older Americans who are grandparents. That same year, the first day specifically honoring grandparents was held at the Hebrew Home. By 1963 it became an official holiday in the borough of the Bronx. In 1987, the Congressional Record affirmed Jacob Reingold’s efforts to gain recognition for grandparents as well as a national day to celebrate them.
In 1970, Marian McQuade began a campaign to establish a special day of recognition for grandparents. She reached out to civic, business, faith, and political leaders and began a campaign for Grandparents Day. In 1973, her efforts resulted in the first Grandparents Day in West Virginia. It was a proud day for Reingold and McQuade when the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. A presidential proclamation was signed by President Jimmy Carter, which began the yearly observation of this special holiday. Many countries celebrate grandparents with special days, some even have different days for grandmothers and grandfathers.
Here are some ideas on how to celebrate:
- Read a book with your grandfriends, grandparents, or grandfamily caregiver (see the list below).
- Take a walk together through your neighborhood or favorite park.
- Share family stories of your favorite memories together, your family’s history, or look through a family photo album together.
- Go for an outing as a family.
- Cook a meal together using your favorite family recipe.
- Do an arts and crafts activity.
- Have a virtual coffee or lunch date.
- Participate in an in-person or virtual family game night.
- Gather in person as a family and share kind words to honor those grandparents, grandfriends, or older caregivers who are no longer here. Afterward, plant a tree or flower seed at a park, family garden, or special location to amplify their remembrance.
Information from grandparentsday.org
- Picture Books
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Abuelita and I Make Flan by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
Anita is making flan for Abuelo’s birthday, but when she accidentally breaks Abuelita’s treasured flan serving plate from Cuba, she struggles with what to do. Anita knows it’s right to tell the truth, but what if Abuelita gets upset?
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Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias
Nervous about visiting her grandmother in Taipei, Taiwan, a young girl soon adjusts to her unfamiliar surroundings and enjoys the adventure.
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Babajoon’s Treasure by Farnaz Esnaashari
While spending time with her Babajoon and Mamanjoon, Miriam begins to notice details about her Babajoon that make her think he could be a pirate, which leads him to share memories with her about his childhood in Iran.
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Beep Beep Bubbie by Bonnie Sherr Klein
Kate is upset when Grandma gets a motorized scooter. Will Bubbie still be Bubbie in that scooter? Kate slowly warms to the scooter after she sees what a good friend it is to Bubbie. And shopping at Granville Island turns out to be so much fun! Her little brother Nate loves the scooter's bells and whistles, and Kate makes new friends on their magical outing.
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Can Sophie Change the World? by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Sophie's grandfather tells her that all he wants for his birthday is for her to perform a mitzvah, a good work, and change the world; Sophie is perplexed because while she enjoys helping people, she does not see how her kindness changes the world--until her grandfather explains it to her.
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Drawn Together by Minh Lê
When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens—with a shared love of art, storytelling, and fantasy, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.
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Goldie’s Guide to Grandchilding by Clint McElroy
Little Goldie is an expert on grandchilding. She knows that grandparents are special creatures who thrive in a structured environment, need plenty of opportunities for imaginative play, love having dance parties, and will never turn down a cuddle. And, as readers will discover, Grandpa knows a thing or two about grandchildren, too.
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Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate
A child who enjoys Grandad's stories of his travels and adventures with Gramps persuades him to fix up their old camper and take another trip, in honor of Gramps.
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Grandma’s Tipi: A Present-day Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson
Clara spends her summer visiting her grandma and cousin on Standing Rock reservation, where Clara and her family set up the ancestral tipi and grow closer together as they tell stories, sing songs, and learn about their Lakota roots.
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I’ll Go and Come Back by Rajani LaRocca
Jyoti is overwhelmed when she visits her grandmother in India for the first time, but she and Sita Pati quickly form a bond. When Pati visits Jyoti in America, it is Jyoti's turn to help her grandmother feel welcome.
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Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers
Becca loves spending time with Grandma. Whether they are beading moccasins, dancing like the most beautiful butterflies, or practicing basketball together; Becca knows that, more than anything, she wants to be just like Grandma.
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Lola’s Nana-Bibi Comes to Visit by Anna McQuinn
When her Nana-Bibi arrives from Tanzania, Lola, barely able to contain her excitement, spends the week shopping, having dance parties and making special moments to last a lifetime.
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My Baba’s Garden by Jordan Scott
A story about the special relationship between a child and his grandmother and the time they spend looking for worms for the garden.
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Nana and Abuela by Monica Rojas
When her grown-ups are away, Nana and Abuela visit for a "date night" with Luna. Together they plan a delicious meal: pizza with olives. But when Luna adds something to the menu, she blends her Spanish and her English. Her request for this special treat confuses her grandmothers.
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Quiet Time with My Seeya by Dinalie Dabarera
Sometimes, the moments that Sona spends with her Sinhalese grandfather, her seeya, are quiet. They speak different languages and don't always use words. But they do communicate in other ways. Any time that Sona and Seeya share is special, whether quiet or loud, because they get to spend it together.
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Sari-Sari Summers by Lynnor Bontigao
Nora loves spending summers with Lola at her sari-sari store, a treasure trove filled with everything you could need, from hair accessories to toys, creamy yema to sour tamarind candy. But when a heat wave strikes and no one comes to the store, Nora worries that she won’t get to spend the rest of the summer with her lola; until she gets a sweet idea.
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Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham
Granny teaches her grandson to cook the family meal in this loving celebration of food, traditions, and gathering together at the table. But just when Granny says they're finished, her grandson makes his own contribution, sweetening this Sunday gathering-and the many more to come.
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Together with You by Patricia Toht
As spring turns to summer, then autumn and winter, a young boy and his grandmother share the many joys of the changing seasons. But no matter the weather, whatever they do, their greatest joy is in simply being together.
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You Be Grandma by Karla Clark
In this clever, rhyming picture book, a grandma tells her granddaughter that she's simply too tired to be Grandma tonight and asks her granddaughter to take over for her.
- Early Reader Books
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Gigi and Ojiji by Melissa Iwai
Gigi can't wait for her Ojiji--Japanese grandpa--to move in. Gigi plans lots of things to do with him, like playing tag, reading books, and teaching Roscoe, the family dog, new tricks. But her plans don't work out quite the way she'd hoped. And her grandpa doesn't seem to like Roscoe. Will Gigi find a way to connect with her Ojiji?
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Grandparents Day! by Candice F. Ransom
A girl spends a very special day with her grandparents, going to the museum and the park, and ending up helping her grandfather paint a new birdhouse.
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How to Bake an Apple Pie by Jean Reagan
When the weather is cool and the apples are fresh, the best things to do is warm up by baking an apple pie! It's grandma's favorite! Join Grandpa to create a delicious surprise to warm Grandma's heart on a chilly autumn day.
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I Love My Grandma! by Frances Gilbert
A girl and her grandmother bike and play games, read and have tea parties, and reminisce about grandma's own grandmother.
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A Trip to Grandma’s by C.L. Reid
Emma and her brother are staying at their grandmother's house for a full week; she has packed her favorite stuffed toy and the charger for her cochlear implant, but she is a little worried about feeling homesick--but with her grandmother keeping her busy, and the help of a new deaf friend named Nick, the week flies by. Includes an ASL fingerspelling chart, glossary, and content-related questions.
- Chapter Books and Teen Reads
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Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu by Maisie Chan
Twelve-year-old Lizzie Chu has lived with her Wai Gong (grandfather) in Glasgow since her parents died when she was a baby. But Wai Gong has been acting different lately. He spends a lot of time talking to his Guan Yin statue--the Chinese goddess of compassion, kindness, and mercy--at his altar and seems to be becoming more forgetful. Even the shared passion he and Lizzie have for their favorite show, Strictly Come Dancing, seems to be tailing off. When Lizzie's friend Chi visits one day dressed as Princess Leia for Comic Con, Wai Gong mistakes her for Guan Yin, and is naturally delighted, and Lizzie seizes the opportunity to use Chi as Guan Yin to help her with her grandad. And then Lizzie gets an idea: she and Chi can take Wai Gong to Blackpool to the Tower Ballroom, where he'd always dreamed of going. If only she can get her grandad there, she thinks, he'll find some peace, and perhaps things will be OK at home again.
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Never Forget Eleanor by Jason June
Elijah loves spending time with his grandma Eleanor. She knows all the best words to answer tricky crossword puzzles and to tell the most beautiful stories to her family and friends. Everyone calls her 'Never Forget Eleanor' because she remembers every word she reads and person she meets. Lately though, Elijah has started to notice Grandma Eleanor forgetting little things. So when Grandma Eleanor doesn't show up for her Saturday story session, Elijah will need to find a way to use her favorite words and become the storyteller himself to bring her home.
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Pea, Bee, & Jay: Gotta Find Gramps by Brian “Smitty” Smith
When Pea, Bee, & Jay hear stories of Gramp's youth, they find each yarn to be wilder than the last. He once had a pet dog, was a professional wrestling champ, and even led a jailbreak out of a can of peas...But when Gramps goes missing, it's up to the trio to bring him home.
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Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li
Thanks to her Ye-Ye's epic scavenger hunts, thirteen-year-old Ruby Chu knows San Francisco like the back of her hand. But after his death, she feels lost, and it seems like everyone--from her best friends to her older sister--is abandoning her. After Ruby gets in major trouble at school, her parents decide she has to spend the summer at a local senior center, with her grandmother, Nai-Nai, and Nai-Nai's friends for company. When a new boy from Ruby's grade, Liam Yeung, starts showing up too, Ruby's humiliation is complete. But Nai-Nai, her friends, and Liam all surprise Ruby. She finds herself working with Liam, who might not be as annoying as he seems, to help save a historic Chinatown bakery that's being priced out of the neighborhood. And alongside Nai-Nai, who is keeping a secret that threatens to change everything, Ruby retraces Ye-Ye's scavenger hunt maps in an attempt to find a way out of her grief--and maybe even find herself.
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She Holds Up the Stars by Sandra Laronde
A young Indigenous girl searching for a sense of home finds strength and courage in her gifts, her deepening connection to the land, and her own cultural awakening in this moving coming-of-age story. The last thing that twelve-year-old Misko wants to do is to move away from the city to spend time on the rez with her grandmother. She feels strangely compelled to go to the place where her dreams have been tugging at her to come home. Maybe she can finally find out what happened to her mother, who mysteriously disappeared when she was four years old. Misko discovers her unique ability to connect to a spirited horse named Mishtadim who is being violently broken in by the rancher next door and his son, Thomas. Although Misko and Thomas challenge one another, their friendship is forged through the taming of the wild horse. In the process, she realizes the true meaning of belonging and that you can never truly leave home.
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Where the Lost Ones Go by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Eliot Katayama is grieving Babung, her paternal grandmother who just passed away, and she feels like she’s the only one. She’s less than excited to move to her new house, which smells like lemons and deception, and is searching for a sign, any sign, that ghosts are real. Because if ghosts are real, it means she can find a way back to Babung. When Eliot chases the promise of paranormal activity to the presumably haunted Honeyfield Hall, she finds her proof of spirits. But these ghosts are losing their memory, stuck between this world and the next, waiting to cross over. With the help of Hazel, the granddaughter of Honeyfield's owner (and Eliot’s new crush), she attempts to uncover the mystery behind Honeyfield Hall and the ghosts residing within. And as Eliot fits the pieces together, she may just be able to help the spirits remember their pasts, and hold on to her grandmother’s memory.
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Zara’s Rules for Living Your Best Life by Hena Khan
It’s spring break and Zara and Naomi have big plans…until Zara finds out that Naomi’s parents are sending her to camp and Zara and Zayd are going to spend the week with their grandparents. Zara’s pretty sure it’s a rule that spring break is supposed to be full of fun and adventure—not doing chores for Naano and watching Nana Abu doze on the couch! But ever since Nana Abu retired, it seems all he wants to do is eat and sleep, and Zara’s worried their grandfather has lost his mojo.
Teens:
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Viva Lola Espinoza by Ella Cerón
Book smart teen Lola's summer plans are derailed when she is sent to live with her grandmother in Mexico City and learns a family secret that changes her life forever.
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We are Not Broken by George M. Johnson
This is a memoir of George's boyhood in New Jersey, growing up with their brother and two cousins, all under the supervision of their larger-than-life grandmother.
- Adult Fiction
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Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer
A grandmother-granddaughter duo are eager to spend their summer together on peaceful Nantucket, but the season that unfolds brings about unforgettable surprises in New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer's magical, multigenerational novel. Eleanor Sunderland loves living on the Nantucket cliffside, in a charming home that has been in her family for decades. Now widowed, she looks forward to the arrival of her children and grandchildren for an annual family reunion, eager for the life and laughter that will soon fill the air. But Eleanor's island idyll is shattered when her money-driven children suggest she sell the house and move to a retirement community. She finds a lone ally in her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, Ari, who moves in with her for the summer. Ari longs for a change of scenery, to stray from the path her parents have set for her. What she does not expect is an electric romantic spark with a Nantucket local, Cal, whose kind heart and charisma have her absolutely smitten. With plenty of her signature Nantucket magic, Nancy Thayer brings both Eleanor and Ari on a summer beyond their wildest imaginations, filled with exciting connections, old and new.
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My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy--as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.
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The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe
Three granddaughters. Three months. One summer house. In this trilogy set on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, the author captures the complex relationships between three half sisters scattered across the country, and a grandmother determined to help them rediscover their family bonds. Set amid ancient live oaks and palmettos, overlooking the water, historic Sea Breeze is Marietta Muir's ancestral summer home. Her granddaughters once adored vacations there, but it has been years since they have visited. Mamaw fears once she is gone, the family bonds will fray. The Muir family is one of Charleston's oldest and the blood of their pirate captain ancestor runs strong, so Marietta drops a subtle promise of loot, pearl necklaces, priceless antique furniture, even the house, to lure her "summer girls" back to the lowcountry. For years, Carson Muir has drifted, never really settling, certain only that a life without the ocean is a life half lived. Adrift and penniless in California, Carson is the first to return to Sea Breeze, wondering where things went wrong, until the sea she loves brings her a minor miracle. Her astonishing bond with a dolphin helps Carson renew her relationships with her sisters and face the haunting memories of her ill-fated father. As the rhythms of the island open her heart, Carson begins to imagine the next steps toward her future. In this novel, three sisters discover the true treasures Sea Breeze offers as surprising truths are revealed, mistakes forgiven, and precious connections made that will endure long beyond one summer.
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The Switch by Beth O’Leary
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some long-overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn 80. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen. So they decide to try a two-month swap. Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile, Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects. But stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves...and maybe even find true love?
- Adult Nonfiction - Cookbooks and Memoirs
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Grand: A Grandparent’s Wisdom for a Happy Life by Charles Johnson
In Grand, Johnson shares stories from his life with his six-year-old grandson, Emery, weaving in advice and life lessons that stand the test of time. “Looking at the problems I see in the world around me,” Johnson writes, “I realize that there are so many things I want to say to him about the goodness and beauty that life offers. What are the perennial truths that I can impart to Emery that might make his journey through life easier or more rewarding?” Johnson shares these truths and more, offering profound meditations on family, race, freedom and creativity.
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Grand Dishes: Recipes and Stories from Grandmothers of the World by Anastasia Miari
Inspired by their own grandmothers -- and the love they shared through the food they served -- Anastasia Miari and Iska Lupton embarked on a mission: from Corfu to Cuba, Moscow to New Orleans, and many more in between, they set out to capture cooking methods, regional recipes and timeless wisdom from grandmothers around the world.
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A Grandfather’s Lessons: In the Kitchen with Shorey by Jacques Pépin
Jacques Pépin is one of the nation’s most famous cooking teachers, renowned for his knife skills. Ever since she was very young, his granddaughter, Shorey, has loved “helping” him in the kitchen. Now that she is twelve, Jacques gives his charismatic pupil a short course on preparing “food that is plain, but elegant, and more than anything, fun.” In the process, he proves himself as inspiring to her as he is to the country’s greatest chefs. Curly hot dogs, spinach with croutons, sushi salmon cakes, skillet bread and homemade butter, raspberry cake: These recipes will become irresistible new classics for kids. Along the way, Jacques imparts lessons in kitchen etiquette, from how to set a table to how to fold a napkin properly—even how to load a dishwasher. And perhaps the most important lesson of all: that the best meals are the ones shared at home with family.
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In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean by Hawa Hassan
In this incredible volume, Somali chef Hawa Hassan and food writer Julia Turshen present 75 recipes and stories gathered from bibis (or grandmothers) from eight African nations: South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea. Most notably, these eight countries are at the backbone of the spice trade, many of them exporters of things like pepper and vanilla. We meet women such as Ma Shara, who helps tourists “see the real Zanzibar” by teaching them how to make her famous Ajemi Bread with Carrots and Green Pepper; Ma Vicky, who now lives in suburban New York and makes Matoke (Stewed Plantains with Beans and Beef) to bring the flavor of Tanzania to her American home; and Ma Gehennet from Eritrea who shares her recipes for Kicha (Eritrean Flatbread) and Shiro (Ground Chickpea Stew). Through Hawa’s writing—and her own personal story—the women, and the stories behind the recipes, come to life. With evocative photography shot on location by Khadija Farah, and food photography by Jennifer May, In Bibi's Kitchen uses food to teach us all about families, war, loss, migration, refuge, and sanctuary.
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Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century by Lorene Cary
From cherished memories of weekends she spent as a child with her indulgent Nana to the reality of the year she spent “ladysitting” her now frail grandmother, Lorene Cary journeys through stories of their time together and five generations of their African American family. Brilliantly weaving a narrative of her complicated yet transformative relationship with Nana―a fierce, stubborn, and independent woman, who managed a business until she was 100―Cary looks at Nana’s impulse to control people and fate, from the early death of her mother and oppression in the Jim Crow South to living on her own in her New Jersey home.
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Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen
Before blogs even existed, Anna Quindlen became a go-to writer on the joys and challenges of family, motherhood, and modern life, in her nationally syndicated column. Now she’s taking the next step and going full nana in the pages of this lively, beautiful, and moving book about being a grandmother. Quindlen offers thoughtful and telling observations about her new role, no longer mother and decision-maker but secondary character and support to the parents of her grandson. She writes, “Where I once led, I have to learn to follow.” Eventually a close friend provides words to live by: “Did they ask you?” Candid, funny, frank, and illuminating, Quindlen’s singular voice has never been sharper or warmer. With the same insights she brought to motherhood in Living Out Loud and to growing older in Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, this new nana uses her own experiences to illuminate those of many others.
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Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A True (As Told to Me) Story by Bess Kalb
Even after she left home for Hollywood, Emmy-nominated TV writer Bess Kalb saved every voicemail her grandmother Bobby Bell ever left her. Bobby was a force—irrepressible, glamorous, unapologetically opinionated. Bobby doted on Bess; Bess adored Bobby. Then, at ninety, Bobby died. But in this debut memoir, Bobby is speaking to Bess once more, in a voice as passionate as it ever was in life. Recounting both family lore and family secrets, Bobby brings us four generations of indomitable women and the men who loved them. There’s Bobby’s mother, who traveled solo from Belarus to America in the 1880s to escape the pogroms, and Bess’s mother, a 1970s rebel who always fought against convention. But it was Bobby and Bess who always had the most powerful bond: Bobby her granddaughter’s fiercest supporter, giving Bess unequivocal love, even if sometimes of the toughest kind. Nobody Will Tell You This But Me marks the creation of a totally new, virtuosic form of memoir: a reconstruction of a beloved grandmother’s words and wisdom to tell her family’s story with equal parts poignancy and hilarity.
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Pasta Grannies: The Secrets of Italy’s Best Home Cooks by Vicky Bennison
Inspired by the hugely popular YouTube channel of the same name, Pasta Grannies is a wonderful collection of time-perfected Italian recipes from the people who have spent a lifetime cooking for love, not a living: Italian grandmothers. Featuring easy and accessible recipes from all over Italy, you will be transported into the very heart of the Italian home to learn how to make great-tasting Italian food. Pasta styles range from pici - a type of hand-rolled spaghetti that is simple to make - to lumachelle della duchessa - tiny, ridged, cinnamon-scented tubes that take patience and dexterity. More than just a compendium of dishes, Pasta Grannies tells the extraordinary stories of these ordinary women and shows you that with the right know how, truly authentic Italian cooking is simple, beautiful and entirely achievable.
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Quilt of Souls: A Memoir by Phyllis Biffle Elmore
At age four Elmore was plucked off her front porch in Detroit and dropped on her grandmother Lula Horn's doorstep in rural Alabama. She felt utterly abandoned until Grandma Lula showed her both all-encompassing love and her intricate "Quilts of Souls". Listening intently as Lula told epic stories of folks who had passed on, the quilts allowed Elmore to paint word-portraits of extraordinary Black women born before and after the Civil War. They are enslaved people, laundresses, storytellers, healers, and quilters whose stories have gone untold until now. Weaving back and forth through time, Elmore pieces together true tales of racism, sexism, and colorism, but also strength and pride.
Descriptions provided by the publisher