Uncles: Books For Kids
Children’s literature has many notable options when it comes to uncles. To help you find the right books for you and your young reader, we’ve compiled a list of the best kids books about uncles.
Our list includes picture books and chapter books. Picture books are generally great options for toddlers and for preschool and kindergarten age children. Picture books are especially enjoyable for adults to read aloud with young kids. The chapter books on our list are generally best for elementary through early middle school age tween kids. You can filter to sort by the best book type for your kid.
When it comes to children’s stories about uncles, there are a variety of titles. This list covers everything, from classics like The Spirit of Tio Fernando: A Day of the Dead Story to popular sellers like Chasing Redbird to some of our favorite hidden gems like The Big Ideas of Buster Bickles.
We hope this list of kids books about uncles can be a helpful resource for parents, teachers, and others searching for a new book!
Buster Bickles’s big ideas are always getting him into trouble. But when Buster gets to test the newly invented What-if Machine, anything Buster imagines becomes reality. Packed with rivers of chocolate, robot dinosaurs, and eggs-ray vision, the world becomes Buster’s creation in this fantastically creative picture book by debut author-illustrator Dave Wasson.
A family celebrates Día de Muertos, a holiday for remembering those who have passed. When the monarch butterflies return to her Mexican countryside, Lupita knows that Día de Muertos, “the Day of the Dead,” is near. She and her favorite uncle watch the butterflies flutter in the trees. When a butterfly lands on Lupita’s hand, her uncle reminds her that she should never hurt a monarch because they are believed to be the souls of the departed. Lupita and her family get ready for the holiday. When the first of November arrives, the family will go to the cemetery to honor the memories of their loved ones. But this year is different—Lupita’s uncle cannot join them. Now, Lupita learns the true meaning of the celebration.
They Don’t Make Books About Uncles is an adorable story for nieces and nephews written by a real life Uncle. “They don’t make books about Uncles. It’s not very clear why. And that’s weird, because Uncles are interesting guys. They’re awesome and handsome and funny, it’s true. Anything you can imagine, Uncles can do . . . “ This is the story of an Uncle who takes his niece and nephew on a journey inside their favorite storybooks. They soon learn that anything they can imagine, their Uncle will do for them. And still . . . “They Don’t Make Books About Uncles”
New York Times-bestselling author Jocko Willink delivers a second powerful and empowering Way of the Warrior Kid book about finding your inner strength and being the best you can be, even in the face of adversity in Marc’s Mission.
Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their reserve in Nova Scotia. When she sees his sadness, he shares with her the history of those tracks. Uncle tells her that, during his childhood, the train would bring their community supplies, but there came a day when the train took away with it something much more important. One day he and the other children from the reserve were taken aboard and transported to a residential school, where their lives were changed forever. Ashley promises to wait with her uncle as he sits by the tracks, waiting for what was taken from their people to come back to them.
Americas White Table - The White Table is set in many mess halls as a symbol for and remembrance to service members fallen, missing, or held captive in the line of duty. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit. As a special gift to her Uncle John, Katie and her sisters are asked to help set the white table for dinner. As their mother explains the significance of each item placed on the table Katie comes to understand and appreciate the depth of sacrifice that her uncle, and each member of the Armed Forces and their families, may be called to give. It was just a little white table… but it felt as big as America when we helped Mama put each item on it and she told us why it was so important. “We use a Small Table, girls,” she explained first, “to show one soldier’s lonely battle against many. We cover it with a White Cloth to honor a soldier’s pure heart when he answers his country’s call to duty.” “We place a Lemon Slice and Grains of Salt on a plate to show a captive soldier’s bitter fate and the tears of families waiting for loved ones to return,” she continued.”We push an Empty Chair to the table for the missing soldiers who are not here…”
Uncle Jed's Barbershop - Sarah Jean's Uncle Jed was the only black barber in the county. He had a kind heart and a warm smile. And he had a dream.
Magnolia Mudd and the Super Jumptastic Launcher Deluxe - Magnolia Mudd’s Uncle Jamie is the very BEST grown-up. He always invents cool things with her . . . until the day he and Miss Emily announce their engagement. That’s bad enough–but even worse, Miss Emily wants Magnolia to be a FLOWER GIRL! No way is Magnolia tossing petals. But maybe Uncle Jamie’s new bride-to-be is more fun that Magnolia imagined . . .
Bread Pet: A Sourdough Story - Cora promises to keep Uncle JB’s Bread Pet alive but didn’t anticipate its exponential growth! She needs to come up with a solution – and fast! This whimsical STEM story of family, creativity and community will inspire young makers to experiment and share their gifts with others. Includes sourdough starter and sourdough bread recipes.
In The Highland Falcon Thief: Adventures on Trains #1, a middle-grade series starter from MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman, a young boy is swept up in an investigation to uncover the perpetrator of a jewel theft.
When eleven-year-old Harrison Hal Beck is forced to accompany his travel-writer uncle on the last journey of a royal train, he expects a boring trip spent away from video games and children his age. But then Hal spots a girl who should not be on board, and he quickly makes friends with the stowaway, Lenny. Things get even more interesting when the royal prince and princess board for the last leg of the journey--because the princess's diamond necklace is soon stolen and replaced with a fake! Suspicion falls on the one person who isn't supposed to be there: Lenny. It's up to Hal, his keen observation, and his skill as a budding sketch artist to uncover the real jewel thief, clear his friend's name, and return the diamond necklace before The Highland Falcon makes its last stop.
Do you know what lucha libre is? Have you ever been to a lucha libre match and seen los technicos and los rudos--the good guys and the bad guys--dressed up in their wild costumes and crazy masks? How would you feel if the most famous luchador of all time actually stopped and smiled at you? Find out what happens to Carlitos when The Man in the Silver Mask--a man he's never seen before in his whole life--turns and does that very thing to him.
When Jean-Remy receives a singing telegram from his long-lost sister, Eloise Yvette, the Creature Department is once again thrown into an invention frenzy. Rumor has it that the Ghorks have taken Heppleworth’s Food Factory hostage. And worse, they are threatening to make tasty treats of the creatures inside.”
- “Belongs alongside Holly Goldberg Sloan’s <i>Counting by 7s</i>, Cindy Baldwin’s <i>Where the Watermelons Grow</i>, and Ali Benjamin’s <i>The Thing about Jellyfish</i>. <b>Highly recommended</b>.”–<i>School Library Journal</i>, <b>starred review</b> <p/><b>An emotional and uplifting debut about a girl named Jack and her gender creative little brother, Birdie, searching for the place where they can be their true and best selves. </b> <p/>After their mama dies, Jack and Birdie find themselves without a place to call home. And when Mama’s two brothers each try to provide one–first sweet Uncle Carl, then gruff Uncle Patrick–the results are funny, tender, and tragic. <p/>They’re also somehow . . . spectacular. <p/>With voices and characters that soar off the page, J. M. M. Nuanez’s debut novel depicts an unlikely family caught in a situation none of them would have chosen, and the beautiful ways in which they finally come to understand one another. Perfect for fans of <i>The Thing about Jellyfish</i> and <i>Counting By Sevens</i>. <p/>”A luminous debut.”–Ashley Herring Blake, author of <i>Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World</i>, Stonewall Honor book
Chasing Redbird - Zinnia Taylor has looked at those words, embroidered on a sampler hanging in her aunt Jessie’s kitchen, for as long as she can remember. In her 13 years Zinny has rummaged through the spaghetti of her life, hoping for a meatball, but often finding lumps of mud instead.<P>Zinny lives in Bybanks, Kentuckey, with too many brothers and sisters – a mess of “tadpoles” and “pumpkins” is what her uncle Nate calls them. When Zinny discovers a mysterious, overgrown trail that begins on her family’s farm, she’s determined to clear it, from start to finish. She’s finally found a place of her own, a place where she can go, away from her family, to hear herself think. But what Zinny didn’t realize is that the mysteries of the trail are intertwined with her own spaghetti of unanswered questions and family secrets, and that the trail – and her passion to uncover – is leading her on a journey home.<P>Newberry Medal winnner Sharon Creech’s new novel is a powerful, beautifully crafted story about a young girl discovering that life is a tangle of mysteries, surprises and everyday occurences – a journey that often needs unravelling and that sometimes must be traveled alone.
Ants 'n' Uncles - Ants ‘n’ uncles, uncles ‘n’ ants, dancin’ ‘cross the world with ants in his pants. Goin’ everywhere he’s never been before, on his ant-imated world tour. What happens when Uncle steps on an ant hill? The ants in his pants make him dance, of course, and his dancing skills become famous around the world. From award-winning author and silhouette artist Clay Rice comesthe rhyming tale of an accidental hero. Filled with scenes from countries and cultures around the globe, this lively, silly story is sure to delight children and parents.
Zacktastic - On his tenth birthday, Zack learns from his uncle that he is descended from a long line of genies and before he has a chance to process this information, he is whisked through a bottle portal and sent on his first assignment.
SEWING! NO ONE could hate it more than Dina Kirk. <p/>Endless tiny stitches, button holes, darts. Since she was tiny, she’s worked in her family’s dressmaking business, where the sewing machine is a cranky member of the family. <p/>When 13-year-old Dina leaves her small town in Germany to join her uncle’s family in Brooklyn, she turns her back on sewing. Never again! But looking for a job leads her right back to the sewing machine. Why did she ever leave home? Here she is, still with a needle and thread–and homesick to boot. <p/>She didn’t know she could be this homesick, but she didn’t know she could be so brave either, as she is standing up to an epidemic or a fire. She didn’t know she could grow so close to her new family or to Johann, the young man from the tailor’s shop. And she didn’t know that sewing would reveal her own wonderful talent–and her future. <p/>In Dina, the beloved writer <b>Patricia Reilly Giff</b> has created one of her most engaging and vital heroines. Readers will enjoy seeing 1870s Brooklyn through Dina’s eyes, and share her excitement as she discovers a new world.
FANS OF MAURICE SENDAK’S CALDECOTT MEDAL-WINNING WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE WILL LOVE _THE BIG GREEN BOOK_—NOW BACK IN PRINT!
A little boy named Jack discovers a big green book of magic in the attic and learns all sorts of spells—spells to change the look of things, spells to make him old and gray or disappear entirely! Jack makes the most of his new magic powers, and his poor old aunt and uncle are quite bewildered.
This enchanting tale by noted British author Robert Graves is masterfully illustrated by Maurice Sendak, seven-time Caldecott Honor recipient, National Book Award winner, and the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of Where the Wild Things Are.
Every day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library on the street corner. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something.
Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans - Get ready for round-the-world adventure with Sam Spinner and her brother Nipper in the first book in a new hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of
James to the Rescue - “Marvin the beetle is going collecting with his family. All is good and well until Uncle Albert gets hurt. Marvin needs his human friend James’s help to save Uncle Albert before it’s too late”–
The Spirit of Tio Fernando: A Day of the Dead Story - It’s the Day of the Dead and Nando and his mother are going to honor Tío Fernando. Nando, named for Uncle Fernando, listens as his mother tells him that later, at the cemetery, they will meet with Tío Fernando’s spirit. Es el Día de los Muertos y Nando y su Madre van a honrar a Tío Fernando. Nando, nombrado en honor de Tío Fernando, escucha a su Madre decirle que mas adelante en el cementerio se van a encontrarse con el espirito de Tío Fernando.
Henry & Eva and the Castle on the Cliff - Prominent Environmentalist and Oceanographer Die in Boating Accident This is the headline that changes Henry and Eva’s lives. Their parents, environmentalist William Billings and his oceanographer wife Margo, disappear mysteriously at sea. But for Henry and Eva, things are about to go from bad to worse. Their jerk-face uncle (nicknamed Claude the Clod) and his awful girlfriend (Terri the Terrible) have moved into their big house on the cliff to “take care of them,” but Eva has her doubts about their intentions. And when some spooky visitors appear with a message, they realize that their parents’ deaths might not have been as cut and dry as everyone thinks. It’s up to Henry and Eva to discover the truth—but can they do it before the Clod catches them? Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket, readers of this arch, spooky, timeless tale will find themselves enraptured with this fresh new middle grade series.
Moving in with his resentful Vietnam War veteran uncle, young Theo devotes his time to playing the piano and helping a new friend, baseball fanatic Anabel, investigate a local mystery about famous ballplayer residents. Simultaneous eBook.
When an eight-year-old boy helps his uncle at his job as a plasterer, he takes a fancy to his workman’s apron with a pocket. As a result of his fascination, his aunt makes him an apron of his own and he spends a few days as his Uncle Adam’s assistant. The text is brief and simple but clearly conveys the warmth between the man and his nephew and the child’s satisfaction in a job well done. The line/tissue paper illustrations are colorful and somewhat geometric, reminiscent of French Cubist Leger’s work featuring laborers. An added bonus is the child-size apron that comes with the book, but the story will be enjoyed with or without the tangible item.
- SLJ
A little boy takes a fantasy trip up the river by his house to fly-fish with his uncle.
When her dog becomes lovesick for the moon, a young Cuban girl and her uncle call the moon down to give the dog a kiss, with surprising results.
Norma and her parents are going to her great-uncle Frank’s funeral, and Norma is more excited than sad. She is looking forward to playing with her favorite cousin, Ray, but when she arrives at the church, she is confronted with rituals and ideas that have never occurred to her before. While not all questions can be answered, when the day is over Norma is certain of one thing ― Uncle Frank would have enjoyed his funeral.
This sensitive and life-affirming story will lead young readers to ask their own questions about life, death and how we remember those who have gone before us.
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