Books that Love Books

A list for bibliophiles and their kids.

I assume you love books.

Therefore, you may be as excited as I am at finding a good book that celebrates good books—which is what our list today focuses on.

Photo by Iñaki del Olmo on Unsplash.

Last week my husband read aloud at the dinner table part of an article I was writing on the decline of reading and some model legislation aimed at getting whole books back in schools. My kids thought surely he was joking. There are people who don’t read books? Really?

They were stunned because in our house, books are everywhere and we read them constantly. Probably your house is the same.

But one of the things I appreciate about the books on today’s list is that they remind us how miraculous books are. We take them for granted, but really, it’s amazing that we have books. It’s amazing that someone had the time (made the time) to think and to write, and perhaps an illustrator added pictures, and someone printed the book, and a bookstore made it available, and all of this is now done inexpensively enough that we have thousands of books and a perpetual problem of not enough bookshelves.

Today’s list features five picture books that love books (plus one bonus chapter book). We explore how they’re made, why they’re made, how to read them, why they’re a delight. I’m also on the hunt for a couple more specific books in this vein. Read to the end for my request, and please let me know if you have some to recommend.

Books that love books

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The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

Young Mary Ellen doesn’t want to read a book. Too much work. “Just the right time to find a bee tree!” exclaims Grampa. (Yes, his name is spelled this way.)

The two chase after bees, and on each page colorful, interesting neighbors join the pursuit. The whole countryside, it seems, turns out for a party to celebrate the newfound honey, but Grampa pulls Mary Ellen aside to spoon some honey on to a book. “Taste. It’s sweet.” That’s what reading brings you – sweet rewards, but you have to chase them through the pages of a book.

Several other books by Polacco, especially Thank You, Mr. Falker, tell of Polacco’s dyslexia and the resulting bullying she faced. Her life is changed by one good teacher who sees potential, works persistently with her after school, and eventually enables her to open up the gift of reading. Polacco knows well the hard work of chasing the honey.

Across a Dark and Wild Sea, by Don Brown

Stark and rugged, this one reminds anew of how incredible it is to own a book. In the 500s, books are rare and expensive. Columcille’s intense desire for his own hand-copied book ends up sparking—get this—a war. He wins the battle, but guilt drives him across the sea to start monasteries and scriptoriums. This true story gives a glimpse of life in the Dark Ages and a sense of awe at the grandeur of books.

The Man Who Loved Books, by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

Another retelling of the story of Columcille (this time rendering his name “Columba”). I know, two books on the same story, but they’re both so good. This one is just a little longer. It’s out of print but inexpensive used.

Jean Fritz is, in my view, far and away the best author of biographies for children, though her reputation is sullied by a few that are deeply pessimistic about the Christian faith. (Watch in future months for an author profile on her.) This book by her is excellent, though, and beautifully set off by Trina Schart Hyman’s illuminations.

Marguerite Makes a Book, by Bruce Robertson, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt

Another tribute to books, Marguerite Makes a Book follows a young girl who literally makes a book—the only way to get one until Johann Gutenberg’s printing press. (A companion book, Thérèse Makes a Tapestry, takes us on a similar journey through the process of weaving.)

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane, by C.M. Millen, illustrated by Andrea Wisnewski

This fictional tale imagines the first monk who came up with the idea of colorful illuminations. Theophane concocts a variety of inks that enable the vivid, arresting art of medieval books.

After reading this book, my kids attempted to make ink out of all the backyard plants.

Bonus: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham

Jean Lee Latham won the 1956 Newbery Medal for this chapter book telling the true story of early American mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch. A man bereft of opportunity, Bowditch nonetheless manages to “sail by ash breeze”—that is, to row his own boat by hard work when no external wind fills his sails.

Though he lacks the chance to attend school, Bowditch fills every spare moment with a book, teaching himself not only mathematics but also numerous languages. (These he learns by means of just a bilingual dictionary and a copy of the Bible in the desired language.)

Bowditch becomes an honored American hero and the author of the so-called “Sailor’s Bible,” The New American Practical Navigator, which to this day is carried aboard every commissioned U.S. Naval vessel.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is my all-time favorite children’s book. I won’t claim that it’s the best children’s book ever written or the single most deserving read. But it’s the one I love most deeply and gravitate toward over and over.

Can you help?

And now, a request. I am looking for good children’s books about Johann Gutenberg and the printing press, about the process of writing a book, and about the translation of the Bible. So far what I’ve found are decent, check-the-box types of books but nothing that is truly a living book.

There must be something great out there. If you have a recommendation, will you please share in the comments below?

Edit June 2026: Melisa Capistrant suggested Ink on His Fingers for a book on Gutenberg. I’ve now read it with my children, and I second Melisa’s recommendation! It’s the best chapter book I’ve seen on Gutenberg.

I do think Ink on His Fingers was meant to be read independently, not read aloud, as it includes a lot of dialogue set off merely by punctuation and spacing visible to the eye but harder to hear. That said, I did read the book aloud to my children, and they both loved it and kept asking for one more chapter. Thank you, Melisa, for this recommendation!