Creating while Caregiving: Picture books that Help Caregivers Feel Seen

Have these characters, or any others, given you hope during a difficult caregiving moment?

Hello, hola, and howdy!

Welcome to Creating while Caregiving, a series I am excited to be guest blogging about for the month of August. As an artist, writer, mother of four, active community member and raging empath, I care deeply about this topic. Before we jump in to the first post, a little about myself.

I inked my first book deal, a non-fiction travel guide to Paraguay, midway into my first pregnancy. Ever since, my writing journey has been inextricably linked with caregiving. There have been pregnancies on deadline, feedings made tolerable by group texts about comp titles, and countless trips to libraries and bookstores. There have been manuscripts that doubled as bedtime stories and manuscripts that doubled as therapy after the death of a parent. 

All along, the tension between the duty to care for others and the desire to create for myself has been constant.

Sometimes, I have managed the push and pull well, other times, not so much. Achieving that ephemeral balance involves sacrifices on everyone’s part. In the face of increased pressure to produce on demand, it is essential that we recognize the real cost of creativity and not treat ourselves like robots. As we are all becoming increasingly aware, even the robots need massive amounts of energy to create.

I hope to make this series useful to anyone who is trying to create while feeling the crunch of everyday responsibilities. Over the course of August, I invite you to explore the actual “how” of creating while caregiving. Please feel free to share your comments, suggestions and recommendations! 

 

Picture Books for Caregivers to feel Seen:

While many picture books focus on the magic of childhood, I gravitated towards the ones that acknowledged the drudgery of dishes and diapers. These are the books that made me feel seen on the days when there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Most focus on childcare, since they are picture books, but fellow inductees of the sandwich generation will see their eldercare struggles reflected with a little squinting (just take off your readers).

Leave Me Alone! By Vera Brosgol (Caldecott Honor Book) 

What is your version of a silent, matte black wormhole?

An overloaded grandmother goes to increasingly wacky lengths to escape the chaos of her family. The depths of the forest, the tippy top of the mountain and even the dark side of the moon turn out to have distractions of their own and eventually she ends up stepping into a wormhole in order to find peace and quiet. As we go through the next few weeks of Creating while Caregiving together, it is worth considering: what is your wormhole? 

Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat

 The inherent intergenerational awkwardness of a grandparent as an afterschool caretaker is compounded by cultural differences manifest in everything from what to eat, watch and what language to speak. I love that this book recognizes how hard it can be for everyone in a caretaking situation to find their own form of self expression and common ground, from the child, to the grandparent, to the mother, whose joy and relief at the end of the book is palpable. 

 

Anyone who has left a play date or a senior center and thought “yes, this is going to work!” can relate to the mother´s joy.

No More Señora Mimi by Meg Medina and Brittany Cicchese

In-home childcare is a delicate balance for all involved; is there any business relationship that requires more trust? Ideally, the bond between child and nanny is a strong and loving one, the only downside of which is the heartbreak that occurs when childcare needs change. This book showcases a loving transition between caretakers. from a beloved neighbor to an equally beloved grandmother. 

 

It is rare to see any piece of pop culture acknowledge the existence of paid caregivers at all (think of all the nannies cropped out of celebrity family photos). In addition to showing one of society’s hidden caregivers with respect, I also appreciate how this book reaffirms that a mutual dependence within our “village” is a good thing and an important part of the fabric of a society. 

 

The Worst Teddy Ever by Marcelo Verdad

 

Noa wishes his beloved stuffed teddy bear had energy to play like his friends’ stuffies! Readers soon discover the reason Teddy is always tired: unbeknownst to his human friend, this stuffy works the night shift, shooing away would-be visitors, in order to ensure Noa gets a good night’s sleep. 

 

One day you're young and the next, you're tired like Teddy. 

We have all been Teddy at some point. 

The Wild Washer Women by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake

A group of overworked and underpaid washerwomen hit their breaking point and rage against the machine/their boss. My own aunts and mother hand-washed clothing in the creek well into their teenage years, so this book also served as an exercise in perspective during hard moments. At the very least, my pile of laundry can be washed by a machine! 

 

Towards the end of their rampage, the washer women meet up with a group of woodsmen and the somewhat predictable ending is offset by gendered role reversals that model equitable sharing of labor. 

Are there books that make you feel seen as a caregiver? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!Until next week,  

bye, adios, chau-chowdy!

Próximamente este artículo estará disponible en español en La Cometa. 

Romy Natalia Goldberg is a Paraguayan-American author with a love for stories about culture and communication. Her debut picture book, THE GOODNIGHT SHIFT, is an ode to the people, especially caregivers, who help keep our communities running at night. Illustrated by Isabel Roxas, it will be published by Scholastic/Orchard Press in April, 2027 with a forthcoming Spanish translation. To learn more and shout out night shift heroes in your life, visit www.romynatalia.com/the-good-night-shift