5 Picture Books to Prep You for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

Take Your Mama to Work Day, by Amy Reichert and Alexandra Boiger
This charming story covers what kids should expect when they take their parents to work, a task young Violet is occasionally entrusted with on snow days, half days, and “Babysitter’s sick today[s].” Violet advises fellow kid workers on where in the office to find the lady with the drawer full of candy, how to help your mom’s boss prepare for his presentation (a.k.a. “show-and-tell”), and how to answer your mom’s phone without hanging up on people. By the time they see Violet score donuts at snack time (a.k.a. “coffee break”) ask a job interviewee if they have any pets, and press 111 on the copy machine when she wants three copies of her face, your kids will be eager to visit your playground…ahem, office.

Curious George Takes a Job, by H.A. Rey
This classic story is the ultimate cautionary tale of what could happen when a kid—ahem, a monkey—takes a shot at performing an adult’s job. Curious about what goes on outside the zoo, George picks the zookeepers pocket and takes the key to his cage. Newly free and loose in the city, George tries out a number of jobs. At a restaurant, he ends up entwined in reams of spaghetti, but pays for his supper by washing dishes—with all four limbs. The cook suggests he try his hand as a window washer next, and he does, with disastrous consequences. The results of Curious George’s day at work are not all bad, though—he ends up with a raft of new friends, and newfound fame after his exploits are featured in the newspaper.

Love As Strong As Ginger, by Lenore Look and Stephen T. Johnson
This touching story was inspired by Lenore Look’s grandmother, who worked in a Seattle cannery in the 1960s and 70s. Katie’s grandma GninGnin speaks Taishanese, a Chinese dialect, and as an immigrant with no English, the only job she can find is cracking crabs at the cannery. One day Katie goes with GninGnin to the cannery, and learns how hard she works to crack the tough shells all day. Grandma’s spirits never flag, though, as she enjoys the camaraderie of her fellow immigrant women, and when the boss gives Katie a present of a crab to bring home, she cooks a delicious dinner.

Katy Duck Goes to Work, by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Henry Cole
In this easy reader, Katy Duck is excited to go to work with her dad. So excited that she dresses up in standard work attire—a sparkly crown, a rainbow-colored feather boa, and a tutu. She mostly does what her dad does at work—typing, visiting the watercooler, and pressing the elevator buttons, but in an exuberant moment, she dances into a pile of important papers, and learns “At work, you must dance a bit more carefully.”

Work: An Occupational ABC, by Kellen Hatanaka
If your son or daughter is so inspired by their trip to work with you that they want to learn about what other jobs are out there in the world, try this fun, artful ABC book. Hatanaka’s whimsical illustrations bring to life every career, from ringmaster to xenologist to yogi.