The 15 Best Grandparenting Books

There are hundreds of grandparenting books on the market. Most are good. A handful are genuinely great. And a few are essential.

I’m Neil Taft – author of four grandparenting books, founder of Caring Grandparents, and a 40-year advocate for youth and family relationships. I’ve read more grandparenting books than most people know exist. This list is my honest ranking of the ones worth your time.

I’ve organized them by category so you can go straight to what you need most right now.

Last updated: February 2026

How to Use This List

• • New grandparent? Start with #1 or #3

  • Navigating estrangement or legal issues? Go straight to #5 and #6

  • Long-distance grandparent? #2 is your starting point

  • Raising grandchildren full-time? #7 and #8 are essential

  • Want to deepen an already good relationship? #2 and #4

The Best Overall Grandparenting Books

#1 – Caring Grandparents by Neil Taft

Best for: Every grandparent, at every stage

The most comprehensive grandparenting book available today. Caring Grandparents addresses both dimensions of the role – the emotional connection (caring ABOUT your grandchildren) and the practical responsibilities (caring FOR them). With over 2.5 million U.S. households now led by grandparents raising grandchildren, this book meets grandparents exactly where they are.

What sets it apart: It doesn’t assume your family situation is simple. It addresses boundaries, parenting style differences, estrangement, long-distance relationships, and the legal landscape – all in one place.

Key takeaway: “Honor the parents of your grandchildren. That is the most effective way to build lasting family relationships.”

Get Caring Grandparents on Amazon

#2 – Good to Great Grandparenting by Neil Taft

Best for: Grandparents who want to go from good to exceptional

Endorsed by Jack Canfield, bestselling author of Chicken Soup for the Soul

This is the book for grandparents who already have a relationship with their grandchildren but want to make it truly meaningful. The “Respectful Connection Framework” gives you a repeatable approach to creating lasting moments, repairing relationships after conflict, and building the kind of emotional safety where grandchildren actually confide in you.

Jack Canfield says: “Neil Taft provides grandparents with the tools to create lasting legacies of love and connection. This book is essential reading for anyone committed to meaningful grandparenting.”

Key takeaway: We will be grandparents for about twice as long as we were parents. Invest in that role accordingly.

Get Good to Great Grandparenting on Amazon

#3 – Becoming Grandma by Lesley Stahl

Best for: New grandmothers

Lesley Stahl, the 60 Minutes journalist, brings her investigative instincts to grandparenting – interviewing researchers, psychologists, and grandparents to understand what the role actually does to a woman’s brain, body, and identity. Warm, research-backed, and honest about the complexities of modern family life.

Why it made the list: One of the few grandparenting books grounded in actual science, not just sentiment.

#4 – The Grandest Love by Jerry Witkovsky

Best for: Grandparents who want to understand the deeper purpose of the role

25 years of research distilled into a practical guide for building a grandparent-grandchild relationship that genuinely shapes a child’s life. Witkovsky’s framework is simple but powerful: grandparents are uniquely positioned to give grandchildren something parents often can’t – unconditional presence without the weight of daily responsibility.

Why it made the list: The research foundation is exceptional. This book will change how you think about your role.

The Best Books for Difficult Situations

#5 – Your Grandparent Rights by Neil Taft

Best for: Grandparents facing estrangement, denied access, or navigating family court

Grandparents today have never taken on more responsibility – and yet have never had less legal support. This book provides state-by-state legal strategies, practical steps for court proceedings, and emotional support for grandparents fighting to maintain relationships with their grandchildren.

Covers: visitation laws by state, petitioning for custody or guardianship, working with family law attorneys, documenting your relationship for court, and alternatives to litigation.

Key takeaway: Knowing your rights before a crisis is always better than learning them during one.

Get Your Grandparent Rights on Amazon

#6 – No Greater Loss by Neil Taft

Best for: Grandparents experiencing estrangement due to divorce, addiction, or family crisis

“No Greater Loss works because it is a guidebook through a minefield of do’s and don’ts in the world of grandparent rights. It anchors itself in the cultural truth that a natural and necessary bond between grandparent and grandchild has been our birthright since the beginnings of time.” – JLG Review

This book addresses the most devastating grandparenting experience: losing access to your grandchildren. It combines legal strategy with emotional coping – because you need both.

Get No Greater Loss on Amazon

#7 – Raising Our Children’s Children by Deborah Doucette-Dudman

Best for: Grandparents raising grandchildren full-time

The definitive practical guide for grandparents who have become primary caregivers. Covers the legal, financial, emotional, and logistical realities of raising a second family – with honesty and compassion.

Why it made the list: No other book addresses the full complexity of kinship caregiving as comprehensively as this one.

#8 – Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide by Sylvie De Toledo

Best for: Grandparents navigating the child welfare system

A practical survival guide for grandparents who find themselves suddenly responsible for raising their grandchildren – often under difficult circumstances. Covers legal rights, school enrollment, healthcare, and emotional support for both grandparent and grandchild.

The Best Books for New Grandparents

#9 – Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by Anna Quindlen

Best for: New grandmothers who want warmth and wisdom

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen’s account of becoming a grandmother is exactly what it sounds like: warm, wise, funny, and full of hard-won perspective. Not a how-to guide – more like a conversation with a brilliant friend who’s been through it.

Why it made the list: Every new grandmother should read this. It will set the right tone for everything that follows.

#10 – Being a Proactive Grandfather by Richard Eyre

Best for: New grandfathers

One of the only grandparenting books written specifically for grandfathers. Eyre, grandfather to roughly 30 grandchildren, writes from deep experience about what it actually takes for a grandfather to build a meaningful relationship with grandchildren in the modern family.

Why it made the list: The gap in grandfather-specific guidance is real. This book fills it.

The Best Books for Staying Connected

#11 – Camp Grandma by Marianne Waggoner Day

Best for: Grandparents who want to create meaningful traditions

Despite the title, this isn’t a book of activities – it’s a philosophy. Day argues that the most meaningful grandparenting happens when you move beyond babysitting and toward intentional relationship-building. Practical, thoughtful, and full of ideas that actually work.

#12 – Unconditional Love by Jane Isay

Best for: Grandparents navigating complex modern family dynamics

Isay acknowledges what most grandparenting books avoid: family life is complicated. Divorce, remarriage, blended families, estrangement, generational differences in parenting – this book addresses all of it with honesty and practical guidance.

#13 – The Grandparent Guide by Arthur Kornhaber

Best for: Grandparents who want a comprehensive reference

Arthur Kornhaber is one of the most respected researchers in the field of grandparenting. This guide covers the full scope of the grandparent role – from the psychology of the grandparent-grandchild bond to practical strategies for every family situation.

Why it made the list: The research depth here is unmatched. A book you’ll return to repeatedly.

#14 – Intentional Grandparenting by Peggy Edwards and Mary Jane Stearne

Best for: Grandparents who want a purposeful, values-driven approach

A contemporary guide to grandparenting with intention – covering how to pass on values, create meaningful traditions, and build a relationship that outlasts your physical presence in a grandchild’s life.

#15 – Grandparenting: A Guide with 50+ Activities by Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse

Best for: Grandparents who want practical, hands-on connection ideas

More than 50 activities designed to strengthen the grandparent-grandchild bond – organized by age and situation. A useful companion to any of the books above when you want to move from philosophy to action.

Quick Reference: Which Book Is Right for You?

A Note from Neil Taft

I’ve included my own four books at the top of this list – not out of vanity, but because I genuinely believe they address the gaps I saw in the grandparenting literature when I started writing.

Most grandparenting books focus on the joyful parts. Mine address the hard parts too – estrangement, legal battles, boundary conflicts, long-distance relationships – because that’s where grandparents need the most help.

If you read only one book from this list, read Caring Grandparents. If you’re facing a legal challenge, add Your Grandparent Rights. And if you want to go deep on connection, Good to Great Grandparenting is where to spend your time.

Whatever you choose – read it, apply it, and show up for your grandchildren. That’s what matters most.

Browse all of Neil’s books

This list is maintained by Neil Taft and updated regularly. Last updated: February 2026.

Have a book to suggest? Contact Neil.