Review - Love and the Rocking Chair

Love and the Rocking Chair
by Leo & Diane Dillon
Date: 2019
Publisher: The Blue Sky Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Simple words and colorful paintings tell the warm, engaging story of new parents who buy a rocking chair when they are expecting a baby. Bright, sunny illustrations show the precious intimacy between parents and their children; the new mother glows with affection, and the new father reads aloud to their young son.

Time passes, and the boy grows up; the beloved rocker is moved to the attic and gathers dust. But when the boy becomes a man, the cycle begins anew. He and his wife have a baby girl, and the rocking chair is needed again.

Legendary artists Leo and Diane Dillon are two of the greatest illustrators of our time. This is their final collaboration, inspired by their own rocking chair. It is a tender tribute to the enduring power of family love-passed from generation to generation.

Here is a book for all ages to cherish. It serves as a loving reminder of those who have gone before us-and those who are still to come.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a simple but charming story about a rocking chair that is loved and passed down through multiple generations of a family.

I have to admit, while I appreciate what the authors did with the simplicity of the illustrations, I'm not exactly loving the aesthetic. It might be more appreciated by adults than by children. I also don't know if the intergenerational storyline (featuring mostly grownups, and marriage and death as plot points) is going to be that appealing to younger readers. It's probably the sort of book parents will want to read with their children, rather than a book that kids will feel compelled to pick up on their own.

Those looking for books about tradition, heirlooms, and family bonds might enjoy this book, and it's to them that I would most likely recommend it.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5