Review - Love

Love
by Stacy McAnulty
illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Date: 2018
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

From award-winning author Stacy McAnulty comes a sweet story about love and what it's really all about.

What is love? Can you only express it in fancy meals, greeting cards, and heart-shaped chocolates? Kids will find love everywhere in this delightful book. It can be found in everyday moments such as baking cookies with grandma, notes from Mom in your lunchbox, or a family singing together on a car trip, and it isn't always what you expect!

With delightful illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff and sweetly simple prose by award-winning author Stacy McAnulty, this is the perfect book to teach children what love means, why it's important, and how they can spread the love in their daily lives.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

From the team that brought us Beautiful comes this sweet picture book about love and the many ways we show it.

Like Beautiful, this book is highly dependent upon its illustrations. The text doesn't work on its own; in fact, it would come off as highly superficial and materialistic. Looking at the pictures is a must while reading this one. Lew-Vriethoff's adorable drawings show diversity and acceptance, and they're fun to look at, too. Older readers will definitely get more out of these books, as they'll be able to contrast the literal message of the words with the sweet sentiments that are highlighted by the pictures.

I enjoyed this one almost as much as Beautiful. It would be the perfect book to share with someone you love.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.67 out of 5