Love by Matt De La Peña, Illustrated by Loren Long

How do you explain the concept of love to a young child? How do you make it universal in its appeal so it speaks to all people of all ages? How do you create images that convey the deeper meaning of the words but are easily relatable to all that view them? Love by Matt De La Peña and illustrated by Loren Long is one of those rare picture books.

Starting with a first experience of love, that of a baby looking up at adoring parents in their crib, the book presents us with vignettes of the way life presents us with love. A couple dancing on the roof of their trailer, frolicking in the water from a fire hydrant, watching the stars at night, the embrace a loved one after a nightmare, a family game of horseshoes ...these snippets of life show us that love really is all around us. More importantly, situations where love can be lost, and the emptiness created are beautifully integrated into the vignettes. The illustrations created with acrylic and colored pencil perfectly integrate with the text. The images' colorful, rich hues help to reinforce the vibrancy of the message: love is all around us, love is what binds us.

This is a book I'd read over and over to my children. In the classroom, read it every time a little love is called for.  Ask, "How did love touch you today?"
Mark's Book Picks Score: 5

Reading Level: 3.7 • Interest Level: P-2 • AR Points: 0.5 • Lexile: NA  
Publisher: Penguin • 40 Pages • Copyright: 2018 • ISBN: 978-1-524-74091-7 • Available in Perma-Bound binding.