LOVE IS EVERYTHING

An eloquent, lyrical love song from caring adult to child.

Uncluttered scenes in nature at various times of day and through the seasons show a joyful adult-child pair of bears working, playing, and musing. Eye-catching illustrations that often silhouette the bears against neutral backgrounds make this a good group read. The rhyming text’s brevity and rhythm are calming, and the adult bear shares simply worded affirmations of love with the child, with key words highlighted in text of a different color. “Love is everything. / I believe in love”; “I believe in me. / I believe in you”; “I believe that all we need is love to get along.” The adult bear’s words also embrace individual interests, talents, and expression through the arts as the child beats on a metal pot, creates a flower mosaic, and recites a poem to the tearfully proud adult. “I believe in music. / I believe in art. // I believe in poetry / that speaks from the heart.” These universal, positive messages make this a powerful snuggle-time book that will be read time and again to celebrate loving relationships and to recenter in difficult times. Details in the illustrations, like sweeping sunset murmurations, background observers, and birds, mammals, insects, and seeds that fly, also make close viewing of each page a treat. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Make room on the shelf for this book’s effusion of love and affirmation that everyone needs from time to time.