Love-Matt de la Pena

Bibliography: de la Pena, M. (2019). Love. Ill. by Loren Long. Findaway World, LLC. ISBN: 978-1-524-74091-7

Plot Summary: This picture book looks at the many ways love can be shown and experienced in everyday things. Love is described through family, friends and even the things around us. It shows that love can be found everywhere if we look for it and it is something that everyone, regardless of who they are, can feel.

Critical Analysis: De la Pena uses simple words to depict a not so simple emotion-love. The illustrations visually support the text and readers can see how love is expressed in different ways among different people, showing that it is a universal feeling. The illustrations capture the feelings of each character and help support the reader's understanding of the various types of love.  The illustrations also show the cultural diversity of communities, which vary from rural to urban, again demonstrating the universality of love. It was beautifully simple, and the illustrations served to complement the message of the text.

Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews: "Timely, timeless, and utterly necessary."

School Library Journal: "This heartfelt and sensitively rendered picture book meditation begs to be shared and discussed with children...."

Awards:

Though this specific book has not won awards, both the author and illustrator  have received several accolades for other works.

Connections:

Use in a Kindergarten through 2nd grade classroom.Before reading with students, discuss what love means to them. Students could follow up by drawing a picture of something they love and then sharing or writing about why they love it. 

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