LOVE

Matt de la Peña's soft, rhythmic narration matches his gently cadenced prose poem about love. De la Peña represents wide-ranging examples of love with an elegant string of sensory-rich images and lyrical language. He describes love in the "smell of crashing waves," "creases in your grandfather's face," "made-up stories of your uncles playing horseshoes," and the "it's okay, it's okay" comfort that comes in moments that are uncertain and frightening. De la Peña's reading is warm and reassuring. His view of love is personal yet universal. It's powerfully emotive but not sentimental and will speak to both adults and children. While the strong text and narration can stand alone, the visually potent and inclusive illustrations in the picture book are also evocative. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2018]