'Funny, emotional, and uplifting picture book about separation and love, to help children understand their emotions.
'Everyone loves everyone in Tess’s house, but when Tess has to leave for school for the very first time, she is worried that her family’s love might not stretch that far. Mom explains that love is like a string, it connects people together even when they are far away. At school Tess notices that all the children have strings! Some are new, some are old, some stretch a long way, and some even stretch right up into the sky. But what happens when a string breaks?'
Not being a parent myself, I imagine that the first day of school can be a daunting experience for a child, and you often hear stories about nervous children, afraid to leave their family and head out into the unknown, surrounded by children and adults that they've never met before. This is one of the main themes of Love, and it handles this in a really beautiful way.
The book follows Tess, a young girl who lives with her parents and little brother Tommy, a girl who's grown up surrounded by love. The book shows this love as a real, tangible thing, a shining golden thread that connects the family together, and wraps around them when they're close. Is't a great visual representation, and over the course of the book this thread is used to goof effect, showing children that even when Tess is away from her mother at school that thread is still there, connecting the two of them.
Somewhat overwhelmed by events, Tess tries to tug on her thread, trying to pull her mother back to her; but learns that this isn't how love really works. Over her day Tess begins to make friends with some of the other children, and more threads begin to form around Tess as she forms friendships with these kids, and learns that they too have these threads of love; even to family members who have passed away, with their thread going up high to connect them to their loved one in heaven. Tess discovers that there are different kinds of love, and that the love of a friend is equally as important and valued as the love she has for her family.
When her mother is late picking her yup from school Tess is worried that her thread might be broken, that her mother might be gone or no longer loves her anymore. When her mother arrives she reassures Tess that she will always love her, and that she will always have that thread.
Love is a really sweet book, one that has a wonderful message at its heart, that love can connect you to the people you care about, even if they're not around, or even if they've passed away. It's a message that some younger kids might need to hear, one that reassures them that even when things seem at their scariest, someone will always be caring about them.
The book has some beautiful illustrations by Kirsti Beautyman, who manages to convey the idea of these threads of love in really pretty ways, and it really adds to the story and conveys what could have been fairly abstract and lofty ideas in a way that is easy to grasp.
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