Love in GMU ECE Bookshelf

Feb 20, 2019 Monica Rohrbach rated it really liked it

This book speaks about different ways in which love is expressed and present in the world and how important it is in a child’s life. The book starts with the beginning of a child’s life and then introduces different people of different ages and races who experience love in different ways. Although most of the story includes happy examples and celebrations of love, the author also includes times that may be difficult and describes how love can make these times easier. This makes it a very honest ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2019 Emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: eced-512

This beautiful book talks about love and it's many different forms that it takes. It is a universal bond that unites us all. The group that recommends this book is Teaching For Change-Social Justice Books. The author is a Newbery Medal award winner. I definitely recommend this book because it depicts challenging real life situations in a gentle, non-offensive manner. It portrays different races, living environments, and socio-economic classes. I think all student would be interested in this book ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2019 Amy Wickham rated it it was amazing

Shelves: diverse, storybook, read-aloud, children-s-book

"In the beginning there is light and two wide-eyed figures standing near the foot of your bed, and the sound of their voices is love."

Love is a story written by the Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Loren Long. The author and illustrator have created a masterpiece in describing simple acts that represent love through everyday events such as parents lulling children to sleep or the joyful laughter of family and the warm embrace of a loved one.

de la Pena and Long br ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2021 Lisa Hurwitz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: eced-502-children-s-books, families-for-preschoolers

The lyrical and rich language de la Peña uses in this book is a love poem describing the different ways a child can experience a family’s love and how this love evolves over the course of a child’s development. The setting of the book is mostly in an urban environment with characters bouncing along in taxis and running through sprinklers in a “crowded concrete park,” but there is even diversity within this setting as one family lives in a seaside trailer which “turns the color of love” at night The lyrical and rich language de la Peña uses in this book is a love poem describing the different ways a child can experience a family’s love and how this love evolves over the course of a child’s development. The setting of the book is mostly in an urban environment with characters bouncing along in taxis and running through sprinklers in a “crowded concrete park,” but there is even diversity within this setting as one family lives in a seaside trailer which “turns the color of love” at night and uncles tell made-up stories in a backyard while playing horseshoes (de la Peña, 2018). The settings depicted in this book are quite different from the suburban environment of my students, and this book provides a much needed window showing a variety of places where other kids live.

This book moves past a simple depiction of love to incorporate more subtle, complicated ways love can be defined as in “a love overlooked./A love that wakes at dawn and/rides to work on the bus./A slice of burned toast that tastes like love” (de la Peña, 2018) accompanied by a quiet illustration of a young boy sitting at an apartment window and watching his father catch a bus on a snowy morning, while the boy’s older brother hands him breakfast which consists of a glass of orange juice and slice of burned toast. I appreciate how de la Peña doesn’t shy away from addressing the sadness that all families experience, but stays true to the child’s perspective of sensing something is wrong, but not quite understanding the full extent of the family’s challenges outside the home.

Gorgeously illustrated by Loren Long who uses collages of softly-colored prints with interspersing swashes of acrylic paint, the pictures stay true to the child’s perspective, and the art depicts an ethnically and racially diverse group of people. This book is also available in a Spanish version entitled Amor. In the classroom, I would love to read both Spanish and English versions of the book aloud concurrently, perhaps even with two readers, one of whom speaks Spanish much better than I do. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2019 MaryKathleen Schuckman marked it as to-read

Like

From the Bookshelf of GMU ECE Bookshelf…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

GMU ECE Bookshelf