My Picture Book review today is in respect of Mothers’ Day this Sunday.  What are you doing for Mothers’ Day?

LOVE IS

Written by: Diane Adams

Illustrated by: Claire Keane

Published by: Chronicle Books LLC 2017

Ages:   3 – 6 years

Theme: Giving and receiving, an ode to motherhood.

Opening Lines: Love is holding something fragile, tiny wings and downy head. Love is noisy midnight feedings, shoe box right beside the bed.

Synopsis: A girl and duckling share a tender, funny year as they grow together, care for each other, and learn that love is as much about letting go as it is about holding tight. Children and parents together will adore this fond exploration of growing up while learning about the joys of love offered and love returned.

Why I like this: I have reviewed some special books recently but this one tops them all.   With beautiful, tender illustrations with such expressions and heartfelt, poetic text, it delivers a huge message of love to hold and love letting go. This sweet story is sure to be a classic. The illustrations are cute, full of expression from the big soulful eyes, to the everyday kid’s clothes and humorous antics the duckling gets up to. The sparse text trips across the pages as does the days and seasons and tells us so much yet never mentions the duckling until near the end. (Something to be said for art-notes) Love some of the lines like – “Love is in familiar voices, feeling lost, and being found. It’s in the struggles, growing muscles.”    There is so much to LOVE about this book.

Resources/Findings:   Here is text with pictures on how to look after ducklings….   https://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-Ducklings

Fun facts about ducks for kids…     https://study.com/academy/lesson/duckling-facts-lesson-for-kids.html

Fun facts and activities worksheet for teachers…   http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/ducks.html

I’m always pleased to be able to bring you some more special books that have come my way and be able to share them with you and join other great writers over at Susanna’s Blog, where there are literally hundreds of book reviews to view.  So pop over  and visit the lovely author, Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog and find the tab for Perfect Picture Books.    Her blog is full of resources links and activities associated with books reviewed by many authors