The Love That Grew (Sarah Ayoub, illus by Mimi Purnell, HarperCollins)
In the vein of Sam McBratney’s You’re All My Favourites comes a picture book that captures the idea that a mother’s love is unlimited when it comes to her children, no matter how many there are. Sarah Ayoub is paired with debut picture book illustrator Mimi Purnell to show that love is an open-ended resource, as are the similes used to describe it. Told in rhyming couplets, this book could work for any family whose children need a reminder that they are all loved equally—even if the illustrations only show three children throughout. The fact that the story doesn’t feature a second parent in any way increases its relevance, as it doesn’t assume a nuclear family dynamic (but does not discount this either). Heavy on sentiment, The Love That Grew lends itself to commercial success. Children aged two to four, especially those adjusting to a new addition to the family, will connect with the book’s humour and heart.
Michael Earp is a writer, bookseller and the manager of The Little Bookroom.
