I Am Love: A Book of Compassion

In I Am Love: A Book of Compassion, author Susan Verde and illustrator Peter Reynolds team up once again to continue their mindfulness series for young readers. Reynolds’ illustrations are recognizable yet fresh as he takes up the personification of Love that Verde has imagined. Love, personified as a rainbow haired pink-overcoat wearing child, moves through the book spreading love to other children they encounter. Young children get to see the character Love carry out the tangible actions of loving.

Verde has taken on an admirable task as she continues to write the “I Am” series books for young children (see the whole series at https://www.susanverde.com/susans-books). Her volume on love and compassion is a concrete guide to the ways in which children can enact love in their lives for both themselves and others. From “I can hug and hold …” to “I can express what’s important to me”, Verde has considered what love does.

This book certainly has its finger on the pulse of what educators, parents and book enthusiasts are often interested in buying these days. This book is a concrete “how to” look at love. In a world always healing from division, many individuals seek out picture books that clearly relay a message of love. This title does not disappoint and, indeed, goes beyond simply moralizing about the importance of love by highlighting many concrete actions in which children can participate. Reynolds’ cartoon-like use of dynamic lines and watercolor hues captures the movement and warmth of Love the character and love the verb.

While the picture book edition of I Am Love contains additional information about yoga and mindfulness for children, the board book edition excludes these things. It could have been interesting to include one or two simple poses for young children to try. Additionally, when a board book is published, the text is occasionally abridged to account for the attention span and interests of younger audiences. As this book is originally intended for children aged 5-11, not the typical board book crowd, I Am Love would have done well to shorten its text. As it stands, the board book is simply too wordy for very young readers. My own 18-month-old daughter loves this title… as long as I skip half the text!