A World of Love

PreS-Gr 1–In an ode to the universal love of parent and child, this book invites readers to explore how members of the animal realm show their love to their young. Richly colored cut-paper collages adorn spreads of various animals in their habitats, e.g., a dolphin and calf surrounded by sea creatures, and a sheep and lamb surrounded by rolling hills of grass. Each pair is accompanied by two stanzas beginning with the same phrase, “if all the earth,” followed by the habitat and a hypothetical situation of how a the parent would care for and love the child: “If all the earth/ were oceans deep—/ great seas that you explore—/ I’d call to you,/ my calf, my calf,/ the one that I adore.” The book concludes with a light-skinned parent and child at a beach at sunset with four stanzas describing their love for the child. Back matter includes more information about how animals care for their young, with two of the eight shown—a silverback gorilla and emperor penguin—being male. Detailed illustrations along with the beautiful descriptors make this book a great option to read one-on-one with a child tucked in close.