THAT’S LOVE

The competent narrator in this companion piece to Talk Peace (2005) can tell time, identify trees and their leaves and even imagine crossing the ocean. Yet, she is mystified by the look—presumably of love—she sees on “your face.” The descriptions of affection in the uneven text are sometimes concrete (kissing, sharing) and sometimes more oblique (“Knowing life is for living”). The childlike artwork in juicy colors makes the abstract references more understandable with simple, soft-edged scenes of children and animals at play. Comforting circles and a bevy of hearts that can inspire a fan base of young girls dominate the pictures featuring geometric forms. With neither poignancy nor telling details, this attempt at the concept of love ultimately seems false—but it will probably sell like crazy. (Picture book. 4-7)