As if anyone needs an excuse for it, February is the time for love. Children and adults create and purchase Valentines or love tokens for their loved ones. But no one needs to wait for a holiday to share their heartfelt sentiments or say, “I love you.” The following book reviews, written by members of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group explore the infinite varieties of love to be found in recent publications.
GRADES K-3
LaReau, Kara. (2012). Mr. Prickles: A quill-fated love story. Illus. by Scott Magoon. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Poor Mr. Prickles, a porcupine, has difficulty making friends. Although he tries to be friendly with the other animals in the forest, things just never work out. Food gets stuck in his quills during playtime, and his spines are certainly unwelcome at a sleepover. Refusing to frolic with him anymore, the other animals end up telling him he isn’t cute, cuddly or playful. This saddens Mr. Prickles, and he becomes very lonely. But one day he meets Miss Pointypants and they begin to have fun together. They swim and splash in a dark lake. They dine on twigs and bark. They even watch the moon rise over the water. The forest animals make fun of the two porcupines and say hurtful things about the pair. Fortunately, Mr. Prickles realizes that what the other animals have to say doesn’t matter and that it is much nicer to be alone with someone who loves his quills—Miss Pointypants. This sweet love story may spark discussions on finding friends in unlikely places and getting along with others who might not look like us.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Harper, Charise Mericle. (2011). Henry’s heart: A boy, his heart, and a new best friend. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
This hybrid picture book includes two genres: realistic fiction and nonfiction. At the top of each page, in a circle, is a narrative story about a boy named Henry. Information and facts about Henry’s heart can be found in tiny illustrations and speech bubbles on each page. Children could enjoy this book in multiple ways—reading the narrative, exploring the facts/information about hearts or reading both the story and the nonfiction facts at the same time. Henry’s mother wants his heart to get some exercise. As soon as Henry begins running in the sunshine, his heart begins to beat faster. Small illustrations of Henry’s heart state, “I think I got up to 130 beats per minute on that hill” (unpaginated). Henry’s heart beats even faster when Henry meets a brown-haired girl in a polka-dotted red dress. One full page shows the different snacks that keep a heart healthy. Another page has a table with activities and exercises that help our hearts. A funny love story twist occurs in the conclusion.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Knudsen, Michelle. (2011). Argus. Candlewick Press. Illus. by Andréa Wesson.
When Sally’s teacher hands out eggs for the class science project, Sally notices that hers looks a little different than the other students’ eggs. Her desktop incubator hatches the egg, which turns out to be a small dragon. As Argus the dragon grows, he presents major problems for the classroom such as possibly eating the other hatchlings and creating chaos in the school. Feeling as though he doesn’t belong, Argus runs away. At first Sally is relieved to be rid of her “project” because he is unlike the other chicks. Eventually, though, she realizes that she loves her irrepressible dragon and misses him. The other children in the class help Sally look for Argus, and everyone rejoices when he is found. The author and the illustrator work together to make sure young readers recognize Argus’s true nature as his identity as a dragon is never mentioned directly in the text. The theme of loving something that is a little—or in some cases, a lot—different will make this a great read aloud for story times.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Nivola, Claire. (2011). Orani: My father’s village. New York: Frances Foster/Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.
In text and watercolor illustrations, the author skillfully enables young readers to experience the same sights, sounds, smells, and feelings she encountered as a young girl visiting her father’s native village. The words she uses to describe Orani, Sicily, bring the village to life and show her love for a place and time that exists only in her memories. This text is ideal for showing children how to expand a moment and to bring sensory impressions to their own writing about their experiences. Nivola deftly illustrates how experiences—common or uncommon—can become sensory feasts through careful word choice and description. Readers can almost taste the cool water and dine on the sumptuous meals being laid out on dinner tables before wandering through the village’s winding streets. This loving tribute evokes a sense of place in memorable fashion.
- Terrell A. Young, Brigham Young University
Ogburn, Jacqueline K. (2011). Little treasures: endearments from around the world. Illus. by Chris Raschka. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
This American Library Association Notable Book for 2012 is filled with several ways to say “I love you” through phrases and endearments from 16 cultures around the globe. Each endearment is written in the native language with an English translation and a pronunciation guide. Alphabetic characters from different parts of the globe make the book even more appealing. Children will delight in hearing some of the endearing ways adults let children know how they are loved, including “ducky” (unpaginated) from England, “little coconut candy” (unpaginated) from Brazil, “possum” (unpaginated) from Australia, “hug bunny” (unpaginated) in Finland, or “little mischievous pea” (unpaginated) in China. Terms of affection used within families transcend cultures, bringing the world a little closer in this title with familial love as a universal theme. Caldecott-winning Raschka’s watercolor, gouache and ink illustrations portray the culture of each loving phrase with non-stereotypical color and design.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Urbigkit, Kat. (2011). The guardian team: On the job with Rena and Roo. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
Who knew that a pup and a wild donkey could become friends? In this delightful picture book, Rena, the runt of the litter, and Roo, a scruffy burro, slowly learn to trust one another and become an integral part of life on a sheep ranch in Wyoming. These unlikely guardians keep close watch over the lambs, protecting them from predators or unwanted intruders. The text describes how each animal is introduced separately to the lambs that will be their responsibility and then the dog and the burro are introduced to each other. Over time, they form an alliance, working together to keep the herd where it’s supposed to be. The large photographs trace the animals' growth over a year as well as documenting the bond that grows among canine and burro and their fluffy charges. An Author's Note provides additional information about guardian animals, and the references will provide more reading material on this topic. Once again, this reliable author presents interesting information in an engaging way sure to appeal to many young readers. Life on a ranch may be hard work, but clearly it’s a labor of love for Rena, Roo, and Urbigkit.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
GRADES 4-6
Weeks, Sarah. (2011). Pie. New York: Scholastic.
When Alice’s beloved Aunt Polly passes away and leaves her incredibly delicious pie recipes to her cat, Lardo, the mystery begins. Alice has inherited Lardo but cannot understand why her aunt would pass her famous recipes along to a cat that certainly can’t use them. The whole town mourns the loss of Polly and the closing of her pie shop since everyone loved her pies. In fact, each of them had a favorite type of pie. When Polly’s pie shop is vandalized, Alice realizes that someone is after her aunt’s famous pie recipe. As Alice and her family work to solve the mystery, the whole community is drawn into the story. Set in 1955, the atmosphere of this book is from an era of close community ties. An epilogue from 1995 brings comforting closure to the story. An added treat is the collection of pie recipes that introduce each chapter of the book. This book is sure to make a pie-lover out of the most devoted cake or ice cream lover.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
GRADES 7-8
Hilmo, Tess (2011) With a name like Love. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.
Ollie and her traveling preacher father, Everlasting Love, and the family arrive in 1957 Binder, Arkansas, on the heels of a murder. The family usually stops in towns for a 3-day revival before moving on, but this time they stay a bit longer. Ollie happens to meet Jimmy Koppel, the son of the woman accused of killing Jimmy’s father, an abusive man. As their friendship develops, Jimmy convinces Ollie that his mother has been wrongly accused. Not only do the Loves carry the right surname, but they also live up to their names, reaching out the hand of trust and looking for justice in the world. With Ollie in the lead, they embrace Jimmy in his time of need. Debut author Hilmo has developed a cast of characters that will draw readers into this murder mystery as they empathize with the Loves’ attempts to open the hearts and minds of the townsfolk who don’t seem to want to know the truth about the murder.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
GRADES 9-12
Chambers, Aidan. (2012). Dying to know you. New York: Amulet Books/Abrams.
Desperate to impress his new girlfriend Fiorella Seabourne, Karl Williamson, a plumber's assistant who struggles with reading and writing, seeks help from her favorite novelist. The relationship is in its early stages, and Fiorella longs to know his innermost thoughts about a wide variety of topics, including love. Karl, in turn, wants to impress her with his ability to express himself. Drawn to Karl's plight and identifying with his dyslexia, the narrator agrees to help. He encourages the romance between the two through his ability to express the taciturn Karl’s feelings through writing. Not surprisingly, the romance hits a rocky patch as Karl continues to mourn his father, who died when he was twelve. When he uses art to express his feelings, the local thugs ridicule his work and his friends fail to understand the meaning of his work. This is an exquisitely written reminder of the power of art, love and friendship to fill the emptiness that consumes someone after a loss. The author describes effectively the contrast between the young and the old while also hinting that the two often have more in common than expected. As the narrator comes to know Karl better, he also learns quite a bit about himself and his own ability to possibly love again.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Coriell, Shelley. (2012). Welcome, caller, this is Chloe. New York: Amulet Books/Abrams.
Junior year is not going well for Chloe Camden. When her social network deserts her, leaving her with no friends and nowhere to sit at lunch, she must find a place to fit. While Chloe navigates the high school halls in her fashionable shoes, she also is in the middle of a conflict between her mother and her grandmother whose Parkinson's makes it dangerous for her to live alone. Plus, her counselor refuses to accept her independent study project and steers her toward a project involving the school radio station. Although she becomes involved reluctantly, she makes her presence known immediately. Relying on her people skills and exuberant, larger-than-life personality, Chloe hosts a call-in show that quickly becomes popular with listeners. Working with the radio folks, Chloe realizes that she isn’t alone in needing to belong somewhere. She also finds romance with fix-up guy Duncan Moore who has home problems far more complicated than she could ever imagine. Despite all the rumors that are being spread about her, Chloe finds her way back to herself, realizing that listening is just as important as speaking up for what matters.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Green, John. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.
Best-selling YA author John Green takes on the topic of two teenagers with cancer in his latest release. Hazel Lancaster and Gus Waters meet at a cancer support group. Their friendship blossoms into love, and they share each other’s lives as they deal with their cancer. Hazel is particularly drawn to a book, An Imperial Affliction, and invites Gus to read it. As they become equally enthralled with this novel about cancer, they decide to seek out the author who is living in Amsterdam. Brushes with death from their cancer have given the young couple insight into life that readers will admire. Seeing how Hazel and Gus celebrate each day that they have together and ask hard questions about what comes next will inspire teen readers, possibly helping them cherish the time that they have.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Griffin, Paul. (2011). Stay with me. New York: Dial Books.
Two troubled teens, both from dysfunctional families, meet at the pizza place where they are employed. Although they fall in love at first sight, they could not be more different from each other. Cece is a smart, straight-A student applying for admission to a gifted and talented program, and Mark is a high school drop-out, a shy but volatile teen with a record. Mark’s passion for rescuing pit bulls draws Cece’s attention and admiration, causing her to eventually overcome her fear of the dogs. Their love for each other grows until Mark makes a terrible mistake. Minor characters add to the story’s depth with believable dialogue and interactions. This poignant story of love and heartbreak will also appeal to dog lovers.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Michaelis, Antonia. (2012). The storyteller. New York: Amulet Books/Abrams.
The very different worlds of German schoolmates Anna and Abel collide when Anna finds a doll belonging to his six-year-old sister Micha. After following him, Anna realizes that the school’s drug dealer is taking care of Micha by himself since their mother has disappeared. Their plight must remain secret until he turns eighteen so that social workers won’t take Micha away from Abel. The neighborhood in which Abel and Micha live and the grinding poverty they endure is foreign to Anna who has always lived in the lap of luxury, the only child of highly educated parents. Despite the cautionary words of her friends, Anna is drawn to Abel for his gift for storytelling. To entertain his sister, he crafts a fairy tale about a little orphan queen with a diamond heart who is pursued by hunters trying to steal that treasure. When Anna begins to notice parallels between the story and some of the disturbing events in the lives of Abel and Micha, she wonders if the boy she loves may also be a killer. In Anna’s eyes, Abel's love for his sister redeems him from the mistakes he makes. This is a magical, heartbreaking story for older teens that illustrates how unimaginably cruel the world can be, and how alluring fantasy can be for someone faced by grim reality. As Anna becomes caught up in Abel's world, she leaves her own far behind.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Sonnenblick, J. (2012). Curveball: The year I lost my grip. New York, NY: Scholastic. 
Freshman Peter Friedman has a promising future as a baseball pitcher until an injury destroys that promise. Searching for a new identity, Peter uses the photographic equipment his grandfather, a former professional photographer, gives to him and becomes the school sports photographer. Meanwhile, love blossoms between Peter and his photography classmate Angelika. While Peter struggles with Angelika’s expectation that he tell his best friend the truth about his injuries, Peter also deals with another secret about his grandfather’s worsening Alzheimer's disease. Just as Peter wants to keep the truth about his unlikely future in baseball from his friend AJ, his grandfather wants to deal with the disease on his own terms and does not allow Peter to tell anybody in his family. This book teaches readers about the meaning of true friendships, which sometimes require difficult truths to be told. Readers will empathize with the book’s characters and the difficult choices that they face. The story encourages empathy for others while also caring about ourselves.
- Tadayuki Suzuki, Western Kentucky University