Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Journey to discover meaning of love is warm and thoughtful.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In WHAT IS LOVE?, a young boy asks his grandmother what love is, and when she can't tell him, he goes into the world to find out for himself. He asks a poet, a fisherman, a cat, an actor, and others, but no one's answer satisfies him. It's only when he returns to his grandmother's home and feels the love and connection there that he understand the answer to his own question.
Is It Any Good?
Author Mac Burnett and illustrator Carson Ellis have collaborated on a wonderful exploration of trying to define the feeling of love. What Is Love? shows the many ways people care for each other, and that love means something different to everyone. It can be hard to put that feeling into words, but you know it when you feel it, and at that moment you can understand its importance.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how to answer the question What Is Love? in their own lives. What small gestures make you feel loved?
What can you do to show the people and animals in your life that you care about them?
When was a time that you've felt loved?
Book Details
- Author: Mac Barnett
- Illustrator: Carson Ellis
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Great Boy Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Chronicle Books
- Publication date: December 28, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 3 - 5
- Number of pages: 44
- Available on: Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: January 4, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
What to Read Next
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate