All about family: ‘The Love That Grew’ by Sarah Ayoub

The Love that Grew is a sort of picture book / pre-schooler take on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem ‘How Do I Love Thee?’ which begins How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… An ode to a mother’s love and to families, it explores different ways to describe the indescribable, with sweet illustrations by debut picture book illustrator Mimi Purnell. I thought I could not love another,not a sister, nor a brother.But just like magic, my love then grewwhen I was blessed with more of you.It stretched as high as the beanstalk climbed by Jack:impossible to measure, and hard to track.A feeling that was both fierce and strongand the-longest-noodle-you-can-think-of-long. The Love that Grew This would be perfect picture book for a little one expecting a new brother or sister. Mums and Dads find that, while time can be difficult to share around with a new baby, love is different – there is usually plenty to go around no matter how many new siblings arrive. The rhyming couplets lend themselves well to read-aloud sessions – just right for snuggling; baby, toddler, book and parent together. The Love that Grew is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in March 2022.My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.