What is Love?

“Caldecott Honor artist Carson Ellis (Duz Iz Tak) invitingly renders the child’s quest in vibrant, multi-layered spreads of gouache on watercolor paper… Barnett, meanwhile, gently underscores to all readers the familiar, rewarding comforts of true, unconditional love.”

“Lovely and lyrical . . . Flat gouache paintings provide the perfect ethereal setting for the fairy tale-like story. . . . The words and images work together to create layers of thought and understanding, making [What Is Love?] rewarding to a wide range of readers.”

“This poetic story appeals to a wide range of readers. . . Together, the narrative and illustrations are well balanced. . . Young children and their families will enjoy the blend of silliness and beauty in this memorable depiction of one boy’s quest to learn more about love.”

“[With] some pleasingly humorous touches along the way . . . Ellis’ gouache art is familiarly spare yet gemütlich, picking up the text’s folkloric mood as the boy travels. [What Is Love?] could lead to some interesting discussions about how we all define love.”

“Gouache paintings by Ellis give the story a fairy tale atmosphere, and a sense of theater, too, as rakishly costumed characters pose like actors on a stage. Barnett injects humor by making the book’s hero honest to a fault. . . . Ellis’s spreads. . . retain her distinctive look throughout—an aesthetic perfectly suited to the tender moment when the boy returns home to the person who answers his question.”

“[C]aptured in richly colored gouache illustrations by Ellis [and] distinctive hand-lettering . . . [t]his moving, but never cloying, book—a specialty of author Barnett—will have children putting their inferencing skills to work. . . . Ellis’s subtle details are gratifying—especially the grandmother’s cozy pink house, the book’s beating heart. Wholly lovable.”

“Barnett’s story is profound and accessible, a tale infused with a sense of adventure and a timeless quality. Carson Ellis’ illustrations add color and energy to the proceedings. Thanks to her fanciful, detailed depictions, each character the boy encounters has a distinct personality. This journey will inspire readers to consider the book’s central question and come up with answers of their own.”

“Both serious and amusing . . . moving . . . timeless . . . The shapes and patterns of Ellis’s art, combined with the tenor of Barnett’s narration, give this book an air of mystery, whatever love is or isn’t.”