Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review A boy asks his grandmother, "What is love?" She suggests he leave their home to find out. As he travels, he prompts a wide range of responses: a fish, applause, the night, a house? Characters explain why those things are love to them, but these items do not resonate with the boy. Lovely and lyrical, the text goes on to add more replies, including snow, trees, food, and animals, ending with a lengthy list from a poet. As the boy questions the array of characters, they each sadly conclude, "You do not understand." The boy grows increasingly frustrated that he cannot get a satisfactory answer. As he journeys, time passes. In the end, two beautifully composed, expressionistic images provide readers with the best connection between the boy and his quest: An early spread showing the woman hugging her grandson amongst towering flowers is echoed at the end, with their positions reversed. The boy, now a man, shelters his grandmother within the visual circle of blooms. Flat gouache paintings provide the perfect ethereal setting for the fairy tale like story. The clothes are not specific to any era, and there is little evidence of technology until a sports car briefly appears. The words and images work together to create layers of thought and understanding, making this book rewarding to a wide range of readers.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

A young man narrates a story looking back at his childhood. When as a small boy he asks his grandmother what love is, she takes him in her arms and suggests he find the answer out in the world. Setting off on foot, as captured in richly colored gouache illustrations by Ellis (The Shortest Day, rev. 11/19; In the Half Room, rev. 9/20), he queries those he meets along the way, including a fisherman, an actor, a carpenter, and a cat. Most of the declarations, depicted via Ellis's distinctive hand-lettering ("love is..."), confuse him. Love is a fish, says the fisherman. Love is applause, says the actor. The boy's responses are frequently blunt (fish are "slimy" and have "creepy eyes") and digressive: to the carpenter's analogy describing love as a house, he responds, "I'm not allowed to use hammers. Once I busted my thumb." These comments bring humor and a childlike authenticity to a topic often addressed with excessive sentimentality. Each time the boy is given an answer and rejects it, those he had queried sigh at him: "You do not understand." Time passes; the boy grows taller and older. It isn't until he arrives home -- possessing some wisdom, and reunited with his grandmother (whom he lifts tenderly into his arms) -- that he feels like he has found his answer. This moving, but never cloying, book -- a specialty of author Barnett (Extra Yarn, rev. 1/12; A Polar Bear in the Snow, rev. 9/20) -- will have children putting their inferencing skills to work to identify the theme in the various responses. Ellis's subtle details are gratifying -- especially the grandmother's cozy pink house, the book's beating heart. Wholly lovable. Julie Danielson

Kirkus Reviews

A boy leaves home to find the answer to the age-old question, "What is love?"In this homey parable told in first person, an unnamed narrator asks his grandmother what love is, but instead of answering, she encourages him to go out into the world to find the answer. What follows is an episodic meeting of characters incorporating a bracketed refrain. "What is love?" the boy asks each character he meets. Each one then likens love to something that is meaningful to their life: The fisherman believes that love is a fish, the actor insists that love is applause, the carpenter thinks it is a house, and so on. However, the literal-minded boy is unconvinced by each character's arguments. Fish are slimy and taste bad, applause is ephemeral, and hammers are dangerous. The encounters all end the same way: "You do not understand," each character sighs. It is not until he returns as a grown man back home to his grandmother that he finally does. Static watercolor illustrations accompany the tale, giving the impression of a collection of still lifes rather than an immersive journey. And while the simplicity works well with the folk feeling and dry humor of the storytelling, it may not be the most engaging for young readers. The lesson, however, is eternal. Both boy and grandmother have beige skin, the boy's hair black and the grandmother's gray; other characters met are racially diverse.Not exactly groundbreaking, but still a sweet and timeless lesson. (Picture book. 4-8)