The Love that Grew by Sarah Ayoub

Title: The Love that Grew

Author: Sarah Ayoub

Genre: Family stories

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 16^th March 2022

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 24

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: The perfect book for growing families everywhere …

I thought I could not love another,
not a sister, nor a brother.
But just like magic, my love then grew
when I was blessed with more of you.

From bestselling author Sarah Ayoub and debut illustrator Mimi Purnell comes an ode to the heart-expanding love that swells and overflows with each addition to a family.

~*~

Sarah Ayoub’s latest book is a beautifully written rhyming picture book with lyrical words that explain how the love of a family grows when someone is added to it, particularly for smaller children who might be waiting to get a new sibling. Sarah has written it using gentle, fun rhymes that capture the world of children and all the wondrous things around them and use them to show what love means and how it can grow as a family grows.

This beautiful book is perfect to help explain the arrival of siblings, or any other additions or changes in a family to kids as it allows them to understand that love is not endless, and that they will always be a special and important part of the family they’re in.  It shows love as endless and huge, something that will always be there even when new siblings or family members arrive. It evokes a sense of trying to make your child feel safe and wanted, loved and cherished, as they get used to sharing the attention that they may have had to themselves for a while.

It is also about the power of a mother’s love, and her capacity to love so many people in her life. The beautiful poetry by Sarah is accompanied by whimsical water colour images in a variety of subdued yet colourful shades by illustrator Mimi Purnell, and together, they make the book special. The images enhance the words and tell the story of a mother’s love in lovely ways that bring Sarah’s words to life.

It focuses on how a mother’s love for her children grows with each new addition, and acts to reassure older children that they’ll always be loved, and younger children too. That sharing love is what makes it precious and magical, allowing readers of all ages to expand their hearts and allow love to come in. It is perfect for Mother’s Day as well, and evokes that special bond between a mother and child.