- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Fables
What Is Love?
A young boy sets out into the world to answer one enormous question: what is love? Everyone he meets has a different answer, but the truest one may be waiting back home. A beautiful, quietly profound fable from Mac Barnett and Carson Ellis.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length44 pp
- Read aloud~9 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Literary
- Lyrical
- Conversational
Tone
- Thought provoking
- Gentle
- Warm
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
A young boy asks his grandmother a simple, enormous question: what is love? "I can't answer that," she tells him, so the boy sets off into the wide world to find out for himself. Along the way he meets a fisherman, an actor, a carpenter, a poet and many more, and every single one of them has an answer to his question. Love is a fish. Love is applause. Love is a house you build. But not one of the answers feels quite right, and the boy keeps walking and wondering, until at last he begins to understand that the truest answer may have been waiting for him all along, somewhere much closer to home. Written with Mac Barnett's deceptively simple, folktale-perfect voice and illustrated in Carson Ellis's spectacular, richly detailed style, What Is Love? has the timeless feel of a modern classic. A gorgeous, philosophical picture book that gives children, and the grown-ups reading with them, a great deal to think and talk about.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A reflective picture book best shared aloud with 4-8s, with layers that reward older children and adults too. Its unhurried, philosophical mood suits thoughtful readers rather than those wanting fast action.
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- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 4–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Big questions
- Beautiful illustrations
- Philosophical
- Read aloud
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Wants fast plot
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The boy's quest to find out what love is takes him to all kinds of fascinating people with surprising answers, and children love guessing along with him. The moment he finally understands, close to home, is quietly wonderful and stays with you.
- Going on a quest
- Being understood finally
- Family belonging
Why parents love it
Mac Barnett's spare, folktale-perfect text and Carson Ellis's exquisite illustrations make this a picture book to treasure and return to. It opens a genuine, unhurried conversation about what love means, and rewards the adult reading aloud as much as the child.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Great writing
- Conversation starter
- Beloved classic
About the creators
About the creators.
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