11 Words for Love (Randa Abdel-Fattah, illus by Maxine Beneba Clarke, Lothian)
Multi–award winning author Randa Abdel-Fattah and highly acclaimed author–illustrator Maxine Beneba Clarke unite with 11 Words for Love, a beautifully rendered, timely picture book created with heart. Appealing to children from birth to five, of diverse backgrounds and communities, Abdel-Fattah’s poetic narrative reads like a song. It is told as a journey through Arabic expressions, shown by a child of a family who has fled for safety—‘There are eleven words for love, and my family knows them all.’ Each spread enlightens, with Beneba Clarke’s linen-quality watercolour-pencil and collage illustrations representing a colourful energy of diversity, strength and togetherness. The family find love in a new home, meeting new friends, sharing kindness and celebrating special unions. They reminisce about people and places sadly missed, finding joy in nature, pets, neighbours and delicious feasts. There are 11 Arabic words and symbols for love, and each shows how ‘lovely it is to love and to be loved, facing the world heart-full’. 11 Words for Love provides scope for children to see themselves represented, for families to define their own meanings of love, and for educators to engage readers in discussions around refugees, immigration and culture. It’s a generous book of heart, soul, courage, kindness and love.
Romi Sharp is a picture book writer and digital marketer for children’s authors and publishers.
