Love can manifest in an instant. It is powerful, mysterious and reflexive. It is easy to do, yet asks everything of you. It’s known the world over and expressed a million different ways, but one thing never changes…
You know love when you feel it.
Love can be so many things. Sometimes love - a new parent love - is softly spoken, in gentle coos and whispers. Sometimes love - a grandparent’s love - sings out adoringly, sending melody right into your memory. Sometimes love - a furry friend love - mews and scampers, right into your living room and into your life.
When I was a little girl, my dad had dozens of barn cats at our family farm. Anytime there was a golden kitten flitting about or sleeping in the rim of a combine or tractor, I would scoop it up, call it Pancake, and declare it mine.
Decades passed without a single pet. Then last year, my sister’s celestially speckled cat, Luna, had a litter all her own. Within the soft bundles delivered was a golden kitten, light and fluffy. Text messages about “Pancake Schulte” flooded my phone. Sometimes love is something your sister always knew you needed.
And when a pet enters your world, love is the only word that will do.
Something as universal and personal as love begs you to pen your own tale. And, when we share our own unique experiences, others no doubt see themselves and their truths within.
Such is the case with SOMETIMES LOVE, a new picture book that tells the story of a bond between a puppy and a family. This sweet, poignant, positively glowing book - inspired by events in the life of author Katrina Moore, and illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz - published on July 12, 2022 (Penguin Young Readers/Dial). And it’s currently illuminating bookshelves, home libraries and hearts everywhere.
With specificity, creativity and tenderness, SOMETIMES LOVE shows how selfless, boundless and unconditional love can be. How love can build, change and grow into something new, yet immediately known. Here are three utterly lovely things about the new picture book SOMETIMES LOVE…
Rich & Warm
Love casts an undeniable glow, and picture book SOMETIMES LOVE captures the aura. Pink and lilac sweetly wash over the cover and pages, softly blending with watercolor continuity into touches of turquoise, coral and juniper. The effect is oh-so tender, welcoming and warm.
When a woven basket holding a little puppy arrives on the page, a new color pops within the palette. Everywhere the doggy goes, so follows a golden glow, representing the source of the family’s joy and affection. The enchantment of the art is matched and extended by gentle, sensory-rich poetry, which includes very particular morsels of truths that pet owners, in particular, will immediately recognize: Wobbly ears, fuzz that’s thick, love is sometimes at first lick.
Art by Joy Hwang Ruiz
Two Tales in One
SOMETIMES LOVE is a story about the relationship between a pet and its family, but it also offers something more. Within the artwork, and subtly detailed within the story, is another narrative. A parent in the book is a member of the military, and through clothing, photographs and news flashes, readers will glean that deployment is imminent and change is in the air.
Love is constant, but it’s an emotion that has to evolve to survive. SOMETIMES LOVE provides a specific example of how shifts in geography can put incredible strains on the bonds of affection, but how love is exactly what makes these changes endurable and, ultimately, beautiful.
Art by Joy Hwang Ruiz
Bent, Not Broken
The child in SOMETIMES LOVE lives through challenging circumstances. The puppy that she trained and snuggled and scolded and played with must be left behind at a boarding facility for pets of serving soldiers. Now she has to pack up her life, leave her home, let go of her dog, and begin a new story in a new place. How do our children adapt to such big shifts in place and connection?
The heartbeat of the story holds the key: Love is firm. Love can bend. Love knows how to be a friend. Despite the family’s move, one thing in the story remains constant - the love that they have for one another. It allows them to weather the dramatic adjustment, and it enables the child to embrace friends in another country. Everything that she learned about being a good companion is now an irrevocable part of her, which accompanies her in her travels and paves the way for new friendships.
Art by Joy Hwang Ruiz
Sometimes life throws you curve balls, out of the blue. Sometimes the pass is telegraphed long ago. But change is never easy, no matter how much notice you get. SOMETIMES LOVE provides readers a pathway through hurt, showing that remembering, celebrating and sharing is essential and part of growing up.
New things can be great - wonderful, even - and the people and pets that shape who we are can never be taken from us. They will hold a place in our hearts, forever. Plus, you never know what the future holds. (Reunions are always worth the wait.)
The Creators
Katrina Moore writes and teaches in New Jersey. Her mission is to create books that children will hug for ages. She is the author of the picture books, SOMETIMES LOVE, ONE HUG, GRANDPA GRUMPS, and its companion, GRUMPY NEW YEAR (Dec. '22), and the chapter book series, TEENY HOUDINI (HarperCollins/Tegen, '22), with more books on the way. Connect with her on Twitter at @kmoorebooks or at www.katrinamoorebooks.com.
Joy Hwang Ruiz is an illustrator and the creator of the website Mom Is Drawing, which captures the magical moments of parenthood. Joy’s multilingual family in Southern California is a mix of three continents (Asia, North America, Latin America). A former studio artist from the contemporary art world, Joy’s recent clients include Dove Baby, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Chronicle. Joy is represented by Molly O'Neil of Root Literary and Joy’s work can be viewed on Instagram at @momisdrawing.
One lucky reader will win
SOMETIMES LOVE,
signed by Katrina Moore!
1. "Like" this post (click the heart below)
2. Follow me (@anitraschulte) on Twitter
3. Retweet my contest tweet by 8/26/22
GOOD LUCK!
Readers who purchase SOMETIMES LOVE from Books of Wonder will receive a bookplate signed by author Katrina Moore. Details HERE!