Love

I went into *Love* expecting another saccharine children’s book about hugs and rainbows, so hearing de la Peña’s measured, almost conversational tone took me by surprise. His narration isn’t performative; it’s grounded, like he’s reading to a room of kids who might squirm if he got too mushy. The standout moment comes when he describes a child holding a parent’s hand in a crowded subway, the physical warmth cutting through the din—a detail so specific it feels like a memory. The pacing is brisk, but the pauses between lines are what make it work, giving listeners space to sit with the weight of each idea. That said, I wished the audiobook had leaned harder into the diversity of its examples; while it nods to different families, the illustrations (which aren’t part of the audio, of course) feel like stock photos of love, and the narration doesn’t push back against that visual sameness. A little more editorial boldness in the voice work—maybe a shift in tone for the harder realities, like the line about love being ‘tough’—could’ve elevated it even further. But these are minor quibbles for a work that, despite its brevity, lingers like a well-told secret. The fact that it’s narrated by the author is its secret weapon; you can hear the care in his delivery, like he’s making sure each syllable lands exactly where it should.