Love Grows: A Poetic Story About an Aunt and Niece with Bright Illustrations for Kids

by Ruth Spiro, Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)

A delightful celebration of family, plants, and the boundlessness of love told in lively, poetic letters from aunt to niece with bright, irresistible illustrations ! Every month, an aunt mails a letter and a houseplant to her niece and . . . LOVE GROWS! I'm sending this pothos, so while we're apart, you'll look at its leaves and know you're in my heart. In the vein of We A re the Gardeners and Dear Girl, this beautiful story is the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, graduation, and more! Young readers and gardeners will also love the sidebars on each spread with fun and informative facts about the plants.  

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Nature, Plants, Childrens, Gardening

32 pages, Hardcover

Published December 26, 2023

About the author

Ruth Spiro is the author of the Baby Loves Science series, published by Charlesbridge. These adorably illustrated board books contain expert-reviewed science, yet are simple enough for the very youngest readers. Another new picture book series, Made by Maxine, will be published by Dial in October, 2018.

Ruth is a frequent speaker at schools and conferences, and recent presentations include the Early Childhood STEM Conference at CalTech and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

Reviews

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

In epistolary format, LOVE GROWS, is clever and in rhyme! Kids will learn about plants and how an aunt can be a loving and encouraging member of a family. Adorable illustrations! Teachers doing plant projects with young students will love sharing this picture book.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who wouldn't want a loving Aunt to send them all these lovely plants!!? Cute intro to becoming a plantie!

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A girl receives ten plants as gifts from her aunt.

After a visit, an aunt who has a large collection of house plants sends her niece different plants as an act of love and to share the joy of gardening with her through which they can bond.

This book teaches the names and attributes of common house plants.

While the story is very beautiful and symbolic, it is best policy never to give a plant as a gift unless the recipient is an avid gardener who specifically requested a specific plant. Like pets, plants are a responsibility, may be toxic to pets and small children, and can be a burden as well as a source of guilt. Even the easiest to care for plants still require resources, time, energy, space, and a particular environment.

This story brought back memories of how I was once given a plant as a wedding favor, and I had the superstitious fear that if I killed it with my black thumb, then the couple would get divorced. It did die, and they are still married. Thank goodness.

The illustrations were done with gouache, colored pencil, and crayon digitally assembled.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given this book a 4 because it's delightful, and my daughter has turned her own room into a paradise of houseplants. But unlike my daughter the author here didn't do enough research, and the blurbs about each plant leave out that several of them are toxic to cats and dogs. If the heroine's dog ingests that snake plant or leaves from several of the others, it is going to be one sick puppy.

This may seem like a quibble for some of you, but having gone through having an adventurous cat's emergency treatment after ingesting a star gazer lily, it's enough to cause me to downgrade the book's rating. And that's disappointing because otherwise it's a really nice book.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww! A plant-loving aunt introduces her niece to the wonderful world of houseplants by sending her a new one in the mail each month along with a cute rhyme. This will put a smile on the face of current and aspiring gardeners, young and old.

However! Please pay attention to the review that highlights that some of the plants profiled are toxic for pets--making them a no-no in this household that includes a cute little dog who scampers along each page. LOVE GROWS is fantasy, but real indoor gardeners need to read up on each plant they bring into their home if they also have pets.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a heartwarming introduction to plants and the joys of letter writing! Every child deserves an aunt or uncle who takes the time and makes the effort to develop such a special relationship with a niece or nephew. The tags are a clever way to name and describe each plant. Expressive illustrations show how relationships grow when nurtured with love and attention. Inside covers include a glossary of the “smarty plants” featured in the story. “Like you, plants need sunlight and water to live. With practice, you’ll figure out how much to give.” Truth!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about coming home from a getaway is opening snail mail! 🐌💌 And what better surprise than new books?! I’m just in love with Ruth Spiro’s new picture book with Lucy Ruth Cummins, which celebrates two of my favorite things: being an aunt AND houseplants! 🪴 Definitely getting this one for our school libraries, and my niece, too! (Or more so maybe her mom who will love it just as much! 😘😂)

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief summary: A young girl's auntie sends her a plant per month with a tag of information about the plant. By the end of the year, the girl has a plant garden.

Comments: The front and back-pasted end pages outline the twelve plants with the Latin name, origins, and light preference.

This story is done in rhyme. The illustrations are gouache, colored pencil, and crayon.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because the cover had a DOG. Who can resist that?!

It started out really cute with Auntie sending a letter and a plant. Then in the middle of the book, we just got some rhyming, but no letters. Weird.

I loved all of the houseplants that are presented and how they're explained in a way that children will be able to remember their names. This would be a great book for a young child who would love to grow indoor plants.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mail brings a letter and a new plant each month. Young readers will learn about some common houseplants and what they require to grow successfully. Perhaps some readers will want to help their families care for houseplants they already own or maybe want to embark on having some houseplants of their own. The illustrations are lush and add a great deal to the story.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are cute, and the book introduces a variety of different plant types, but it's never clear whether or not the little girl's mother consented to her child receiving this vast collection of houseplants from the aunt, and the book never notes that some of these plants are toxic for children or pets to ingest.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful look. It’s about various types of plants and a little girl who receives new ones frequently. The rhyme that tells the story is well done and perfect for the audience. The little plant tags with the types of plants are a genius idea that goes perfect with the story.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every month, an aunt mails a letter and a houseplant to her niece. A delightful story about the loving relationship between a niece and her aunt, and a fun introduction to houseplants.

[Susan Schipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written rhyming PB. The story shares the love of plants as well as the love shared between an Aunt and niece. End pages highlight the various plants found in the story.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely - thee we nurturing & caring for plant gifts from a beloved aunt

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super adorable story and introduction to common houseplants for readers.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Fun way to be introduced to a variety of plants.

[Kelly]

It was ok. Decent rhyming, cool letter format, unique that it's about plants from an aunt. The illustrations were my favorite part though.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of letters written to the main character by her aunt. She sends her niece a new type of plant each month and the page has a description and illustration of the new plant.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the plant love!

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love plants and this book, showing a girl and her aunt’s loving relationship through plants, is so adorable!

[Ms. Madalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, just too long for storytime.

[Sandra Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book full of fun things to learn about plants :)

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl receives a house plant from her aunt each month. Rhyming text introduces each plant.
Tie-in: Science units about plants and what they need to thrive.

[Evalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This past year, I am realizing that Lucy Ruth Cummins (illustrator and author of Dalmartian, Stumpkin, etc.) is one of my favorite children's illustrators of all time. This book was delightful, and will definitely be loved in my home as a calm, charming read. I really enjoyed seeing all the different plants in this book, named as they are gifted to the girl by her aunt, and seeing them all happily reunite at the end.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

And auntie expresses her love to her niece by sending her plants. There is brief information about each one presented in a fun way. Pothos, Spider, Monstera, Fern, Cactus, Snake Plant, Succulent, Fiddle-Leaf Fig, Maranta, ZZ Plant.