Like So

by Ruth Forman, Raissa Figueroa (Illustrator)

From bestselling author Ruth Forman and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree Raissa Figueroa comes a lyrical and vibrant picture book honoring the love and bond that exists between family and child even in complicated times.

Told from Nana’s point of view, this simple, affirming, and comforting read-aloud shows how every family’s love is natural and connected to the world around us. Just as the sun loves the day, the moon loves the waves, and the night sky loves the star glow…so is our love for each innate, wondrous, and infinite.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Love, Childrens, African American, Nature, Storytime

40 pages, Board Book

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breathtakingly beautiful illustrations with sweet and simple text perfect for baby or toddler storytime. I loved when pictures highlight intergenerational relationships like the one illustrated between this granddaughter and grandmother.

[gabby wicker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written with simple text that flows together almost musically. The artwork is tied in to the each emotion conveyed and it serves as a simple yet poignant reminder of the love that is shared between people even when there is space between them.

On another note, as someone who recently lost my mother I interpreted the end of the book as a reminder that even after losing someone the love between one another doesn't fade and you can find reminders of their affection in day-to-day life.

[Carla (Carla's Book Bits) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully simple writing, but the illustrations are even more gorgeous. This made me miss my late grandmother so much, I felt a bit of a tear lodge in my eye while paging through this book. What a wonderfully gentle and loving book.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh it didn’t save my review.


The art made the text soar with this one. Made me miss my gma so much. nothing more special than a black gma <33

Gonna gift / rec this one to my mama she is totally this gma for my little which is so special. Adding this one to our fam library.

Could also see this as a fantastic mentor text for elementary ELA units. So much potential here for how to use it.

A keeper !

[Brittney Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A peaceful read…

Thank you @simonkids 📖

Hugs🤗 nature🌿 and stargazing🌌 and plenty more to feed the soul!

[Jennifer J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the pictures, and the relationship of child and grandmother.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Cute! Lovely illustrations and a simplistic, lyrical story.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple text but absolutely gorgeous illustrations show the love of a family.

[Olivia]

LIKE SO is a lovely picture book about love. Featuring a grandmother and granddaughter, the book proposes that "We got love like so," and compares their love to world around them. Traveling through nature and around a day, the images tell a story of a life spent together in love.

What I loved: Sweeping, stunning illustrations make this a book to explore. It is absolutely gorgeous with colors that fill the page and capture nature, love, and life beautifully. The message of the story is simple, and the focus is on the imagery. Only a few words appear on each page, with a lyrical cadence that brings to life the poetry of the sentiment.

This will work for a large variety of ages, from older infants and up. I could definitely see this as a board book in the future, as the message is lovely and simple, easily enjoyed by all ages. The font is easy to read and does not take away from the illustrations that really steal the show.

Final verdict: LIKE SO is a beautiful and lush picture book that celebrates love. Recommend for all ages.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Cara BookShelfMomma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book Like So we see a beautiful and pure love between a grandmother and her grandchild. It is compared to the simple beauty of nature. So pure. The illustrations are amazing, the colors so vibrant. This book was a Cornett’s Scott King Illustrator Honoree. I am grateful to @simonkids and @ruthformanpoet for this gifted review copy and will be putting it in my Little Free Library to share with others.

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you discover new picture books? I used to go into libraries and physical bookstores, but these days teaching takes up much more of my free time, and browsing in person feels increasingly indulgent and rare. School Library Journal’s free summertime digital event, Picture Book Palooza, has been a great resource for me these past few years – publishers highlight their latest releases all in one place, and I’m able to spend as much or as little time as I have on discovery. All of that to say, Picture Book Palooza introduced me to poet Ruth Forman and illustrator Raissa Figueroa's Like So, a beautiful picture book I am sure I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise.

Ruth Forman’s narrative in Like So is about the love between a grandmother (or perhaps even a great-grandmother!) and granddaughter. That love spans time and place, and illustrates how love is felt in different contexts. Forman’s story begins with kisses and hugs exchanged in a domestic environment and then moves out into nature. Nature is used to compare how big their love is – with the titular repeated “like so.” Their love for each other is as big as butterflies on a sunny day, the moon and waves at night, days, trees, chickadees, and more. No matter where or when, the love between them is as big as the universe.

Neither grandmother nor grandchild are named or given those specific titles or relationship within the story, so it is possible that it could be about elders and children in general, or a great aunt and a great-niece, for instance. Through extended similes the text assures younger readers (or listeners!) that they are safe, loved, and secure. Overall, the word choices throughout are spare, simple, and poetic – with just a few words or a sentence at most on each page, and full phrases sometimes set over several page spreads, such as this excerpt:

“I got love like you

you got love like me

we got love

like so.”

Raissa Figueroa’s expressive and expansive art combines with the brief text for a picture book experience that seems at first almost entirely visual. The sky is a huge focus in the outdoor illustrations – appearing in ombre pinks, purples, and blues of daylight, sunset, and deep night, depending on the page. The paired figures of granddaughter and grandmother appear together both throughout the seasons and on every page until the last few, when they appear together only in the stars – indicating perhaps that the grandmother figure has passed away, but her love is still present. Little smears of white, which at first seems to be flour from working on a project together in the kitchen, and then maybe the glittering of butterfly wings, and then perhaps snow – connect each of the different scenes together, until it becomes the starlit love up in the sky.

In all, Like So is a beautiful marriage of both text and images that celebrates intergenerational relationships and love. It’s brief enough read to appeal to very young readers and their adults as well. There’s an excellent read aloud by the author available on YouTube, if you don’t have time to go out and get a copy right away!

Recommended for: read alouds for young ones ages two to five, and their adults, and anyone looking for stories that beautifully illustrate the relationships between elders and the very young.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: LIKE SO by Ruth Forman and Raissa Figueroa, Simon & Schuster/Little Simon, January 2024, 40p., ISBN: 978-1-6659-1754-4

“My grandpa said to me, ‘Grandson, sit down, we need to talk’
In life, there may be times when it gets hard to walk the walk
It's easier to take the path that most have traveled on
But then again, sometimes to do what's right, you must walk alone
And that is a lonely road, oh”
– The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, “Lonely Road” (2009)

I’ve talked and written a thousand times about how different my life would have been, had I not been the fortunate and grateful recipient of all the love and time that my grandfather Rex shared so generously with me, his eldest grandson. Whether it was upstairs in his comfortable home office, or splashing around out in the waters of Long Island Sound, where he’d hang out with me for as long as I wanted to be out there, my own experience is that there is nothing like the bond between a grandparent and their grandchild.

LIKE SO, is a gentle and stunningly beautiful picture book tale about a loving Black grandmother and her sweet granddaughter.

“I kiss you like so
you kiss me like so
I hug you like so
you hug me like so
we got love
like so”

Told from the grandmother’s perspective, and primarily set outdoors, the natural beauty of flowers, butterflies, hills, stars, and moonlight upon the snow perfectly complement the visible joy and love shared between the blissful child and the expressive, adoring, attentive grandmother.

The poetry concludes with the little girl standing before a window, alone, the love visibly glowing in her, as she gazes out upon a clear, star-filled, night sky.

In the same fashion that some beloved performer or band segues into an old favorite for their final encore, one can readily imagine this book becoming the traditional final act in a bedtime reading ritual. Because, in the big picture, it really is all about the love we share…like so.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how to describe this book. It's marvelous. It's an ode to love. Again, it's about that very special relationship between grandchild and grandparent.

This is a feeling transfered from the page to your heart. What a magical experience.

The artwork is top notch. It was so lovely. This would be my pick for Caldecott at this point. I loved it. Each page blended the colors from one to the next. Oh, that night with the moon on the ocean and the child and adult int he moonlight was stunning. The page of pinks had me tickled. I loved the artwork in this book. It's like flipping through love or something.

I think people should try this out. So what you think. I love this book.

[Elena L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the acclaimed poet - Ruth Forman - this poetic picture book is a tribute to the powerful bond of love shared by families. This book celebrates the family love with all its relatable expressions; and Ruth uses the pureness of nature to highlight the relationships, both familial and with the nature. Written during the pandemic, this book is LOVE at its core. The evocative art conveys all the emotions and it is a utterly heartwarming experience. And I hope each reader will have their own experience with it.

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Simon kids . All opinions are my own ]

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Forman is a poet so this book reads like a poem or a song.
It highlights the love shared between a grandmother and her granddaughter, comparing that love and relationship to things like the moon and the tides or a tree and a chickadee. The lovely illustrations show them cooking together and stargazing and playing in the snow - so the book has a rhythm of the four seasons to it, also.
A nice book for bedtime, I think.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful cadence of words and illustration sharing the love of grandmother and grandchild through grandma’s point of view, up until the end of the book, when the girl finishes the story. And while the words seem simple, the meaning is powerful and provides opportunity for conversation and remembering. Pay attention to the first and last illustration pages, there is more there that could be easily overlooked.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Simon Kids & Little Simon, for my free book. My opinions are my own.

What a beautiful book! From the gorgeous illustrations that show constant movement, to the love-affirming prose, this book is an amazing example of how grandparental love--indeed, love in general--is infinite and as a part of us as the elements. And never ending. From the home to the fields to the seasons to the stars, love is one with everything and is shown in infinite ways.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like So by Ruth Forman is a toddler board book about the love between a grandmother and her granddaughter using day to day activities and nature to show love, like so. Beautifully illustrated by Raissa Figureroa, with few words on each page, the illustrations really bring the story to life. It's a sweet book with repeating words and phrases which is good for toddlers and little ones beginning how to recognize letters and words.

Thank you Simon Kids for the gifted copy.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this heartwarming story that reads more like a poem, a grandmother and granddaughter show how love their expresses itself “like so,” reaching beyond each other and their family to the farthest reaches of the universe. Evocative illustrations demonstrate how love is more abundant than dark matter.

[Madison Paprzycki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout this book, all of the illustrations were very detailed and it would be engaging for students. This book will keep students wanting to keep reading and listening. Throughout the story, it talks about the love and bond between a grandmother and a granddaughter and how powerful that can be and how family is important. This can be used in the classroom for when students as a diverse read.

[Emmy]

Like So is a playful and imaginative hardcover book that explores the quirks of language and the way children express themselves. With fun illustrations and a lighthearted tone, it celebrates the creativity of communication while capturing the innocence and joy of childhood. The illustrations are beautiful making the book so good!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sweetest and most loving lap read showing the love between a Black grandmother and grandchild through the seasons. The text issued simple and the illustrations are soothing and painterly. A perfect cozy, loving read.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty art. Simple text. The phrase "like so" is not one I use, so this felt awkward reading it outloud. Your mileage may vary.

A grandmother and grandaughter show affection and an appreciation for nature.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an beautifully illustrated book! I love how this book is told from the perspective of the grandma. I love how it shows the happiness that love brings. And I love how it shows that that all of nature has love in it, how all of nature is loving on us too.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Simon and Schuster through Edelweiss+.
The artwork is stunning and captures the many ways love can be shown "like so." The simple text shares such broad meaning as readers see this child and grandmother share their love for each other. A lovely book for families.

[Katy Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about the love a grandma and granddaughter share. While this book would be great for at home use, I would most likely not include it in my classroom. If I did include it in my classroom, it would be in the library for students to read or take home.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this concept of the love between a grandmother and her granddaughter. I have a Gran who I look up to so much, so I can relate. But the improper grammar was a huge drawback for me. Use the words "have" and "has." It's not that difficult. Beautiful illustrations, though.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language, the cadence, the bright, tender art. I like it so much! :)

[Anna Wooliver Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tearjerker

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a poem.

As the end flap says "A tribute to the powerful bond of love shared by families...."

Beautiful illustrations.