Full, Full, Full of Love - Softcover

Trish Cooke is the author of numerous books for children, including the award-winning SO MUCH, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and THE GRANDAD TREE, illustrated by Sharon Wilson. Of FULL, FULL, FULL OF LOVE, she says, "Sunday dinner is just another excuse for my family to party. And believe me, we do! On Sunday Mom’s house is always full. It’s like musical chairs sometimes because you can guarantee that if you get up from your chair, someone else will have filled it by the time you get back! The best thing is there are always lots of hugs to go around!"
Paul Howard has illustrated many books for young people, including THE OWL WHO WAS AFRAID OF THE DARK by Jill Tomlinson and CLASSIC POETRY: AN ILLUSTRATED COLLECTION, edited by Michael Rosen. Of FULL, FULL, FULL OF LOVE, he says, "Jay Jay’s Sunday reminds me of my own nan’s mammoth Sunday dinners when I was a child. From behind your shoulder Nan would always put more food on your plate - despite the helpless pleas, ‘No more! No more!’ "

Cooke's (So Much) rhythmic prose hits a magical note between chant and lullaby, and her tale conveys a bone-deep understanding of how children cherish familial ties. As Jay Jay helps his grandmother prepare for the extended family's Sunday dinner, he finds a comforting, often palpable abundance everywhere he looks. Grannie herself is "soft and warm and full,/ full of hugs and kisses./ Kiss, kiss./ Hugs and cuddles." When Grannie distracts an increasingly hungry Jay Jay with a visit to her fish tank, he notices that it, too, is "full,/ full of all kinds of fishes./ Splash, splish./ Wiggle, wiggle." Howard's (The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark) artwork throughout the book has an expansive, unbuttoned feel, but the spread for this latter vignette is particularly striking: he contrasts the grandmother and grandson's warm, coffee-toned skin and soft, chocolate eyes with the tropically-hued array swimming in front of them. When dinner finally appears on the table, Cooke shifts to rhyming couplets that fairly telegraph Jay Jay's anticipation ("There were buttery peas,/ chicken and yams,/ macaroni and cheese,/ potatoes and ham"). Howard similarly turns the mouth-watering meal into a feast for the eyes. Readers will find themselves joining Jay Jay in contentedly savoring the way a gathering of loved ones feels deliciously big and complete. Ages 2-up.
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