February Books of Love

In February, love is in the air. . . and on the air, as we hear of books with different takes on love. Laurie Dreyer, manager of the (currently under renovation) Lansingburgh branch of Troy Public Library tells us of four kids books. “Eyes That Kiss in the Corners” (Joanna Ho, ill. Dung Ho, 2021) tells of an Asian girl who realizes that her eyes differ from her classmates but resemble her mother’s and grandmother’s, helping her love them and herself more. “Hair Love” (Matthew A. Cherry, ill. Vashti Harrison, 2019) shows a father loving his daughter by helping her arrange her hair in a natural style. “Worm Loves Worm” (J. J. Austrian, ill. Mike Curato, 2016) brings the most basic story of one being loving another being. And “Anzu the Great Kaiju” (Benson Shum, 2022) shows a kaiju — a large creature similar to Mothra or Godzilla — torn between wanting to honor his parents by destroying a city yet discovering he loves the little people too much to do so. For more details on these and other books, visit www.thetroylibrary.org. To find other libraries in New York State, see www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/#Find. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.