All We Need Is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!

by Peter H. Reynolds, Henry Rocket Reynolds, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

You can fill a bookshelf, easily, with timeless, endearing, whimsical and inspiring books from Peter Reynolds. When it comes to gift giving, Reynolds is the master. Now, with the help of his son, All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow is added to his impressive catalog of must-haves.

A tender and timeless tale about what truly matters: LOVE — from creative visionary of The Word Collector, Happy Dreamer, and The Dot, #1 New York Times bestseller Peter H. Reynolds!

Poppy: All we need is love.

Little One: And a pillow.

Poppy: Yes, a pillow, but that is all we need.

This heartfelt celebration of love follows Poppy and Little One as they discuss all the things they need in life like a really good pillow or a roof over their heads but most important of all, love. Despite the challenges they face as a storm sweeps away their home, this duo never lose their optimism because in the end they know that all they truly need is love . . . and each other.

This tender, wholly original tale of all the ways we express and share love, from our most celebrated, bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds, is a needed comfort and a new classic that will offer reassurance to readers of every age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338572339
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/03/2023
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	49,508
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

PETER H. REYNOLDS is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many books for children, including Happy Dreamer, The Word Collector, Say Something!, Be You!, and Our Table. He is also the illustrator of When Thing Aren't Going Right, Go Left by Marc Colagiovanni. His books have been translated into over 25 languages around the globe and are celebrated worldwide. In 1996, he founded FableVision with his brother, Paul, as a social change agency to help create "stories that matter, stories that move." He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

08/14/2023

Reynolds (When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left) and son set a title that’s reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm story “The Fisherman and His Wife” on a seemingly barren landscape; there, a furry blue bipedal creature and its pink offspring muse upon themes of love and necessity. When Poppy declares that “love is all we need,” Little One readily agrees, making a modest addition of the eponymous pillow. After Poppy concedes the point, Little One successively adds more objects to their life, and the account becomes a running narrative about what one might require to live. In addition to love—noted as the finishing touch to each new addition—the two soon accumulate a roof, four walls, running water, chocolate, a cooking pot, a bathtub, a vegetable garden and a fruit tree, books, and an outdoor toilet. But as soon as they’re nicely situated, a violent storm sweeps everything away, leaving only their love for each other—which, Poppy reminds Little One, is really enough, especially when fluffy Poppy makes a fine pillow. The cartooning’s swift black lines and washes of bright pastels give the pictures a composed-on-the-spot immediacy, but the affection-focused story neglects to acknowledge the importance of an adequate standard of living: Isn’t everyone as deserving of life’s essentials as they are of love? Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for All We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow!:

An Amazon's Best Book of 2023

Praise for When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left written by Marc Colagiovanni, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds:

"Resilience and optimism win the day — and the long game — in an encouraging fable about finding one’s way." — Publishers Weekly

Praise for Our Table:

An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2021

* "In Reynolds’ established tradition, this story is simple and full of heart, celebrating the wonder and possibility of being human and being in relationship... Sweet and timely for today’s families." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Reynolds tells the story simply and illustrates it expressively… A reminder of what really matters.” — Booklist, starred review

Praise for Be You!:

"What is remarkable about the book is that even though the instructions and the brief sentences explaining them are at times vague, the illustrations expand on them in ways readers will find endearing and uplifting... Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Say Something!:

"A motivational must-have for every collection." — School Library Journal

"This book's encouragement to kids to find their voices can also be used to start a conversation about how they can make a difference in their world." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Word Collector:

"Peter H. Reynolds always manages to walk a delicate line with his books — make that a couple lines: weighty but not weighed down. Universal yet kid-centric. No easy feat." — Travis Jonker, School Library Journal

"Capture[s] the beauty of words and the wonder of sharing them with others... enchanting." — Kirkus Reviews

"Packs a powerful punch... capture[s] both the joy of learning and the power of kindness." — School Library Journal

Praise for Happy Dreamer:

"The message of acceptance and patience comes through clearly, and the exhortation to 'carve your own path' and 'show the world who you are' will be appreciated by anyone who has ever felt misunderstood." — Booklist

"Celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the joys of being a dreamer... a liberating validation of dreaming as restorative, comforting, and powerful, while giving kids full license to be themselves." — Publishers Weekly

"A sweet gift to praise spirited individuality, this choice encourages readers to dream big. Let those sparkles fly!" — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-07-13
We all need love, but is it all we need?

Poppy is large, fluffy, and blue, with hefty striped arms and big, owlish eyes. Little One is a teeny ball of pink fuzz, with smaller striped arms, little legs, and huge eyes. In a barren landscape of abstract orange circles, the two agree: “Love is all we need.” (One thing they don’t need: clothes.) Immediately, however, Little One begins to propose material additions: a really soft pillow or two, then, in short order, a roof, walls, water, chocolate, a bathtub, a cooking pot, a vegetable garden and a fruit tree, books, a toilet, and, of course, love. As each item appears, Poppy greets it enthusiastically, praising Little One’s cleverness but insisting that now they need nothing more for a “sweet and simple” life. Then a storm batters them, blowing everything away. Grabbing Little One, Poppy clings to a deep-rooted tree. They are safe, and again they have nothing except love—though Little One, snuggling into Poppy’s back, still has a really soft pillow. This book, with its fanciful creatures in their flat, isolated space, will provoke questions about what is truly “essential,” not just in material terms. The duo needed strength, perseverance, optimism, and courage, at least—something the authors never acknowledge. Realists will note other needs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A minimalist pair-bonding fable only for dedicated fans of Peter H. Reynolds. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews