The Love That Grew

The perfect book for growing families everywhere ...

I thought I could not love another,
not a sister, nor a brother.
But just like magic, my love then grew
when I was blessed with more of you.

From bestselling author Sarah Ayoub and debut illustrator Mimi Purnell comes an ode to the heart-expanding love that swells and overflows with each addition to a family.

In the vein of Sam McBratney's You're All My Favourites comes a picture book that captures the idea that a mother's love is unlimited when it comes to her children, no matter how many there are. Sarah Ayoub is paired with debut picture book illustrator Mimi Purnell to show that love is an open-ended resource, as are the similes used to describe it. Told in rhyming couplets, this book could work for any family whose children need a reminder that they are all loved equally-even if the illustrations only show three children throughout. The fact that the story doesn't feature a second parent in any way increases its relevance, as it doesn't assume a nuclear family dynamic (but does not discount this either). Heavy on sentiment, The Love That Grew lends itself to commercial success. Children aged two to four, especially those adjusting to a new addition to the family, will connect with the book's humour and heart. Michael Earp is a writer, bookseller and the manager of The Little Bookroom.

Sarah Ayoub is a journalist, bestselling author and academic with a PhD in migrant Australian YA literature. Her work has been published in The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Review of Books, Meanjin and more. Sarah is a Stella Schools Program ambassador, has mentored the youth curators of The Sydney Writers' Festival YA program, contributed to the anthology Arab, Australian, Other: Stories on Race and Identity and most recently been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Sarah was elected to the board of the Australian Society of Authors in 2021 and is currently working on her first novel for adults as the writer-in-residence of Sweatshop Literacy Movement.Sarah is an advocate for education and Australian stories, appearing at schools and festivals where she promotes her YA novels Hate is Such a Strong Word, The Yearbook Committee and The Cult of Romance, as well as her picture books The Love that Grew, Nice and Slow and How to Be a Friend.Mimi Purnell is an illustrator and graphic designer born in England and now living in Australia. After completing a degree in Creative Industries she designed for agencies, animations and films and is now focusing her time on creating sweet illustrations and spending lots of time outdoors.

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