Published by Little Tiger Press, 2019.

Grandma has been visiting her young grandson, Edwyn. As she leaves, he blows her a kiss goodbye. She catches it and puts it in her pocket. She heads to the bus stop and the mood changes: the sky turns grey, rain lashes down and there’s a queue of miserable people. Grandma notices a particularly sad-looking old man. She takes the kiss from her pocket and shows it to him. He smiles and then he and Grandma dance in the puddles. The happiness is contagious and soon everyone is dancing in the street. The skies clear, the rain stops and the scene is flooded with bright colours once more – such is the power of the kiss and love to transform.

Later, Grandma is walking through the park. A stressed out mom is shouting at her young daughter. Once again Grandma takes the kiss from her pocket. The angry words turn to colourful balloons and laughter.

When Grandma is back home, a greedy rich man knocks on her door and says that he wants to buy the kiss. He believes that because he is rich he is entitled to anything he wants. Grandma refuses. The rich man returns every day, trying different ways to get Grandma to part with the kiss. Eventually he steals it and locks it away in a cage. But love is meant to be shared. Locked away, the kiss begins to wither…

The Kiss is such a beautiful book, both in terms of its message and as something to look at and hold. The illustrations are absolutely stunning! The swirling amber leaves of the end papers set the tone for this richly autumnal book. The pages are full of vibrant colours and an abundance of beautiful trees and flowers. The depiction of the kisses as little glowing stick people whose arms bend to make the shape of a heart is really lovely too.

This is such a happy, uplifting story! It’s a celebration of love and kindness. It’s about spreading joy, looking out for other people and trying to brighten their day.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 3+

Thank you to Little Tiger for sending me this book to review.