The Children's Book Podcast

Marilyn Singer shares WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU, illustrated by Alette Straathof. WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU is a beautiful, inclusive story about animals courting and finding their mate. And it's about humans doing the same. Do you know that experience of picking up a book unsure of what to expect, only to end up talking and talking and talking to your friend about it? And all the while your friend says “I know, right? I KNOW, right?!” Well, WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU happens to be one of those books to me, and my good pal Mel Schuit happens to be one of those friends. Marilyn and I talk as if two long-separated friends with a lifetime of stories with which to catch up. I have known and loved her reverso poems including MIRROR, MIRROR since my very first year in the library. It’s quite possible that this invented poetic form gave rise to me writing poetry myself. All told, this conversation around this particular book feels like one that was a long time in the making and I’m so glad that it all happened just when it di