Love Grows

Foliage proves the food of love for a child recipient in this epistolary primer on how to cultivate the spirit of Valentine’s Day any time of year. At book’s start, an auburn-haired child with pale skin, and their ever-present canine pal, receive a leafy pothos plant and a special rhyming note from their beloved Auntie, as a reminder of a recent visit to “our ‘plant family!’ ” The months and seasons pass, and Auntie sends additional notes, and more greenery, which soon lushly flood a windowsill. Spiro and Cummins tenderly vine a green-thumb vibe through every scene, noting each plant’s name and a brief fact alongside accurate renderings. When Auntie and her own peppy pooch arrive for a reunion, it’s a reminder that “from the top of your head/ to the tips of your toes,// just like your new plants/ my love for you grows.” End pages provide additional plant details. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)