1. Babies
2. Country
3. Endpapers
4. Families
5. Family relationships
6. Love
7. Parent and child
8. Perception
9. Sharing
10. Sleep
11. Visual literacy

A gentle book that tells of the boundless love between adults and children especially within families. When told, ‘I love you’, it asks through a child, ‘How much?’ But how do we define love and how big is love? The love between family members is generally our first experience of love and how we learn to recognise and learn to love.

‘How Big is Love’ looks at the special love between adults and children in an Indigenous family. Snuggled together on the porch the child asks ‘How much?’ when told they are loved. At each answer the child replies ‘Is that all?’ At each adult reply, love is described in geographical terms, ‘to the fence’, ‘to the top of the highest tree…’ or ‘to the end of our Country’. Love grows in these terms until it encompasses all of time and creation.

Knowing they are loved brings comfort, reassurance and safety to anyone especially children making this a delightful and comforting book to share with young children. The language is warm, lyrical and calming and the concept of love and how it can be described are things to talk about with children.

The illustrations depict the importance of Country and Creation and appear to expand reflecting the growth in the size of love.

Author Carl Merrison is a respected Jaru/Kija man from the Halls Creek WA area. He has worked for over 10 years alongside Aboriginal youth as a mentor and coach. Carl was the winner of the black&write! Fellowship in 2020 for his young readers’ series Backyard Sports, and his debut picture book, My Deadly Boots, was shortlisted in the Queensland Literary Awards 2023 and the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards 2023.

Author Hakea Hustler is an experienced teacher who has taught around Australia, including in remote Aboriginal communities. Hakea is committed to Indigenous education with a focus on story as learning and empowerment.

Jade Goodwin is a First Nations illustrator living on Wonnaruna Country in the NSW Hunter Valley. Since illustrating her first children’s book in 2022, she has illustrated over 23 books and counting.

1. Just So Stories 2 Nov 2025 review by Sue Warren of ‘How Big is Love?’ by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler https://losangzopa.blog/2025/11/02/how-big-is-love-carl-merrison-and-hakea-hustler-illustrated-by-jade-goodwin/
2. Scholastic Teaching Notes by Cara Shipp for ‘How Big is Love’ https://resource.scholastic.com.au/ResourceFiles/100146148_133527.pdf
3. The Book Muse 26 Aug 2025. Ashleigh Meikle reviews ‘How Big is Love’ by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler. Illustrated by Jade Goodwin https://ashleighmeikle.com.au/2025/08/26/how-big-is-love-by-carl-merrison-and-hakea-hustler-illustrated-by-jade-goodwin/
4. Kids’ Book Review 26 Nov 2019. ‘12 Curly Questions with authors Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler’ http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2019/11/12-curly-questions-with-authors-carl.html