There are many different ways to say, ‘I love you’, especially when you bring different people, cultures, locations and languages into the mix. This 32-page rhyming picture book takes readers on a whistle-stop tour around the globe. Each double spread features a different location and main character. The first spread shows Sami, a girl of about eight years, waking up for the day with her pet dog. The accompanying illustration depicts a sea of red roof tops, bell tower and mountainous backdrop, perhaps in Peru or Bolivia. In the final spread, a young Korean girl Ji-ah is shown resting in bed surrounded by toys at the end of a busy day. The intervening pages depict scenes in other locations at other times of the day: a child catches the bus to school; another visits a local market; a third plays in the park. Two pages at the back of the book briefly explore ‘I love you’ in different languages and where the language is spoken.
The text is simple and accessible. Each double spread features a four-line stanza comprising two rhyming couplets. And each stanza incorporates the words, ‘I love you’ in a different language. Sami greets her dog with ‘Munayki!’ in Quechua, one of the official languages of Peru and Bolivia; Ji-ah says ‘Saranghae’, Korean for ‘I love you’ to her teddy. Other languages featured include Hausa, Tongan, French and Auslan. A convenient glossary in the endpapers provides information on the language used in each spread. Readers may need to look for pronunciation tips online, however.
Martina Heiduczek’s colourful illustrations, a mix of digital and traditional media, have a joyful quality to them that is very appealing. Characters have different skin colours and clothing, and each scene—home, buildings, backdrop—is distinctly different to the last providing rich material for discussion.
‘How Do You Say I Love You?’ is a fascinating introduction to differences in languages, locations and cultures around the world. It is also a celebration of similarities. Children have a start, middle and end to their day wherever they live. They may have pets, go to school and go to the market. And they all have a way of expressing their affection for their loved ones.
This picture book is one of four titles by author/illustrator duo Ashleigh Barton and Martina Heiduczek that explore similarities and differences around the world. The others are:
What Do You Call Your Grandpa?
What Do You Call Your Grandma?
What Do You Do to Celebrate?
NCACL Cultural Diversity Database
