What Will I Do with My Love Today? by Kristin Chenoweth

 

I don't actually read that many children's books, but I really like Kristin Chenoweth and I was curious to see what her take on a kids' book would be. WHAT WILL I DO WITH MY LOVE TODAY? is from the Tommy Nelson imprint, which is Thomas Nelson's kids' lit imprint. I think Thomas Nelson is a christian division of Harper Collins, for inspirational or religious-influenced works. The influence here is pretty light, apart from a few references to God. As a secular reader, if I hadn't already known it was Thomas Nelson backing this book, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

The art by Maine Diaz is gorgeous and the message of the book is wholesome, albeit mixed. It starts out talking about how being openly happy and content can inspire others, which I think is true for some people. Others will resent you for that, but since we're lying to kids, sure. Happiness begets happiness. Got it. The message shifts when her parents are like, "Hey, let's use all that excess love you have and get a dog!" And then it becomes all about having a dog, and how great dogs are.

As I said, it's a cute book. Not all kids can get pets, so I do feel like some kids might be like, "Wait, so if I don't get a pet, does that mean I didn't love hard enough?" So making it all about some sort of external reward, I have mixed feelings about. But it's cute and harmless, and it's pretty sweet.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

3 out of 5 stars