Picture Book Review: One Love by Cedella Marley

Sometimes the smiles on an illustration can make your own face light up.  I found that was definitely the case with "One Love".  Bob Marley's oldest daughter, Cedella Marley takes the basic lyrics of her father's well-known song and puts together a short and endearing little book.

Little C, a happy little brown girl with dreadlock pigtails, is joining her family and neighborhood to build "One Love Park", while she remarks on how she finds love throughout her world. Small nods to Bob Marley are found within the pages as his likeness is found on coffee mugs, t-shirts and posters.






When Little C goes out to play with friends, they notice that someone has left garbage and debris all over the ground.  The children then begin picking up the trash, and then asking that the adults and community members pitch in. The book has a very clear focus on "green living", and each character takes part in building the park. Some neighbors carry new plants and greenery, while others wear shirts that say "Live Green".

The bulk of the story is carried out through the colorful and beautiful illustrations, and there are very few lines of actual dialogue. I would have liked for the words to be more cohesive rather than so abstract, but they were sweet ideas of loving family, community and nature. The only repetition found here is in the "One Love, One heart, Let's get together and feel alright" that is found on almost every other page. At times, I found it hard to find the rhythm in the book, which was unfortunate for a book based on a song, and was a minor thing that made it perhaps not as great as it could have been in my opinion.  Watching the below trailer helps, *hint hint*.

Like I said though, the illustrations are inviting and happy, and feature a multi-ethnic character group. Cedella has also adapted "Three Little Birds", my personal favorite Bob Marley song, and I can't wait to check that one out.  I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a simple, easy addition to their collection.  A storytime based on love, recycling, or families would find this book right at home.