Introduction
11 Words for Love is a moving and joyful book for children from all backgrounds about the many ways we love, from its award-winning author Randa Abdel-Fattah and the acclaimed illustrator of this book, Maxine Beneba Clarke.
There are eleven words for love, and my family knows them all. A family flees their homeland to find safety in another country, carrying little more than a suitcase full of love.
As their journey unfolds, the oldest child narrates 11 meanings for love in Arabic as her family show, and are shown, all different kinds of love in their new home, and they also remember the love they have for their homeland and for those left behind or lost along the way.
In the Arabic language, there are over 50 words describing the degrees of love. That’s 50 stories, 50 life-worlds. This lyrical and heartwarming book takes you on a journey through 11 of these Arabic expressions for love.
Themes & Curriculum Topics
Several themes are covered in this book which might be related to the Australian Curriculum, including:
Love
Discussion Point: Discuss the different forms of love, such as the love of parents for their children, and children for their parents; the love of grandparents for their grandchildren, and grandchildren for their grandparents; the love of siblings for each other; the love of friends for each other; the love of our memories; the love of kindness shown to us; the love of beauty in nature; the love of learning and reading; the love of art; the love of pets; the love of places. What other forms of love are there? Which of these forms of love did you observe in this picture book?
Discussion Point: How do you express love – in words, in actions, in images or in what other ways?
Discussion Point: There are said to be 50 words describing the degrees of love in Arabic. How many English language words for love do your students know? Make a class list. How many words for love in other languages do you know? Make another list…
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