I Love You More Than The Universe

If you are looking for a sweet addition to your little's Valentine's Day table or basket this year, I have the perfect gift! My amazing friend from undergrad, Lisa Castagnola, recently released the children's book I Love You More Than the Universe!

Lisa is a UCSB grad like me of course (go Gauchos!) and also holds a Masters in Social Work from Ohio State, and is a graduate of a Yale University Post Masters Fellowship Program. She wrote I Love You More Than the Universe to "promote parent-child attachment and help children understand their place in the world." She's passionate about helping children achieve wellness in all aspects of life, and y'all, this book is like one big hug. Here's the Amazon synopsis:

Follow a strong-willed little girl and her tired mother through their affirmation of love for each other. This rhythmic story with beautiful watercolor illustrations depicts the deep love between a mother and child while also teaching children their place in the world. Each page has an interactive element as you and your child can search for the heart cleverly incorporated into each illustration.

The watercolor pictures are so bright and pretty, and after Parker read it for the first time, he told me it was "all about love" - he even insisted on doing the same love affirmations that night. At six years old, his favorite part, however, was locating the heart on each page (he loves a hidden challenge!). Finn (8 months) loved listening to it and watching the pictures from out of arms reach lest he try to eat them (but it's never too early to read to a baby so we were able to incorporate this book right in). 

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your positive light with this book!