At the tender age of four, I fell madly and deeply in love. His big brown eyes made my heart pitter, and his round button nose made it patter. My guy was warm, tender and fuzzy. And yes – he was a stuffed monkey named George. No relation to Curious George.

When George had to take a spin in the washing machine and dry out in the sun, I often sang to him knowing that the process of getting clean was a dizzying ordeal. Love is comforting. When the mischievous boy down the road tried to steal George away, I bit him and ran as fast as I could with George in tow. Love is fearless. And finally, when his plastic eyeballs fell off his face, I stuck them back on with black electrical tape and pretended they were super cool shades for my super cool guy. Love is blind.

While I was always confident in my love for George, it was only when he disappeared that I realized the magnitude of my love. It was weeks of moping, whining and generally feeling blue, when he and I were miraculously reunited. All this time, George was under the left corner of my bed! Right there under my nose! But a funny thing happened when I pulled him out. I didn’t squeal with delight or dance with happiness. Instead, I cried. And when I say cry, I don’t mean a girlish whimper. I mean the big fat ugly juicy cry. I cried for the time I missed him. I cried because both his ears were now falling off. But mostly I cried of relief. All was right with the world again. Love is complete.

There are all kinds of love. Some make you smile and feel giddy. And there are the kinds that make you fall apart. Here at Shine, we celebrate all kinds of love.

Here are our Shine staff picture book picks about just that!

I Like Me by Nancy Carlson

“The little pig takes care of herself, loves her body, appreciates time alone, has the confidence to try again after making mistakes, and continues to improve herself all while remaining her own best friend. That is true love!” – Aaron Goldschmidt, Founder and Director

Real Love: The Stories for Sean by John Lennon

“The drawings are beautiful, innocent, and wonderfully imaginative.” – Randi Spoon, Teacher

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond

“Hearts is such a happy, sweet, feel-good book full of love! Cornelia makes the most of a rainy day.” – Danielle Balog, Teacher

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

“It is a book that shows acts of selfless love; the most profound type of love.” – Elisabeth Miller, Teacher

By Claudia Chung, Shine PR and Marketing Manager and Assistant Teacher