What I See is Love by Gabriella Fiorletta Book Tour, Guest Post, & Giveaway! {Ends 10/2/23}

Review By LAWonder10:

What I See Is Love is a context all of us need to surround ourselves with in this world of violence, hate, and turmoil.

This is a wonderful story for small children. It is great for toddlers and equally so for younger elementary-age students.

It assists a child to recognize all the positive things around him/her. It is especially a wonderful book for children whose parents are often gone.

The illustrations by Nyrryl Cadiz were nice. For my personal interest, I prefer brighter and more realistic images. However, that does not stop my appreciation for different types of art which seems to be very popular in today’s world.

The content is of great worth.

Overall, I give this book a Five Stars rating. This book was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review.

Memory Soundtrack by Gabrielle Florletta

What songs bring back vivid memories for you?

Do you ever wonder what your children’s
memory soundtrack of their lives will be? As I get older, I find myself craving my childhood
memories; much were surrounded by music and good food. As an Italian American, my parents taught me that we show our love around the dinner table. Deep family discussions, conversations about our school day, and crying over a bad breakup were always centered around our table.

I remember being in elementary school and my mother sending me to school with either a “nice piece” of chicken parmigiana or a mortadella sandwich. She would put it in a
grocery store plastic bag because it wouldn’t fit in a regular-sized lunchbox. I was mortified, but she assured me the other kids were “just jealous”. Like my classmates, I just wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crust trimmed off.

Our neighborhood block parties were also a treat. While everyone was grilling burgers and hotdogs, I was rolling in with sausage and
peppers. I’d spend the entire afternoon listening to my mother brag about the size of the peppers.

My father would play Italian music from the boom box under our elaborately sized wall unit while my mom cooked her Sunday sauce. Occasionally, if we were lucky, my grandfather would sing along to the Italian opera music. We often ate dinner on our patio. I’m sure our neighbors loved our lively conversations. My neighbor “Johnny” would blast Kenny G or the Bee Gees from his house, and we would turn our music down to enjoy his.

I can’t lie and tell you that our discussions are as boisterous now because they most certainly are not but the sounds and smells of my childhood slowly trickled into my memory. I had forgotten how intensely tied these memories are to the decisions I make as a mother. Now, while we eat dinner, the TV is always off, and the music is always on. I allow my children to choose what they want to listen to. It fills my heart with joy that Dolly, Elvis, and Elton are on our nightly rotation. As a mother, I often wonder what my children’s favorite memories will be. Will it be the smell of my “Sunday Sauce” or my love for Elvis? Either way, if it brings back the same feelings of joy that I feel when reminiscing, it’s a win!