LOVE AROUND THE WORLD
“Moving and inspiring.” – Kirkus Reviews
written by Fleur Pierets, illustrated by Fatinha Ramos
978-1-64442-005-8
Pub date: 11/12/2019
$18.95
Hardcover
40 pages
Full-color illustrations throughout
Ages 4 to 8
11 x 8.5” (H x W)
Available Now
The first of a two-volume children’s book about Julian and Fleur, who are getting married in every country around the world that has legalized same-sex marriage. Based on a true story, Love Around the World, volume I, explores the marriage traditions and costumes of twelve countries: Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States.
SUMMARY
Fleur Pierets is a world-renowned LGBTQ+ activist, artist, producer, and writer. In 2015, Fleur, who is Belgian, and her wife, Julian Boom, who was Dutch, came up with the idea for a performance art project in which they would get married in every country that had legalized same-sex marriage. They called it “22—The Project” (at the time of the project’s conception, 22 countries allowed same-sex marriage), and after much planning, Fleur and Julian chose the United States as their first country. They were married in New York on September 20, 2017, by the City Clerk, Michael McSweeney. Next came Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on October 12, then Antwerp, Belgium, on October 20, and finally Paris, France, on November 7. Immediately after the wedding in Paris, Julian was diagnosed with brain cancer and died approximately seven weeks later, on January 22, 2018.
In the first volume of Love Around the World, Fleur and Julian fulfill the dream of their beautiful project. They travel to Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States, learning the fascinating traditions and customs and peculiarities surrounding marriage in each country. A resource page at the back of the book provides information on same-sex laws and LGBTQ+ organizations in each of the countries.
CONTRIBUTOR BIOS
Fleur Pierets is an award-winning Belgian artist and LGBTQ+ activist who work combines photography and performance with theory and writing in a research-based practice that questions the construction and mainstream understanding of gay identity. She is the founding editor of Et Alors?, an online magazine devoted to LGBTQ+ politics, fashion, identity, and other issues. Her book Life Is is forthcoming in May 2019 from the Dutch publisher Das Mag.
Fatinha Ramos is an award-winning Antwerp-based illustrator and visual artist originally from Portugal. Her work has appeared all over the world and received awards from the Society of Illustrators in New York, 3×3 (Magazine of Contemporary Illustration), Communication Arts, Global Illustration Award, World Illustrations Awards, White Ravens and many more. Her book Sonia Delaunay: A Life of Color (Museum of Modern Art, 2017) was reviewed in the New York Times and has been translated in eight languages.
REVIEWS
”This is a really uplifting book . . . it's a children's book but it is also a work of activism. . . . One of the striking things about this book is the illustrations by artist Fatinha Ramos. [Fleur and Fatinha] depict the cultures of these different places so vividly, in writing and in pictures." --Marco Werman, "PRI's The World"
”A real-life LGBTQ love story inspired this picture book. When Fleur and Julian fall in love and decide to get married, they discover that because they are both women, this is possible in only 28 of the world's 195 countries. They decide to travel around the world to celebrate their nuptials in each of these nations, starting with Julian's native Netherlands. Each subsequent spread depicts the women in different countries that sanction and affirm their union: the U.S., Brazil, Australia, France, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Canada, Spain, Iceland, Finland, and Mexico. Each spread shows Fleur and Julian joyfully celebrating in festive settings, often with other couples around them. The art has a graphic, flat quality that makes the most of the rainbow palette in scenes that could translate to postcard or poster images, and the text highlighting fairness, safety, and pride helps make the adult institution of marriage accessible to young readers. While the concluding scene leaves readers on a hopeful note, with the happy couple determined to travel to the other 15 countries, the backmatter shows a photograph of the real couple and reveals that Julian died of brain cancer shortly after they began their wedding tour around the world. This book realizes their dream. Moving and inspiring.” - Kirkus Reviews
“In 2017, artist and activist Pierets and her partner Julian Bloom launched "22--the Project," their plan to wed in every country that had legalized same-sex marriage. Their performance art project was cut short after their fourth wedding, in France, when Bloom died of brain cancer. With this picture book, Pierets brings to life the journey she and Bloom envisioned. Ramos's joyous, vibrant graphic-style illustrations depict the brides wearing the traditional wedding attire of Iceland, Canada, Mexico, and 10 other countries, set against iconic backgrounds. Pierets discusses the history and current status of gay marriage, and marriage traditions in general, worldwide. The author intends to follow this title with a series of books about the round-the-world marriage journey as a loving gesture and a way of completing their plans. VERDICT The book's blend of wish fulfillment and information about gay marriage rights may confuse some readers and cataloguers, but it tells a touching love story, with a noteworthy global perspective.” - School Library Connection
