The Love That Made You

“Though I don’t have each answer, I hope that you know, there’s meaning to find wherever you go.”

The Love That Made You is a wonder-filled, empowering picture book introducing children to the idea of a higher power called Love that connects us and carries us through life.

With gentle, rhyming text, The Love That Made You helps grown-ups find the words to share the comfort, encouragement, and wonder of God or the Universe with a young heart, without suggesting that the grown-up knows all the answers. Grace Semler Baldridge, an alt-Christian singer-songwriter, brings their characteristic thoughtfulness into this poetic invitation to think broadly about love as a force that connects all of us, and plants the seeds for a child building their own concept of the divine. Award-winning illustrator Fran Alvarez weaves a compelling visual story of a young child and their family on a camping trip, interacting with fellow hikers and enjoying the wonders of nature while contemplating the big questions children are wont to ask.

Perfect for fans of Matthew Paul Turner’s When God Made You, Savannah Guthrie’s Mostly What God Does Is Love You, and Jennifer Grant’s Maybe God Is Like That Too.

Author Biography

Grace Semler Baldridge is an LA-based musician known as Semler who made history as the first openly queer artist to hit Number 1 on the Christian music charts with the release of their EP, Preacher’s Kid. Following this success, Semler released another chart-topping EP and toured the country with Relient K. They have amassed more than 238,000 followers on TikTok, and Semler’s music has been featured on NPR and Apple Radio, as well as in the Washington Post and Rolling Stone. After three headline tours and two more EPs, Semler released their debut album, Revival in My Mind, in February 2025. When they’re not on the road or in the studio, they love to read with their daughter Frances and their wife Elizabeth.