Title: Love You ForeverAuthor: Robert Munsch
Illustrator: Sheila McGraw
Publisher: Firefly Books
Copyright: 1986
ISBN: 0920668364
While I'm not a huge fan of the majority of Robert Munsch's work, Love You Forever is a sweet book of a parent's love for her child. Each night after her baby son is asleep, the mother rocks him, singing "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." Even as the son grows, this continues each night...into elementary school, the teen years, and even moving into his own home. Admittedly it's a bit strange that the mom sneaks into her grown son's home to rock him, but in this story, it works. Eventually, the roles are reversed as the mother grows old and her grown son comes over and sings to her. When he arrives back home, he sneaks into his young daughter's room and begins the tradition over again.
.If you aren't a children's book afficionado, you may not know this, so I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Sometimes authors write childrens books for adults instead of children. Shocking, isn't it? This is one of those books. I don't really think children would be interested in it at all. Their parents, however, will be touched. I see Love You Forever as a book that was written perhaps to evoke emotion in parents, possibly to help parents realize how short the time is, or to even teach young adults to appreciate their parents more. I don't know for sure, because I haven't researched Munsch's purpose for writing this book. It seems to me, though, that the purpose really isn't all that important. It will touch different people in different ways and each will find their own purpose in the book. I've read or heard this book at least fifty times, and I never fail to let a few tears fall. From it I learned that life is short, parents are irreplaceable, and that bond is not one to be taken lightly. While a child could enjoy the repetitiveness of the song sung throughout the book and might even like the story, I would not recommend this book to read to young children in a classroom setting. I do, however, highly recommend it for adults or even for a parent/child storytime. I dare you not to cry!
Jennifer, I'm so glad you started this book blog! I'm always on the look out for good books for my 7 year old =) This will be a good screening process!
ReplyDeleteThis book was written for one purpose: for adult children to give to their mothers as a cheap gift that will absolutely make them cry. I know, I used it as such when it first came out years ago.
ReplyDeleteIf you take a step back and look at it, the mother in the book has some serious psychological issues. I mean REALLY!!! She drives across town at night to her adult child's house, sneaks in with a ladder, and rocks her son in his sleep while singing a freaky little rhyme. With the right lighting and music, this would make for a really creepy scene in a psychological thriller. Hmmm...idea for another book. LOL
However, I still recommend it for its intended purpose: making mom cry.
Doesn't your mom do this, David? :) I know I've seen a ladder up against your bedroom window before!
ReplyDelete