Love You Forever
Author: Robert Munsch
Publisher: Firefly Books
Copyright: 1986
Pages: 26
Reading Level: 2.5
Genre: Picture Book
Rating: *****

Summary:
This book is a perfect example of the love of a mother for her child, and a child for their mother. The story begins with the mother and her newborn son and each night as he sleeps she sings to him “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” And the boy grows, and he grows and he grow, but whether he is two and getting into everything or all grown up and moved out on his own she will still sneak into his room, and when she knows he is really asleep she picks him up and rocks him back and forth and sings to him. Like her son though, the mother grows and grow and grows and she finds she has grown very old, and she tells her son to come and visit. Once he is there she trys to sing to him, but she is too old and sick. At this point the son picks up his Mother and he rocks her back and forth, back and forth and he sings to her. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my mommy you’ll be.” He then leaves his mother and goes back to his own home, where goes upstairs and picks up his newborn daughter and he rocks her back and forth and back and forth and he sings to her “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.”

Who would benefit from reading this?
This is a must for every parent and child. Kids from ages 1-100 can relate, and most love it. It’s also a good book for kids to read along with, for example I like to let the kid (or my roommates) sing the song that you hear over and over throughout the book. Everyone would benefit from reading this and should!

Potential problems/conflicts:
The only problem this book I can see having is, that if you are emotional it might make you cry. This and the fact that the cat in the pictures looks nothing like a cat are the only things I can possibly think of;)

My reaction:
As a kid this was one of my favorite books, and now that I am older I love it even more. To this day it gives me warm fuzzes every time that boy goes into his mother’s room and sings to her! This book is one that every parent should own, not only for their kids, but for themselves. I think it just might be impossible for someone to read this book and not fall in love with it.