Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw(Book cover image from amazon.com)
Bibliography: Munsch, R. (2000). Love you forever. Tonawanda, NY: Firefly Books. ISBN: 978-1552091098
SUMMARY
A mother sings a lullaby to her newborn son about her unending love for him. As he grows into a mischievous toddler, a messy nine-year old, a self-absorbed teen and an adult, she continues to sneak into his room and rock him to sleep while singing this song of love. Finally, as the woman is dying, the son picks her up and sings his own lullaby to his mother, then continues the tradition with his own newborn daughter.
MY IMPRESSIONS
I understand the sentiment of this book, but I've always thought it was overwrought and irritating. The author is using the image of the mother picking up her son and rocking him in his sleep, no matter his size or age, as a metaphor for the infinite love she has for him as a parent. Regardless of the annoying, destructive or selfish things he does, his mother still loves him and always looks at him as her baby. However, given how literal children are, I could easily see a small child thinking that this parent would actually drive to her adult son's house and hold him in her lap as he slept, or that this mother had to resort to crawling around on the floor to see if her son was asleep before she could display parental affection. I'm particularly disturbed because the mother has to sneak into the child's room on her hands and knees (and peer at him with crazy eyes over the edge of his bed), rather than openly expressing her love. Why does she have to do it only if he's "really asleep"? Why the secret, nighttime expressions of love? Shouldn't she instead teach her son appropriate ways to show affection all of the time, complete with open communication and boundaries?
The other part of the story that gives me pause is the somber ending. Death is a natural part of life, and I don't think that parents should sugar coat that people don't live forever. I understand that the author wanted to use the concept of life-death-rebirth as a cyclical plot point. However, it seems strange in a book about parental love to remind a child right before they go to sleep that yes, your parent will eventually grow old and die, and you'll have to take care of them while raising your own children. (Sweet dreams, honey!) I think it's telling that the author writes "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." This implies that the son is negligent and uncaring, and he hasn't visited his mother in so long that he's unaware of her frail state. What lesson is this supposed to teach a child when a mother, who has done nothing but profess her limitless love for her son, has to threaten him just to get a final visit? It seems more based on guilt and emotional manipulation than selfless love.
The illustrations are amusing (although slightly creepy) and contain many details that both children and adults can appreciate. The drawings of the child as he ages are realistic and help enhance the plot of the story. The text is easy to understand, rhythmic, predictable and repetitive, thus making it accessible for ages four to eight.
I don't have children, so perhaps this is a book that I can't truly relate to because I'm not yet a mother. All but a handful of reviews for this book are gushing and complimentary, so I am in the minority with my opinion of Love You Forever. Despite my dislike of it, Love You Forever is a wildly popular book.
REVIEWS
Due to its wide appeal, I would use this book in a public library setting during a story time. I would then start a discussion that points out the comic and ridiculous aspects of the illustrations and text in the hopes that children wouldn't read them literally.
Discuss bedtime stories and lullabies. Sing songs like "Rock a Bye, Baby" or "Are You Sleeping?"
Include Love You Forever in a display for Mother's Day.
REVIEWS
"First published in 1986, this classic book by Munsch is a gentle affirmation of the love a parent feels for their child--forever. McGraw's soft and colorful pastels perfectly complement the sentiment of the book--one that will be read repeatedly for years. "
Bowker's Books in Print
"The mother sings to her sleeping baby: "I'll love you forever / I'll love you for always / As long as I'm living / My baby you'll be." She still sings the same song when her baby has turned into a fractious 2-year-old, a slovenly 9-year-old, and then a raucous teen. When her son grows up and leaves home, she takes to driving across town with a ladder on the car roof, climbing through her grown son's window, and rocking the sleeping man in the same way. Then, inevitably, the day comes when she's too old and sick to hold him, and the roles are at last reversed. Each stage is illustrated by one of Sheila McGraw's comic and yet poignant pastels."
Amazon.com review of the hardcover edition
"It presents the most realistic picture of parenthood I have ever seen: a toddler who pulls all the books off the shelf and all the food out of the fridge and a teen with strange friends, strange music and strange clothes. But through it all it shows the unconditional...and my children claim psychotic...love of this mother for her son."
Terri O'Neale from her book review
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