Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You. Sam McBratney. Illustrated by Anita Jeram. 1994. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.
Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening. "Guess how much I love you," he said. "Oh, I don't think I could guess that," said Big Nutbrown Hare. "This much," said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go. Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms. "But I love you this much," he said.

 Are you familiar with Guess How Much I Love You? Are you one of its many fans? I liked this one. I found it sweet and sentimental. If you're looking for a loving, affectionate parent-child relationship--within a picture book--it doesn't get much better than this. The dialogue between Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare--while repetitive--is undeniably sweet and loving.

But. While I liked this one. I don't feel that it is the best book ever. Or the most perfect picture book of all time. I liked it. I think it would be a good fit for most home libraries. And it's a sweet, gentle book that would be nice for bedtime. But. It's not one that I would want to again-again forever and ever.

It's available as a picture book and a board book. Don't forget the book-and-toy gift set and the baby book.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

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