Module 1: Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Book Cover Image: 

   
Love You Forever. Robert N. Munsch; Sheila McGraw, Illustrator.

 

youarewhatyouread.scholastic.com

 Book Summary:  In this book, a mother expresses her continual love for her son from infancy to adulthood.  She sometimes is frustrated by his normal boyish behavior, but every night goes into his room and rocks him while he is sleeping and sings to him the refrain of “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always; as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”  When he grows to adulthood and his mother is aging, he returns her expression of love by holding her and reassuring her of his unconditional love for her.  He then returns home to shower that same affection on his baby daughter, thereby passing it on to the next generation.

APA Reference:   Munsch, R. N. (1986). Love you forever. Richmond Hill, ON: Firefly Books Ltd.

My Impressions:   My impression of this book is a mixed appraisal.  Robert Munsch wrote this book in memory of his still-born infant.  It is not meant to be realistic fiction, although some people view  it that way.  Taking the story literally, the reader could be put off by the mother’s apparent infantizing of her son, as well as demonstrating some controlling and invasive behavior.  She also does not say she loves him while he is awake, only when he is sleeping.  However, although “Love You Forever” it is a bit “over-the-top” gushing with sentimentality,  I believe Munsch was trying to show how important love is in a family.  Children need to know they are loved unconditionally, regardless of their sometimes misguided actions throughout the many stages of life.  Love goes beyond physical barriers too, such as growing into adulthood and moving away.   Love doesn’t change with age, and a child who is loved will pass that on to future generations.

Professional Review:

“This simple, timeless ode to a mother’s unconditional love will bring a reassuring warm feeling to young children (and perhaps a tear to an adult’s eye).  A young mother sings of her love to her newborn baby.  As he grows – to a rambunctious toddler, a messy teenager, and finally an adult out on his own – his behavior often vexes her and tries her patience.  But each night through the years, as he sleeps unknowingly, she sings the same song to him, reaffirming her unwavering love.”

 [Review of the book Love you forever, by Robert N. Munsch].  (2005, Jan/Feb). Early Childhood News, 17(1). 26.  Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com


 Library Uses:  I think this book would be useful as a read-aloud during storytime because children love the repetitive verse “I’ll love you forever…”.  Reviews and purchases of this book have also shown that adults buy it for sentimental reasons, so it could be included as a reading for nursing home residents or in a collection of stories relating to Mother’s Day or Grandparent’s Day.