I know some of my friends really like the children's book called Love You Forever. However, it gives me the creeps. If you have never read it, or even if you have, let me give you an unbiased run-down. A mother is rocking her baby boy to sleep and tells him "I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always, As long as I'm living. My baby you'll be." That's sweet. Then he does something naughty when he's a toddler and she's says it again. Then time passes, she sings this when he's a teenager, and THEN, when he's and adult (and possibly married--the book doesn't say) the mom drives across town, climbs her aging booty up a ladder, sneaks in a window and picks him up and while he's sleeping and sings him this song. UM--what??? oh, that's not the end of the CHILDRENS' story. Then the old lady is too sick to hold him and the son sings the song to her while he holds her.
I am typically a sentimental sap, but when I feel my heart strings are being manipulated, I tend to pull back the other way. I was talking with my husband about this story--he is about as big a fan as I am and we are in agreement that, after the mom died, the son kept talking to her as if she were alive and started the Bates Motel. That's right, folks! You've been reading to your children the prequel to Psycho!
Now I can't just be all negative so I will recommend a book I absolutely LOVE! I just found this book called Little Boy by Alison McGhee. It shows a boy going through his days and his wonderful imagination and the joy he has with such simple things as a cardboard box, a bowl, his dog, and fallen tree. I love it because it reminds me of my boys and of childhood, and the message at the end is suprisingly deep. To me, it seems to say that their childhood shapes the men they will become. This is the last sentence "Little boy, you remind me of how, so much depends on days made of now." My boys love it because they see a little boy doing things they like to do.
This author/Illustrator pair also wrote a lovely book called Someday. This is also a great book--the child in this book is a girl for those of you with daughters.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Okay! I DO LOVE "I Love You Forever". I read it a lot when Joshua was a baby and I still enjoy reading it. I don't think about the creepiness you talk about. I think about the love these people have for each other.
I enjoy checking out new sentimental books, so I look forward to the two you did suggest.
Someday is a TEAR JERKER. I bought it for Chloe for her first Christmas. My hubby and I were BOTH wailing before we even made it to page 4. We decided we might have to wait until she's 25 to read it again.
Post a Comment