Anybody's child have the book "Love you Forever" by Robert Munsch

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Count me in as another one who finds the book creepy!! The first time I read it to a child I was babysitting, I was thinking "awww, that's kind of cute" for the first half, and then as the mom starts crawling across the floor to peek at her son sleeping, then driving across town with a ladder (!!!) to break into his house and rock him, I just started thinking "this lady has some serious issues!"

Still can't stand that book...if anyone gives us a copy I'll be putting it in the donate pile right away!

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

All of my children love this book and so do I we have 2 copies and they always insist that we get it for new babies that we know.

 

[BrerMom]

Anybody's child have the book "Love you Forever" by Robert Munsch

In English and Spanish!

Gave one to my MIL after DD was born. Made her cry.

 

[mantysk8coach]

Just a thought...I wonder if people would still think the book was creepy if the baby in the book had been a girl, rather than a boy? Same exact story line...just a girl baby.

We don't have the book, and its not really a favorite of mine, but that thought just popped into my head for some reason.

 

[JoyG]

I used to teach PreK and that book would choke me up as I read it to the class. The little kiddos would be wondering what the heck was wrong with their teacher.

Now in 3rd grade, the book I can't get all the way through without getting choked up is called Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco.

 

[Mkrop]

Yeah, that's what I think too. The son never gets married and has his own family does he? I think I'd flip out if my MIL climbed in the window to come and rock her baby boy!

They dont mentione him getting married but in the end he is rocking his daughter, kind of shows the circle of life.

Not every book I read to my kids or my kid reads himself needs to win a Newberry or Caldecott award.

 

[angel_bright05]

Ick, ick, ick - I hated that book.

Sorry to be the lone dissenter here, but I was a Children's Librarian when that was published and we used to shriek that it got so much attention. It really wasn't a very well-written book, and the illustrations were amateurish, etc. But people LOVED it. It was on a par with a kind of literature we called "grocery store" books - things like the Berenstein Bears and the Sesame Street library - OK to pass the time with, but no redeeming literary quality, kind of the library equivalent of a Happy Meal.

It might win all kinds of popular awards, but to my knowledge it's never won any kind of literary award. I couldn't even find any editorial reviews from Booklist or any reputable source so they must have ignored it when it first came out.

Sorry to rain on your parade - it's fine with me if you love it but it's not great litereature.

It's a kids book. Not every book a child is read has to have received some award or be great literature. It's a simple book which is great for a good cuddle. Heck...when I'm cleaning out the attic and I come across Robert Munsch's books I'll sit down and read them. IMHO, his books are perfect for kids.

 

[beckanoah]

We loved that book here.

I still sing that song to my dd every night (she's almost 7). She won't let me stop!

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

We call that book "Momma's crying book". I can't make it through without sobbing like crazy!!!


Another Munsch book I love is the Paperbag Princess. If I know someone is having a girl, I always buy it as a baby shower gift.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I read the book with both of my sons. I enjoyed it and was not creeped out by the ending. It was a tear jerker, for me.

 

[livie1205]

this is my sons fav book in the whole world! I gave it to him when he was 2 and he is 11 now and just loves this book.....I cry everytime i read it.

 

[JVL1018]

I think that book is creepy too! It never made me cry(and I am a crier!), it gives me the willies.

Here's my favorite review of the book from Amazon, makes me :


On the surface, it's a really sweet book about a mother who really loves her baby boy as he grows to manhood, no matter how goofy or annoying he may be in the process. Periodically she visits him and sings the song.If it were just that, it'd be an all time classic. But it takes the simple concept to disturbing extremes that have to be seen to be believed. Anyone who's had a baby in their family knows there's nothing cuter than looking at them while they're sleeping. The mother in the book knows this and sneaks into his room at night to peek at her angel, and sing her little song to him. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Only it doesn't stop there. When the boy is a teenager she CRAWLS into his room on all fours and, "If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth" while she sang her song. I don't know about you but if I was 15 and woke up in my bed with my Mom holding me like that, I'd probably scream. Who knows what kind of weird dreams this poor boy was having?

Well at least when this poor lad moves out of the house, he won't have to deal with his mother's obsessive habits anymore...or does he? Yep, once he's full grown, according to the book, "...sometimes on dark nights his mother got into her car and drove across town." YIKES! Not only is that scarier than hell that she's driving with a ladder strapped to her car in the middle of the night, but she makes a regular habit of it. Mommy climbs up his house, crawls through his window and does the same thing. Man this guy sleeps better than anyone I've ever known! Well, you can see by looking at this small single bed that he never got married. And he had such a healthy upbringing, too.

Though the book takes a poignant dramatic turn when he hears his mother isn't doing well and he goes to visit her. As he holds his dying mother in his lap, he turns the tables and sings the song to her. But wait a minute! I thought he was asleep during all those other times. Looks like he was playing along with this little sick little game a little too eagerly. At this point, you feel bad for making fun of the book at all 'cause his mother has passed away. The son returns home, though, and picks up his baby girl and sings the song to her.

But from everything we've seen in the book, the guy lives alone. The only woman he ever sees at night is his Mom. Leaving the only possible mother of his child to be...OH MY GOD!!!

If you still think this book is sweet and that I'm missing the true spirit of LOVE YOU FOREVER, just switch the genders of the characters in this story and tell me that wouldn't be extra creepy

 

[Buckalew11]

We had a copy also. I thought the story was sweet until it got towards the end, then it was creepy to me also.

Vicki's Amazon review makes LOL!

I agree that it really doesn't matter what you read, just cuddle up and read something to your kids. But there are some truly great children's books out there.

 

[diznygirl]

Ick, ick, ick - I hated that book.

Sorry to be the lone dissenter here, but I was a Children's Librarian when that was published and we used to shriek that it got so much attention. It really wasn't a very well-written book, and the illustrations were amateurish, etc. But people LOVED it. It was on a par with a kind of literature we called "grocery store" books - things like the Berenstein Bears and the Sesame Street library - OK to pass the time with, but no redeeming literary quality, kind of the library equivalent of a Happy Meal.

It might win all kinds of popular awards, but to my knowledge it's never won any kind of literary award. I couldn't even find any editorial reviews from Booklist or any reputable source so they must have ignored it when it first came out.

Sorry to rain on your parade - it's fine with me if you love it but it's not great litereature.

 

[MichelleVW]

Count me as another one who hates it. My kids had so many books and we would read stories every night but not that one!

The Jan Brett books and Where the Wild Things were their favorites.

 

[MomofKatie]

It never creeped me out- just made me cry every time I read it. DD went through a phase where I had to read "Love You Forever", "Runaway Bunny", and "Guess How Much I Love You?" every night. I would be a drippy mess by the time I finished all 3.

Other faves from the toddler years:

Goodnight, Gorilla
Moo, Baa, La, La, La
The Going To Bed Book
A Fly Went By
Hop on Pop
Dr Seuss' ABC
The Cat in the Hat (anything by Dr Seuss, really)

 

[goofygirlz]

My kids like the book...

personally I have never put that much deep thought into the book to cause me to get creeped out

recently my God-Mother died of an unexpected stroke...at the wake one of her adult sons got up to speak...he ended his speech by saying "as long as I'm living my mommy you'll be" very very sad!!!

 

[Magpie]

Count me in as another who was creeped out by this story! I refused to have it in our house. It's worse than the Giving Tree ("That's right, just chop me down and use my bones to build your house, I don't mind! You can just sit on my remains now, it's fine with me! I exist only to serve!").

I don't care whether it was a son or a daughter in the story, either. It's just... man, if that was my mom, I'd be looking to have her sanity evaluated.

Besides, I sleep with my husband. I can just imagine his reaction if he ever woke up and found my mom crawling into bed with us!

We have hundreds of kids books in our house, but the one my son chose to take to the hospital with him when he was small was "The 20th Century Children's Book Treasure" - it's got everything. "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom", "Where the Wild Things Are", "Goodnight Moon", etc... All his favorite stories in one big, brightly illustrated book. It'll always be our favorite.

 

[WorldlyWise]

awww Pa, that one always makes me cry

 

[tekmom]

I think that book is creepy too! It never made me cry(and I am a crier!), it gives me the willies.

Here's my favorite review of the book from Amazon, makes me :


On the surface, it's a really sweet book about a mother who really loves her baby boy as he grows to manhood, no matter how goofy or annoying he may be in the process. Periodically she visits him and sings the song.If it were just that, it'd be an all time classic. But it takes the simple concept to disturbing extremes that have to be seen to be believed. Anyone who's had a baby in their family knows there's nothing cuter than looking at them while they're sleeping. The mother in the book knows this and sneaks into his room at night to peek at her angel, and sing her little song to him. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Only it doesn't stop there. When the boy is a teenager she CRAWLS into his room on all fours and, "If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth" while she sang her song. I don't know about you but if I was 15 and woke up in my bed with my Mom holding me like that, I'd probably scream. Who knows what kind of weird dreams this poor boy was having?

Well at least when this poor lad moves out of the house, he won't have to deal with his mother's obsessive habits anymore...or does he? Yep, once he's full grown, according to the book, "...sometimes on dark nights his mother got into her car and drove across town." YIKES! Not only is that scarier than hell that she's driving with a ladder strapped to her car in the middle of the night, but she makes a regular habit of it. Mommy climbs up his house, crawls through his window and does the same thing. Man this guy sleeps better than anyone I've ever known! Well, you can see by looking at this small single bed that he never got married. And he had such a healthy upbringing, too.

Though the book takes a poignant dramatic turn when he hears his mother isn't doing well and he goes to visit her. As he holds his dying mother in his lap, he turns the tables and sings the song to her. But wait a minute! I thought he was asleep during all those other times. Looks like he was playing along with this little sick little game a little too eagerly. At this point, you feel bad for making fun of the book at all 'cause his mother has passed away. The son returns home, though, and picks up his baby girl and sings the song to her.

But from everything we've seen in the book, the guy lives alone. The only woman he ever sees at night is his Mom. Leaving the only possible mother of his child to be...OH MY GOD!!!

If you still think this book is sweet and that I'm missing the true spirit of LOVE YOU FOREVER, just switch the genders of the characters in this story and tell me that wouldn't be extra creepy

DS15 just read this and is shellshocked ....thanks for ruining his childhood memory All he said was, "that's offensive" and calmly walked away. OMG, I'm dyin here!!