

One Publishers Weekly reviewer states that Love You Forever is a divisive children's book. Some readers dislike the portion of the story where the mother sneaks into her grown son's home. Love You Forever is a great gift for anyone with a child, or even for your own parents." Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." The message is so simple yet so profound. It says so much about the circle of life, youth, parenting, and our responsibility for our parents as we grow older. In 2001, Maria Shriver wrote in O, The Oprah Magazine: "I have yet to read this book through without crying. Love You Forever was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). The book was written after Munsch and his wife had two stillborn babies. After returning home (in a scene perhaps implying the death of his mother), the son cradles his newborn daughter and sings his mother's signature lullaby for her, implying that the cycle will continue. The son then cradles his mother in his arms and sings an altered rendition of her lullaby in reciprocation for the unconditional love that she had shown him throughout his life, vowing to always love her in return. When the son first arrives, his mother tries to sing her lullaby to him, but she is too weak to finish. However, she gradually grows old and frail, and her grown son visits his feeble, sickly mother for the final time. After her son enters adulthood and moves across town, his elderly mother occasionally sneaks into his bedroom at night to croon her customary lullaby. Despite her occasional aggravation caused by her son's behavior, the mother nonetheless visits his bedroom nightly to cradle him in her arms, and sing a brief lullaby promising to always love him. The story details the cycle of life by chronicling the experiences of a young son and his mother throughout the course of the boy's life and describing the exasperating behavior exhibited by him throughout his youth. The son sings the song for her, then sings it to his newborn daughter. The mother and son grow older, with the former becoming sick due to old age, and one day unable to sing the lullaby. During his childhood, she becomes frustrated with his rebellious nature, yet always sings to him after he falls asleep. The story centers on a mother who sings a lullaby to her son at each stage of his life. McGraw's soft and colorful pastels perfectly complement the sentiment of the book-one that will be read repeatedly for years.Love You Forever is a 1986 children's picture book written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw.

About the Book First published in 1986, this classic book by Munsch is a gentle affirmation of the love a parent feels for their his or her child-forever.
