Love You Forever Review

Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch is an easy read book that's fun to read to children.  I was introduced to the book in the early 90's.  I went to a Gaithers concert at the Sailor Auditorium in Chattanooga, TN.  Gloria Gaither is known for her beautiful recitations.  She usually writes her own stories and then recites them to the audience but on this night she read the entire book, Love You Forever by memory. 

The story tells of the love of a mother for her son.  When the child is born she cradles him in her arms and gently rocks him back and forth and back and forth.  And as she rocks she says:

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.

As long as you're living my baby you'll be.

Love You Forever progresses through the growth of the child.  You get little bits and pieces of various stages the child is going through and the mother's love for that boy just grows deeper.  Every evening she goes into the child's room and picks him up and rocks him in her arms back and forth and back and forth and recites the little message above.  This continues all throughout the child's life.  The mother's love never tires and as she ages she still seeks out her boy to love him.  During his adult years it tells of her sneaking into his bedroom and crawling to him and rocking him. 

The time comes when the elderly mother no longer has the strength to go to her boy nor to pick him up and rock him.  So he goes to her home.  He crawls into her room and lifts up this tiny frail lady and goes to the rocking chair and rocks his mother back and forth and back and forth and he says:

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.

As long as you're living, my mother you'll be.

Later you see the boy has become a father and he begins the same trend by rocking hew newborn baby.

I can still recall the Love You Forever being read by Gloria Gaither as if I just left the concert.  It brought tears to my eyes when I heard her recite it and it still brings tears to my eyes when I read it to younger children.  Several years ago I picked up several copies at a local bookstore and I gave it to all of my friends who had young children.  My copy ended up at my best friend's house and it has gotten much use through the years.  The cover price is probably about $6.95 in bookstores.  It is also being sold at amazon.com.

If you have a special child in your life I would suggest you get a copy of Love You Forever  and read it to them.  It doesn't matter how old they are.  The message it sends can transcend age.  The illustrations are beautiful and some can be quite entertaining as you think to yourself, "Ah yes, I remember those days..."