Love You Forever: contemporary realistic fiction

Munsch, Robert. Love You Forever. New York:
Firefly Books, 1986

This heart warming story of a mothers love for her child as told in the 3rd person has sold millions of copies. It begins with a mother cradling her newborn baby while singing the famous
I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.
It goes on to tell the story of the bond between mother and son. However frustrated the mother becomes with raising a child, her love continues no matter the circumstances. Whether it's through the 'terrible two's' or the crazy teenage years, at the end of each day the mother continues to sing and sway with her son. The love the mother has for her child is reciprocated when she can no longer care for herself. The positions reverse, and now the son is singing the song to her.

In this representational style of art, the story is represented with the beautiful pastel colors, soft lines, and carefully chosen words that compliment the emotions of the story. The pages are beautifully constructed with text in an easy-to-read font on the left page, and detailed realistic illustrations on the right. The text is black in color…located near the upper right hand corner, while the pictures take up the whole page. I also noticed that there is a cat in each illustration, minus the last page.

I believe the author's messages is simple but important. Love grows stronger with age...the bond between a mother and child is such a necessary action.