Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Munsch, Robert. Love You Forever. Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books Ltd., 1986.
Illustrated by Sheila McGraw

Love You Forever is a realistic fiction book about the relationship between a mother and her son. She has a special song that she sings to him every night when he falls asleep. As he begins to grow up he causes a lot of trouble but every night his mom is still there for him, holds him, and sings the special song. Even when he grows up and moves out she sometimes drives to his house at night and sings to him. The mother then gets old and sick and her son takes care of her and sings the song to her. He then begins to care for his newborn daughter with the same love his mom had for him and he sings the song to his daughter.
The pictures also play an important role in this book. Each picture goes along very well with the descriptions of what the son is doing. The writing is always on the left side of the book and the picture to go with it is on the right. If you were to look solely at the pictures you would probably come up with a similar story of the love a parent has for a child no matter what they do. You might not know that the mother sings to the child every night, but the pictures are so detailed and descriptive that the main point of the story would be understood. Also, the colors of the pictures go with the context as well. All of the pictures of the mother in her son’s room are more dull and soft colors. It portrays love and caring. The pictures of the son causing trouble, being a crazy teenager, and moving out are all bright colors. That portrays more craziness and the chaos of a boy’s life. You can really sense the different emotions between the crazy days of the son and the loving relationship that the mother has with her son at nighttime. Also, in all of the pictures with the son during the day he is the center of the picture. The picture seems to be centered on his actions, whether they’re causing a disaster, being dirty, or even living in a new house without his mother. The illustrator does a great job of focusing on the son. This is a great story for children of all ages and even adults, especially if read with their child(ren).


Resource used:
Galda, Lee., and Bernice E. Cullinan. Literature and the Child: Sixth Edition.Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.