My Love for You

Two mice walk along describing love in comparison to animals from one bear to ten lovebirds

PreS. A 1-to-10 counting book about love. Two mice, one smaller than the other but with no relationship between the two mentioned, stroll along through abstract landscapes, talking about their love for one another: "bigger than 1 bear," "taller than 2 giraffes," "longer than 5 pythons," "mightier than 8 lions," etc. In the end, they state that their love is greater than all of these put together and that it will last forever. The collage full- and double-page illustrations are fabricated from many layers of paper and a bit of paint, giving a variety of looks. The landscapes are soft, amorphous, and many-colored, with the birds and flowers suggested, rather than delineated. The animals are more crisply outlined and done in a simplified, lively, decorative style against subtly textured backgrounds. The overall effect is bright and cheerful. The type is bold upper case with the numbers and objects to be counted clearly defined. Cozy and reassuring, this is a good choice for sharing one-on-one.?Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This counting book, with soft and elaborate torn-paper illustrations and a wild-animal theme, describes a love "bigger than 1 bear, taller than 2 giraffes, [and] larger than 3 blue whales." A white mouse and a smaller brown mouse serve as the central characters, each taking turns to issue a declaration beginning with the words "My love for you" and continuing with phrases that incorporate numerals from one to 10. The mice compare strong feelings to animal giants from elephants to hippos, and end the list with the word "forever." Roth (Brave Martha and the Dragon) leaves the mice's relationship unspecific-they could be parent and child, friends or relatives, thus widening the potential audience for the book. Her art for this title is among her most childlike: she fashions fantastic landscapes and realistic animals from multicolored layers of paper-mottled, patterned, solid or tissue-thin. Transparent wisps and flyaway strands of cotton give some images a billowy look, while others have sharp, clipped edges. An amiable and direct primer. All ages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

My Love For You ($12.99; PLB $12.89; Feb. 1997; 32 pp.; 0- 8037-2031-9; PLB 0-8037-2032-7): Roth (Brave Martha and the Dragons, p. 829, etc.) creates charming collages that quietly- -then thunderously--spell out the size, strength, durability, and expanse of the love one mouse has for another. It's ``bigger than 1 bear,/taller than 2 giraffes,/larger than 3 blue whales.'' Ultimately, their love is greater than anything they can imagine. The book adds up to a simple statement about an inexplicable emotion, but it has a gift-book prettiness rather than the resonance of a story. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 2^-5. A counting book with a nice surprise: a simple charm, a loving voice, and a subtext about racial harmony. A mouse uses the attributes of a variety of familiar animals to express the depth, width, and breadth of his love for a friend: "My love for you / is bigger than 1 bear / taller than 2 giraffes / larger than 3 blue whales . . ." Colorful, expressive cut-paper collages, some with an impressionistic feel, add to the appeal of the book, which offers children not only opportunities to learn and practice counting but also a chance to reinforce their animal identifications. The warm, sentimental final spread--two tiny, hugging mice set against a sweeping, rainbow-colored background, is a perfect conclusion. Stephanie Zvirin