This lovely lullaby of a book expresses how many different animal mothers love their little ones. The Mama horse loves her fawn "as much as a warm summer breeze," and the Mama Bear loves her cub "as much as the forest has trees." The pages all follow the theme of a mother's love, so they can be read in any order, although when read cover-to-cover the pages form poetic rhyming verses. Since the first line on each page is the same, the repetition will provide familiarity and comfort to your little one. Furthermore, the pictures are gorgeous oil paintings creating realistic nature through carefully places stokes and expert mixing of colors and shading.
This book is perfect for snuggle time, whether it's before bed, naptime, or just an afternoon when snuggles are needed. It would be easy to add your own lines in; "Said the mother to her child, I love you as much as . . . " and fill in whatever would be most meaningful to you and your child. As they grow older, they will get the hang of it and may start adding in their own verses. Your little one may still be too young to read, but they can start learning to recognize the different animals and how they all have parents who love them.
When I was a child, long before I knew about this book, my mom used to tell me, "I love you to the end of the rainbow." That phrase made me feel enveloped with love and I came up with my own refrain, "I love you to the end of the ponies!" At the time, I was a toddler and very into My Little Ponies, so it was the only way I could express the depth of love I felt for my mother. Even though I'm nearly 30 now, my mom will sometimes say one of our love phrases and we will both stop and smile. I certainly plan to share that with my own little one some day.
--Audra
