Love You Forever

Last updated
Love You Forever
LoveYouForever.png
Author Robert Munsch
IllustratorSheila McGraw
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
PublisherFirefly Books
Publication date
October 1, 1986
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages31
ISBN 0-920668-37-2

Love You Forever is a 1986 children's picture book written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw. The story centers on a mother who sings a lullaby to her son at each stage of his life. During his childhood, she becomes frustrated with his rebellious nature, yet always sings to him after he falls asleep. The mother and son grow older, with the former becoming sick due to old age, and one day unable to sing the lullaby. The son sings the song for her, then sings it to his newborn daughter.

Contents

Plot

The story details the cycle of life by chronicling the experiences of a young son and his mother throughout the course of the boy's life and describing the frustrating behavior exhibited by him throughout his youth.

Despite her occasional aggravation caused by her son's behavior at 2 years old, 9 years old, and as a teenager, the mother nonetheless visits his bedroom nightly to cradle him in her arms, and sing a brief lullaby promising to always love him:

I'll love you forever

I'll like you for always

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be

After her son enters adulthood and moves across town, his elderly mother occasionally sneaks into his bedroom at night to croon her customary lullaby.

However, she gradually grows old and frail, and her grown son visits his feeble, sickly mother for the final time.

When the son first arrives, his mother tries to sing her lullaby to him, but she is too weak to finish. The son then cradles his mother in his arms and sings the lullaby for her in reciprocation for the unconditional love that she had shown him throughout his life, changing the last line to "my mommy you'll be."

After returning home, the son pauses at the top of the stairs for a long moment (perhaps grieving the death of his mother). He then goes into the nursery, cradles his newborn daughter, and sings his mother's signature lullaby for her, implying that the cycle will continue.

Creation

The book was written after Munsch and his wife had two stillborn babies. [1] They have since adopted three children. [2]

Reception

Love You Forever was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies). [3] In 2001, Maria Shriver wrote in O, The Oprah Magazine : "I have yet to read this book through without crying. It says so much about the circle of life, youth, parenting, and our responsibility for our parents as we grow older. The message is so simple yet so profound. Love You Forever is a great gift for anyone with a child, or even for your own parents." [4] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." [5]

Some readers dislike the portion of the story where the mother sneaks into her grown son's home. One Publishers Weekly reviewer states that Love You Forever is a divisive children's book. "Either it moves you to tears and you love it, or it makes your skin crawl and you detest it..." [6] A commentator wrote "it's either a touching account of a mother's unending love or the ultimate helicopter parenting gone bad." [7]

Media appearances

The book is prominently featured in the Friends episode "The One with the Cake". In the episode, Joey performs a dramatic reading of the book at Emma's first birthday (as he had forgotten to get a present and saw the book nearby), moving everyone to tears. Joey later realizes that he has forgotten to prepare for an upcoming audition and decides to recite the book as a dramatic monologue.

The book was read by Madeleine Stowe to Tori Barban in the movie The Christmas Hope , the third movie in The Christmas Shoes trilogy.

Playwright Topher Payne wrote an alternative ending to the story, in which the mother is forced to recognize the son's need for personal space, and they instead agree to share their time doing things together. [8]

In the season eleven episode “Decision Time” of the tv series Heartland, Amy reads the book to her baby.[ citation needed ]

In the Manifest episode "All-Call," Eden is briefly shown reading the book.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danielle Steel</span> American romance novel writer (born 1947)

Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel is an American writer, best known for her romance novels. She is the bestselling living author and one of the best-selling fiction authors of all time, with over 800 million copies sold. As of 2021, she has written 190 books, including over 140 novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lullaby</span> Soothing childrens song

A lullaby, or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for children. The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledge or tradition. In addition, lullabies are often used for the developing of communication skills, indication of emotional intent, maintenance of infants' undivided attention, modulation of infants' arousal, and regulation of behavior. Perhaps one of the most important uses of lullabies is as a sleep aid for infants. As a result, the music is often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in many countries, and have existed since ancient times.

<i>Goodnight Moon</i> 1947 American childrens picture book

Goodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was published on September 3, 1947, and is a highly acclaimed bedtime story.

"Changelings" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on November 27, 2016. In this episode, Belle's pregnancy is sped up, and Aladdin becomes a genie. In flashbacks, Rumpelstiltskin confronts his mother, the Black Fairy, for abandoning him.

<i>The God of Small Things</i> Debut novel of Indian writer Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things is a family drama novel written by Indian writer Arundhati Roy. Roy's debut novel, it is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" prevalent in 1960s Kerala, India. The novel explores how small, seemingly insignificant occurrences, decisions and experiences shape people's behavior in deeply significant ways. The novel also explores the lingering effects of casteism in India, lending a culturally-specific critique of British colonialism in India. It won the Booker Prize in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Munsch</span> Canadian childrens author (born 1945)

Robert Norman Munsch is an American-Canadian children's author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jochebed</span> Mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses in the Bible

According to the Bible, Jochebed was a daughter of Levi and mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. She was the wife of Amram, as well as his aunt. No details are given concerning her life. According to Jewish legend, she is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changeling</span> Creature in European folklore

A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found throughout much of European folklore. A changeling was a substitute left by a supernatural being on kidnapping a human being. Sometimes the changeling was a 'stock', more often the changeling was a supernatural being made magically to look like the kidnapped human. Supernatural beings blamed for stealing children included fairies, demons, trolls, nereids and many others. Usually, the kidnapped human was a child; but there were cases, particularly in Scandinavia and Ireland where adults were taken.

<i>Ramona</i> (novel series) Novel series by Beverly Cleary

The Ramona books are a series of eight humorous children's novels by Beverly Cleary that center on Ramona Quimby, her family and friends. The first book, Beezus and Ramona, appeared in 1955. The final book, Ramona's World, was published in 1999. Two books in the series were named Newbery Honor books, Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Ramona and Her Mother received the National Book Award. Sometimes known as the Beezus and Ramona series, as of 2012, the books were being marketed by HarperCollins as "The Complete Ramona Collection".

<i>The Giving Tree</i> Childrens picture book by Shel Silverstein

The Giving Tree is an American children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1964 by Harper & Row, it has become one of Silverstein's best-known titles, and has been translated into numerous languages.

<i>The Truth About Forever</i> 2004 novel by Sarah Dessen

The Truth About Forever is a novel by Sarah Dessen. It's her sixth novel and was published in hardcover on May 11, 2004, and in paperback on April 6, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacquelyn Mitchard</span> American journalist and author

Jacquelyn Mitchard is an American journalist and author. She is the author of the best-selling novel The Deep End of the Ocean, which was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club, on September 17, 1996. Other books by Mitchard include The Breakdown Lane, Twelve Times Blessed, Christmas, Present, A Theory of Relativity, The Most Wanted, Cage of Stars, No Time to Wave Goodbye, Second Nature - A Love Story, and Still Summer.

<i>Drowning Ruth</i> 2000 novel by Christina Schwarz

Drowning Ruth is a 2000 bestselling novel by Christina Schwarz, author of five novels. Drowning Ruth was chosen as a selection for Oprah's Book Club in September 2000.

<i>We Need to Talk About Kevin</i> 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her psychopathic son Kevin and the murders he committed, as told in a series of letters from Eva to her husband.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lillian Hoban</span> American writer

Lillian Hoban was an American illustrator and children's writer best known for picture books created with her husband Russell Hoban. According to OCLC, she has published 326 works in 1,401 publications in 11 languages.

<i>The Book Thief</i> 2006 novel by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by the Australian author Markus Zusak, set in Nazi Germany during World War II. Published in 2006, The Book Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into 63 languages and sold 17 million copies. It was adapted into the 2013 feature film, The Book Thief.

Don J. Snyder is an American novelist and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Lansky</span>

Vicki Lee Lansky was an American author and publisher, best known for her cookbook Feed Me I'm Yours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Cradle Song</span>

"A Cradle Song" is a poem written by William Blake in 1789, as part of his book Songs of Innocence.

<i>Owl Babies</i>

Owl Babies is a 1992 book by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson. It is about three owlets that wake up one night to find their mother gone. The trio worry about her absence, but are then elated when she returns from her night flight.

References

  1. BabyCenter. "Truth Behind Love You Forever". Mom. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. "75 things you might not know about Robert Munsch". CBC books. 1 May 2017.
  3. "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  4. Shriver, Maria (December 2001). "Love You Forever - Review". O: The Oprah Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  5. National Education Association (2007). "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" . Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  6. Morris, Alison, Love You Forever, Hate You Forever, Publishers Weekly, May 6, 2008
  7. Prahl, Amanda (Dec 29, 2019). "The Emotional True Story Behind "Love You Forever" Adds a New Layer to the Sweet Book". POPSUGAR Family. Retrieved Feb 8, 2020.
  8. Kirch, Claire (20 August 2020). "Playwright's Revisions of Classic Picture Books Go Viral". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 16 September 2020.