Don't Forget I Love You - Hardcover

Anna Currey lives in England.

PreSchool-Grade 2--Although Mama bear tries to hurry her son along, he spends so much time getting his stuffed rabbit ready for nursery school that they leave the house behind schedule. They lose more precious minutes when she must rescue Rabbit after Billy drops him in the rain, and she rushes off to work without returning the toy to him. As the young bear unpacks his lunchbox in his classroom, he laments, "Mama didn't say I love you.... She always says I love you." Before long, however, she returns to offer her tearful son a hug, his rabbit friend, and a comforting "I love you." The spare text presents a typical exchange between a harried mother and her dawdling child and the boy's distress at her abrupt leave-taking. Currey's large watercolor-and-ink illustrations show diagonal splashes of blue-gray color as the characters trek through the rain. Close-ups of a frowning Billy, a single tear sliding down his cheek, followed by the surprise reappearance of Mama and their cuddly reunion are paced just right. Endpapers featuring floppy-eared Rabbit in a variety of poses provide a humorous touch. Pair this with Francesca Rusackas's I Love You All Day Long (HarperCollins, 2002) for a reassuring look at parental love.--Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT
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