My Love For You - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF Plus Giveaway

First off, the winner of Being A Cat: A Tail of Curiosity by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Pete Oswald is:

Ashley Sierra

Now, this week's #PPBF book is not a picture book, but an adorable board book with a loving message for all ages of readers. As we head into May and look forward to graduations from Kindergarten to college, this is a great treasure to give a kid as they face the upcoming changes. A sweet loving reassurance that a parent's love never ends. Or a gift guaranteed to make your mother cry.

My Love For You

Author: Lisa Varchol Perron

Illustrator: Sheryl Murray

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster (2023)

Ages: 3 Months to 18 Years

Fiction

Themes:

Change, family, and parent's love.

Synopsis:

This lovely and lyrical board book reassures a child that although all things change or come to an end (a sandcastle falls with a wave, a seagull steals a cracker), a parent’s love lasts forever.

A sandcastle falls with a wave, a seagull swoops down for a precious cracker, a looming thunderstorm means beach time is over, and summer draws to a close. Although most everything changes or comes to an end, a parent’s love never does. It endures and reassures no matter what.

Opening lines:

Today, let’s soak up summertime

before it turns to fall.

Gather sand and pack it tight

to build a castle wall.

A wave! Our fortress topples down,

becoming something new.

Everything is bound to change...

except my love for you.

What I LOVED about this book:

With a sweet lilting rhythm, the book opens with a beautifully touching image of a mother and child building a sandcastle in a last excursion before fall. When a wave surges in...

Text © Lisa Varchol Perron, 2023. Image © Sheryl Murray, 2023.

A wave! Our fortress topples down,

becoming something new.

Everything is bound to change...

except my love for you.

The soft pastel image and the gorgeous, magical swirling wave combine with the gentle rhyming stanza to offer comfort and reassurance to the child and the reader. I love that even the "offending" wave is soft, curly, and contains little fish and sparkling bubbles. Even the affirming refrain, "except my love for you," matches the gentle curve of the wave.

As the day progresses, a hungry seagull steals a bite with a whooshing swoop in the air and the refrain curves along with its wing. Then gusty winds chase the mother and child from the beach and they dash inside, just before getting soaked. I really like their loving expressions and the gentle sweep of the rain. It almost makes you want to linger there on the step for a few moments. Unfortunately,

Text © Lisa Varchol Perron, 2023. Image © Sheryl Murray, 2023.

Clap of thunder. Flash of light.

A sprint inside and . . . shatter!

Broken treasure from the shore.

Tiny pieces scatter.

A treasured sand dollar and a shell cracks and shatters. As the child's feelings pour out, the mother assures the child that "Most things pass. They rarely last . . . /except my love for you." The book continues to a sweet, snuggly ending. It's a perfect bedtime book, full of wonderfully cozy illustrations, lovely little details, expressive characters, and a ton of love. As well as a great book for helping deal with changes, disappointments, and a celebration of summer family time. A wonderful gift for any child, newborn to graduate.

Resources:

- make an indoor sandcastle if rain chases you inside or try another beach craft.

- Can you think of changes you like (getting taller, being older, summer) and changes that bother you? Why do you think some changes are harder than others?

- Draw a picture of your favorite day with a parent, grandparent, or other family member.

My Love for You Giveaway

Awesome news! Lisa is offering one lucky reader a copy of My Love for You.

- Simply comment below (or on Lisa's interview post (here) - or both) to be entered in the random drawing on May 12th.

Be sure to say where (if) you shared the post (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram), and I'll add additional entries for you.

- *Sorry US Residents only.*

If you missed the interview with Lisa Varchol Perron on Monday, find it (here).

This post is part of a series by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions and resources see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.