Parents of the previous generation who wanted to bestow all their mushy, gushy love on their kids–in book form–had Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever and Sam McBratney’s Guess How Much I Love You for bedtime reading. Cuddled under the covers, snug and cozy while turning pages, is there any better way to share a deep parent-child bond?
But it’s time for those books to move over and make way for new Valentine’s classics!
I can’t think of a better gift for the holiday than a book. Candy rots their teeth, plus you end up eating most if it yourself, don’t you? (Well, I do.) And where will you store yet another Build-A-Bear that gets forgotten by March?
Valentine’s Day belongs to books. And these three are perfect picks to declare all your mushy, gushy love. And grandparents, take note. These books are just right for you and your grandkids, too.
I Love You More Than Rainbows
by Susan Crites
Illustrated by Mark & Rosemary Jarman
Published by Thomas Nelson
With whimsical illustrations as bright as rainbows, Susan Crites’s book uses analogies children can easily understand to explain the concept of love. Kids are crazy about ice cream cones with sprinkles on top, puppies, birthday parties, sleigh riding and hot cocoa. But as great as those childhood favorites are, parental love still trumps them all.
Try inserting you child’s own favorites while you read this book. With my kids, “I love you more than albino rock pythons, Sun Chips and Daphne from Scooby-Doo” might work well. Don’t ask about the snake, but I could use help finding something to rhyme with Scooby-Doo. Yabba-Dabba Doo? Anyone have a Hanna-Barbera thesaurus?
But I digress…
With a jaunty rhyme that never gets too sing-songy, this book is a joy to read aloud, and the bold colors will delight a young audience.
Published by Thomas Nelson, I Love You More Than Rainbows won a Mom’s Choice Award and is available in hardcover and in board book form—at a great price, too. There’s even a Kindle version.
Me with You
by Kristy Dempsey
Illustrated by Christopher Denise
Published by Philomel Books
When Kristy Dempsey wrote this story, she couldn’t imagine that her editor and illustrator Christopher Denise would interpret her characters as granddaughter and grandfather. But after reading this book, you’ll agree, there’s no more perfect a pair.
Me with You celebrates the joys of being yourself around someone you love, the comfort a great relationship brings. Grandpa is always there to support his young cub, even when she’s feeling selfish and gruff. The two allow each other to express themselves, always knowing their love will not waver.
Me With You also highlights the importance of spending time apart from
Hip hip hooray!
*cartwheels* *backflips* *high jumps*
WooHoo! Friends, we can hardly bear it, because today, Kristy Dempsey's very first book, Me with You, is officially out!
ME WITH YOU by Kristy Dempsey, pictures by Christopher Denise,
(Philomel Books, 2009). Picture Book for ages 4-8, 32 pp.
Each new book is a miracle, but a first book is a very special cause for celebration. No matter how many books an author publishes, there is, and always will be, only one first book.
And this one just happens to feature two thoroughly lovable, endearing bears (eeeee!). You may know we're just a wee bit partial 
Winkler is inspired to play the piano just like the grandfather in the book.
Pudding, Hilda, and Laura have their own tea party after reading the book.Me with You celebrates "a pair beyond compare": a winsome, playful cub and her kind and loving grandfather. Kristy, who is a poet as well as an author, describes all the ways these two are more completely themselves because of their singular relationship.
Through lyrical, lilting stanzas of simple, rhyming verse, the affable cub mentions, among other forays, a charming tea party, a glorious day on a tire swing, and fun in the garden: 
When you are in the garden,
I'm prepared to top the spout.
Together we know how to grow
a rainbow from a sprout.
Even when things don't go so well, the cub knows her grandfather will be there for her:
I'm me when I am sick in bed,
all feverish with flu,
so you stay close to care for me
and watch the whole night through.
Whenever I am not so nice,
and selfish with my stuff,
you're the one who loves me
and forgives me if I'm gruff.
The sentiment is sweet and heartwarming without being sappy, and young readers will find comfort and reassurance in the unconditional love and patience of the grandfather. It is good to know that, "When the path is rocky, you are there to hold my hand."
Christopher Denise's charming, engaging illustrations beautifully capture the adventures and misadventures of this inseparable pair. The resident bears cannot stop praising Denise's decision to depict the characters as bears, and then to portray them with such unending verve and personality.
I love the hugeness of the grandfather and his palpable gentleness, the playful eagerness of the girl cub, the bucolic setting, and the added details that make the spreads even more cuddle-worthy: polka dot napkins at the tea party, that tiny piece of pie on a teeny plate resting in the grandfather's huge paw, or the dollhouse in the cub's room with Goldilocks and the Three Bears on the floor.
The palette favors warm, muted earth tones, with the characters set against soft focus landscapes. This creates a certain dreaminess and timelessness, with the characters taking center stage, and the rest of the world fading back. A perfect book for toddlers and preschoolers, Me with You is destined to become a laptime favorite.
Especially in honor of Kristy's first book, the resident teddies have created a special soup that bears repeated slurping. Please help yourself to as much as you like, then amble over to your fave indie to pick up your copy of Me with You. Consider it a bear essential!
Today's Special: Cub Chowder (twice as good when shared with a friend).
For an extra treat, have some cherry pie, just like the cub and her grandpa had at their tea party:
photo by anthony parisiFor more about Kristy and her books, visit her official website and Live Journal blog, Reverie -- Abstract Musings on a Hopeful Life. Kristy is running a contest on her blog through June 15th. Click here for details about how you can enter to win a copy of Me with You!
To see the adorable book trailer, click here.
To learn more about Christopher Denise and his work as a children's book illustrator and Visual Development artist, visit his official website and blog.
To view all the Soup of the Day posts on this blog, click here.
Thank you for creating this book, Kristy and Christopher!
Happiness is sharing this book with someone you love.
*All spreads posted by permission of illustrator, copyright © 2009 Christopher Denise, published by Philomel Books. All rights reserved.
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Tara,
Thanks for highlighting my book and choosing it as a new Valentine’s classic. I’m with you on giving books as gifts. I hope those that receive I LOVE YOU MORE THAN RAINBOWS as a gift enjoy it all year through.
Susan Crites
facebook.com/authorsusanecrites
I’m with you on ME AND YOU, it’s one of my new favorites to share. Looking forward to checking out the other two!
er, ME WITH YOU, I mean. yeesh…..
I’ll have to check them out! thanks for the suggestions. I love the cover on the rainbow book. Adorable!
Hi, Tara! I love Kat’s YOU’RE LOVABLE TO ME, too! Another new fave is HENRY IN LOVE by Peter McCarty. Ah, love! Dontcha love it?
I’m so excited to read this story to my grandchildren. Seldom have we had a story book that deals with the message of unconditional love to our children! What a beautiful concept to pass on to our loved ones; not just on Valentines Day, but forever and ever.
Can’t wait to see more of the beautiful bunnies on the cover.