Quick Booktalk
A young boy expresses his love to a series of animals, imagining how he would show affection for each one if he were a member of their species, too.About the Illustrations
The artwork in this book is done by Tomie dePaola in his instantly recognizable signature style. His animals are not strictly realistic, but their warm, kid-friendly features hint at their animal characteristics. On each spread, the boy appears on the right, and the animals on the left.
Story Time Possibilities
I read this at story time this week, and I made it a bit interactive by asking the kids to make a sound appropriate to each animal after I read each spread. This was a great success, and even the oldest kids (ages 6, 7, 8, and 10) got into it. For the rabbit page, I asked them to make a rabbit face. For the page at the end with the little boy being put to bed by his dad, I asked them to say, "Shhhh," which quieted them down to transition into the next book. I paired the book with "When Cows Get Up in the Morning." It also would have worked with something like "Old MacDonald" or with "Goodnight" by Laurie Berkner. In addition to the typical animals theme and the noisy theme for which I used it, this book could be good for a toddler-appropriate Valentine's Day story time.
Readers Advisory
As far as I can tell, this book is the original 1976 text with the same illustrations, except the pictures are now colored and not just black and white. The text and artwork don't seem to have been updated in any way in terms of content, and the story has an overall timeless feel. My 2-year-old son who is really interested in animals took a special liking to this book. He's very fond of the owl page. He seems to be the ideal target audience.
Disclosure
I received a review copy of I Love You, Mouse from Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
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