The way I figure it is, there are two kinds of people in the world of children's lit: those who adore Love You
Forever by Robert Munsch.And those who hate it.
Which one are you?
Whoa. Hang on. Don't click "comments" yet. Get back here.
Before you answer the above question, read this comment on Alison Morris's Shelftalker post by Andy Laties:
I watched Bob Munsch perform this book for a crowd of children's booksellers in 1997. He handled it
as pure, satiric comedy. I believe the book was originally developed as comedy, and that the incorrect, sentimental reading is an example of the general public completely misunderstanding an extremely dry, ironic text. That it's intended as satire is proven by the image of the mother climbing in the grown man's window and rocking him. Munsch developed his stories during live performances for toddlers. Of course toddlers would find it absurd that a "daddy" figure would be rocked by his own mommy. Thanks, Andy. I never thought of Love You Forever that way. And yeah, by looking at that photo, you can guess that Bob Munsch is a comedian.
So, blogger friends, how do YOU feel about Love You Forever?
Yay! I win! (And that's saying something - 'cause up until now, I never win anything.)
ReplyDeleteI see Love You Forever as sentimental, though I agree the mom climbing into the window is quite absurd. But the notion that a mother's love for her children has no end is hard to view as satirical - even if that was the author's intent for the story in general.
One of my fave Munsch books is Good Families Don't. I used to love reading it to my second graders when I taught elementary school. It was a frequent request at read-aloud time, especially from the boys. Why? I'll not spoil the surprise. Find it and read it. Trust me.
Oy vey it was this! You must be psychic if you knew this based on the little info the customer gave you-wow!
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