No Matter What

No Matter What

This powerful and heartwarming picture book about unconditional love is the perfect book to show your loved ones how much you love them, no matter what. Small is a little fox with big feelings. When Small is feeling down, Small asks Large, "If I turned into a bug, would you still love me and give me a hug?" Large's responses to this question and those that follow are nothing but loving and affirming. With a gentle, rhyming read-aloud text paired with inviting illustrations, this is an essential addition to every little one's library. PreSchool-Feeling grumpy, Small, a little fox, has a tantrum that turns the living room topsy-turvy, after which he questions Large about the resiliency and endurance of his parental love-"If I were a grumpy grizzly bear,/would you still love me?/Would you still care?" or "...if I turned into a squishy bug,/would you still love me and give me a hug?" Ever patient, Large reassures him that "I'd always love you,/no matter what...we may be close, we may be far,/but our love still surrounds us.../wherever we are." The charming watercolor illustrations show warm golds and browns with candlelight and fireside indoors and the cold, blue-and-gray night outside. The rhyming text and large, often double-page spreads make this book useful for story programs. There are many recognizable similarities in Small's world and that of a young child's-dinner in a high chair, bath time, bedtime stories, and favorite toys. Great for fans of Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me? (Chronicle, 1991) or Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You (Candlewick, 1995). Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Small, a very little fox, needs some reassurance from Large in the unconditional love department. If he is grim and grumpy, will he still be loved? `` `Oh, Small,' said Large, `grumpy or not, I'll always love you, no matter what.' '' So it goes, in a gentle rhyme, as Large parries any number of questions that for Small are very telling. What if he were to turn into a young bear, or squishy bug, or alligator? Would a mother want to hug and hold these fearsome animals? Yes, yes, answers Large. ``But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?'' There is comfort in Gliori's pages, but it is a result of repetition and not the imagery; this is a quick fix, not an enduring one, but it eases Small's fears and may well do the same for children. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "Exude[s] a snuggly warmth."-- Publishers Weekly DEBI GLIORI has illustrated many beloved picture books, including Joyce Dunbar’s Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep and Tell Me What It's Like to Be Big, along with her own No Matter What and Penguin Post. She lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.