________________ CM . . . . Volume III Number 13 . . . . February 28, 1997

cover Would you love me?

Andrea Wayne von Königslöw.
Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 1997. 32 pp., paper, $5.95.
ISBN 1-55037-430-3.

Preschool - grade 1 / Ages 3 - 6.
Review by Frances Miskolci.

*** /4

excerpt:

Would you love a rooster
that wakes people up?
Yes, I'd let him drink
from my favourite cup.
image Although past the age when any little 'roosters' in my household wake me up at the crack of dawn, the memory of those days still lingers. So too does the recollection that, at those times, a return to sleep is foremost on your mind - and furthest from the mind of the little 'rooster,' who, above all else, wants to play. You awake, shed the bliss of dreams, and begin your day, hopefully not with anger, but with love.

      Andrea Wayne von Königslöw has created a picture book whose message is simple - a child's mischievous behaviour should be treated with parental understanding and unconditional love. On each two-page spread, we encounter a playful and vibrant watercolour-and-ink illustration. Accompanying each illustration is a four-line rhyming verse describing what is often regarded as negative behaviour. image

      Many of the behaviours depicted are innocuous - messiness in various forms being a recurring theme - but a few behaviours might merit something more than understanding and love. For instance:

Would you love a big bee
that stings when it's mad?
Yes, we would read books
and we'd snuggle with Dad.
The message here is unclear. Are we to tolerate violence as a display of anger? Do we ignore the behaviour or even reward it?

      Would you love me? is a wonderful picture book to read to young children. It can teach them they will be loved despite their minor foibles. Parents can also use it to indicate that, although children are loved unconditionally, some behaviour is not. This book can be used to initiate discussion on these behaviours and, hopefully, help children understand why the behaviours are wrong.

Recommended.

Frances Miskolci is a homemaker and grandmother.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © 1997 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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