Read together (with Mimi) June 7, 2020

Rating: 5/5 stars

Book #30 in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge

Logan and I finally made it to this 1986 classic a few weeks ago. I doubt there are many people who haven't at least heard of this children's book. A paperback copy was gifted to Logan recently and we couldn't wait to read this special story of a mother's undying love for her child. This was guaranteed to be an extremely emotional read (we knew this before reading it); when I did some research and discovered the heartbreaking personal story behind the book and song ("I'll love you forever / I'll like you for always / As long as I'm living / My baby you'll be"), it tugged at the heart strings even more.

We read this book with Mimi, who shared memories of having experienced it decades ago. She remembered the book from when I, Mama, was a little girl in grade school and my teacher read it during a parent-child Mother's Day event. Mimi said my teacher warned everyone beforehand that she would try very hard not to break down and cry while reading it.

Yes, it's one of those books.

One of those books where you're looking around the room, asking "Who's chopping onions?"

But that's no surprise, because we expect any story about a mother's love for her child (a son) to be heartfelt and sentimental. We were a little concerned about the part where the little old lady climbs up a ladder into the upstairs bedroom of her grown son! We understand that the book is simply making a point of how much this woman loves her dear child, but we thought that was a mite eccentric. I don't know too many grannies climbing ladders, do you?

The story was beautiful, the illustrations "classic" in every sense of the word, and of course, we'll always remember that cover with the toddler making a complete mess in the bathroom.

If you don't know about this book, I have to ask: which rock have you been hiding under? And if you just remembered this book, why don't you grab a copy and experience it again? It's probably still one of the sweetest stories you've ever read. The book has been deemed a little "over-the-top" or strange to some people, and I can see where they're coming from. And it's heartbreaking when you learn the story's origins. But we think it's still one of the sweetest and most unforgettable stories of the last half-century.

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