I love you more than .............? (Guess how much I love you - Sam McBratney)

Member Name: JammyJo

Product:	Guess how much I love you - Sam McBratney
Date:	26/02/02 (196 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Encourages imagination, great story, a feel good book

Disadvantages: children learn a good way of keeping themselves up for longer

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, GO ON….. GUESS!

“Do you love me as much as chocolate?”

“More?”

“Do you love me as much as vegging out at the beach?”

“Even more??”

“Do you love me as much as spending time on DOOYOO??”

“Surely not even more than that?!! Yeah? Wow!!”


How much do you think Big Nutbrown Hare loves Little Nutbrown Hare? This is what the book, Guess How Much I Love you, is all about ….. ok … so it doesn’t actually mention chocolate, vegging out at the beach .. and nope, sorry it doesn’t even mention DOOYOO …. ( I wonder what opinions Hares would write anyway?!!) It does however follow a conversation similar ..in a very small way … to the above!


• = ¤ = The Story = ¤ = •


It is Little Nutbrown Hares bedtime and his daddy is taking him to bed. Little Nutbrown Hare decides to ask Big Nutbrown Hare to guess how much he loves him. (A clever way of staying up I think!! …Jamie my three year old has caught on to this one and bedtime now takes a good few minutes longer!) Big Nutbrown Hare doesn’t think he can guess it, but little Nutbrown Hare isn’t going to be fobbed off with that for an answer … ooooooooh no! He tells Big Nutbrown Hare that he loves him “This much” and stretches his arms out wide. Big Nutbrown Hare has to be one up on Little Nutbrown Hare, stretches his arms out wide and proclaims ….”But I love YOU this much!” Little Nutbrown Hare thinks this over. This starts a long game of who loves who more … with Big Nutbrown Hare always winning because he is bigger than Little Nutbrown Hare .. and can stretch up taller, can hop higher etc. Little Nutbrown Hare gets wise to this and changes tactics … “I love you all the way down the lane as far as the riverR
21; he declares ….. only to be answered with “I love you across the river and over the hills” Another defeat!! During this playful conversation, Little Nutbrown Hare is hardly going to be … as he climbs trees, hops around, and is thrown into the air. The "who loves who the most" battle continues and finally Little Nutbrown Hare starts to get sleepy. His dad …(actually doesn’t say it is his dad, but it is a HE .. so lets assume it is) picks him up, cradles him, and listens to the little Hares last attempt …. “I love you right up to the MOON” he says and closes his eyes. Finally Big Nutbrown Hare settles Little Nutbrown Hare down for the night, kisses him goodnight. Lays down close by …….. then ……..whispers ….

“I love you right up to the moon …… AND BACK!”

Doh … Little Nutbrown Hare loses once again, but by now he is sleeping soundly :)




• = ¤ = The Author = ¤ = •

Sam McBratney is the author of the book. He taught as a Primary School teacher, has three grown up children and a tortoise! (Bet you are glad you know that!) He has written a number of children and young adult books and is known internationally. He has also won several writing awards. Other books written by Sam McBratney include …I’m Sorry, I will always be your friend and The dark at the top of the stairs.


• = ¤ = The Illustrations = ¤ = •


The book is beautifully illustrated by Anita Jeram. Anita was born in Portsmouth, studied and graduated as an illustrator and now lives in Ireland. Guess how much I love you is probably the book she is most famous for illustrating, but has done a few others, including a couple of Dick King Smith books.

It is full of lovely pastel colours that fill the page in an interesting way. The Hares are adorable, with the
cutest of faces, and very appealing to children. My three-year-old lays there, thumb in mouth, hand on ear, fixed on the pictures when we read it for the second time in an evening …(the first time he joins in with everything!) The book really is wonderful to look at.


• = ¤ = How good is the book as a whole? = ¤ = •

If you were to ask Jamie, my three year old ….(because lets face it, it is a children’s book!) he would tell you it is one of his favourite books. Now, Jamie has a bookshelf full of books … so for him to pick this one out as one of his favourites has to be quite something. He chooses it time and time again and still hasn’t tired of it.

We have had our copy a little over a year now and it is still a popular read. He smiles, giggles, joins in, uses his imagination and suggests different ways of measuring love … and totally enjoys himself. This book encourages his listening, language, imagination, and also sleep!! As mentioned earlier we always have to read the book through twice …(as we do every book read at night time for some reason … a way to stay up later probably! … aren’t kids smart!) The first time it is read through is when Jamie joins in, tells the story himself pretty much as he has memorised a lot of the story, and makes additions to the book. The second time however, he settles down and lays there listening to the story … finally getting sleepy :)

Top marks for this book in my opinion … the story, the illustrations, and the emotions that come out in it are wonderful. A really great “feel good” book.


• = ¤ = The Other Bits! = ¤ = •

~ Guess how much I love you comes in a number of different style books. The edition we have is the large ..(and I mean large .. 35cm X 40cm .. I just measured it!) Hard back. It was a Christmas present, but the price on the back is a w
hopping £14.99. I wouldn’t pay this much though, but would go for one of the smaller, cheaper editions. Other editions include a paperback and a hard back. Both of these seem to retail at £3.99 from Amazon.

~ There are numerous extra bits you can buy to go with the book; these include a gift set that comes with a cute Hare, Thank you notes, photo frames and stickers.

~ Walker Books ltd first published the book in 1994.

~ Reading the book only takes a couple of minutes ..(there are 20 pages of text) but telling the story and living the story with a child can take a lot longer … depending on how much imagination you and the child has … can go of for ages!!

~ You can pick this book up at almost all bookshops selling children’s books … it is a very popular book and wont be hard to find.

~ ISBN …. 0-7445-7235-5


• = ¤ = The Final Word! = ¤ = •

This book really is a special read, children (and adults!) of all ages will enjoy reading it and telling it. Jamie is an ideal age for it at the moment I think, but I would expect this book to be hanging around for a long time … and can imagine Jamie reading it to his younger brother when he learns to read … cute!!

Well … here concludes my first book review!! Phew!

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