January 1, 2005
With a spongy paper-over-board cover and board book pages, I Love You Through and Through by Rossetti-Shustak, illus. by Caroline Jayne Church, takes an unseen adult's perspective as he or she tells the spiky-haired blond boy pictured with his teddy bear all the things about him that are lovable: "I love your top side. I love your bottom side. I love your inside and outside." .
April 1, 2005
PreS -This is a sweet book, good for a lap-time cuddle. It reads as an affirmation that the child will be loved, from top to bottom, when happy or sad. The text also introduces opposites as in "I love you.../silent/and talking." There's no real story here, simply comfort in the rhythm and rhyme of the words as they build to the satisfying conclusion: "I love you/through and through -&/yesterday, today, /and tomorrow, too." The book is printed on stiff pages, good for toddlers to flip through or to withstand a baby's drool. Dynamic illustrations feature the child and his sidekick teddy bear. As a team they act out the text in ways that are informative, inventive, and humorous. The colored pages are subtly patterned, providing a decorative yet unobtrusive backdrop to the simple and focused drawings. Basic, low-key, eye-catching, and smooth." -Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI"
Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2005
With a padded cover and board book format, this trite expression of love for a toddler is simply presented. Side-by-side, boy and bear demonstrate "I love your top side. I love your bottom side," by showing the top of their heads and backsides. There is nothing new about this concept, and this offering doesn't stand out in the genre.
(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)