I Want to Say I Love You - Hardcover

Caralyn and Mark Buehner are the husband-and-wife team behind the New York Times bestsellers Snowmen at Night and Snowmen at Christmas. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah.

K-Gr 2-"Sometimes I don't think, and forget to tell you so, but I want to make it crystal clear and certain that you know-I love you" are the words that open Buehner's quiet, reflective piece about a mother who reminds her daughter just how much she is cherished. Done with torn-paper collage and soft acrylics in muted tones, the illustrations include the little girl in a mismatched outfit and with a toothless grin, her handmade drawings, a precious gift to her mother of dead bees, and the two singing off-key. Mom lists all the things she loves about her child: her shouting as she returns home from school, the things that she says, and watching her play. This book makes a fine selection for stories about family relationships. With its theme of unconditional love, it is reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's Runaway Bunny (HarperCollins, 1942) and Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me? (Chronicle, 1991).

Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.