I Love You Too, by Stephen Michael King

…there’s one thing I know,
You love me and I love you too.

Four animal friends (a rabbit,a mouse, a bird and a fourth which is possibly a cat) play and explore their way through life. Not everything goes their way – their sunny day rolling down hills leads to pollen sneezes and some days are stay inside days – but none of that matters because even when things go wrong, their love for each other is constant.

This is such a simple text, with perhaps a hundred words, but there is so much meaning in those words, which are a pleasure to read, especially aloud. And, like any Stephen Michael King book, the illustrations are breathtaking. The characters are apparently simple, too, but say so much with their expressions and movement. Each friend is very different, which is part of the lovely message of the book. The colour palette is also gentle – pastel colours in watercolours with pencil lines – making this a lovely nap time, cuddle time or any quiet time story.

There is only one Stephen Michael King. His gentle, very canny touch is sheer genius.

I Love You Too

I Love You Too, by Stephen Michael King
Scholastic, 2013
ISBN

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