I Love You More - by Clare Helen Welsh (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A heartfelt celebration of parental love and the beauty of nature.

How much does Mom love her little Rae? More than seal pups and penguins love their icy home, more than dolphins love the boundless sea, or lions love to race and roar, more even than all the stars, the moon and the sun combined. In fact, she loves her more than words can even say . . .

A beautiful, lyrical story which reassures children that the love between a parent and child is unconditional and everlasting, whilst encouraging them to explore and discover, to change and grow.

Perfect for fans of Giles Andreae and Emma Dodd and picture books Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram and No Matter What by Debi Gliori.

Written by Clare Helen Welsh, author of All the Animals Were Sleeping and Time to Move South for Winter, with stylish, retro artwork from Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell

Review Quotes

An animal-focused take on that perennial one-upmanship game familiar to parents: how to express one's everlasting love for a child.
Joining a legion of similar books, some identically titled, Welsh's tale offers a world of wild beauty. As the book opens, a bespectacled redheaded mother cuddles her pajama-clad child, Rae, whom she loves "as much as any creature loves the sea, the land, or shore." She references penguins happily waddling in the snow, seal pups snoozing on a "sunlit icy floe," an eagle soaring majestically, goats and foxes scrabbling up a mountain, turtles surfing, lizards basking in the sun, wolf cubs romping, tree frogs leaping, parrots flying, and leopards lazing. Mom concludes hyperbolically that her love is greater than the number of celestial bodies in the sky-setting up the child's irrefutable winning claim: "I think I love you more." The verses roll rhythmically, with only the occasional banal cliched line ("winged things love to flutter"). Stylized images against textured multilayered backgrounds-sea and sky, mountain, desert, and jungle-pulse with brilliant color and loving depictions of animals and their habitats. Art and words make a vibrant connection between the wild world and human love. Human characters are light-skinned.
A love contest that encompasses all things nature, with affection for its young protagonist at its heart. (Picture book. 2-5)

--Kirkus

A mother reassures her child of the depths of her love in this stunning picture book that will fast become a bedtime ritual. "I love you like the mighty eagle loves to soar" and "like wolf cubs love to laze" are among the nature comparisons, illustrated with brilliant colors and dynamic textures that capture an orange sun setting over the savanna, a waterfall cascading through a jungle, and the star-splattered reaches of space before returning to the child's bedroom for a kiss goodnight. (starred)--Danielle Ballantyne, Foreword Reviews

"A mother reassures her child of the depths of her love in this stunning picture book that will fast become a bedtime ritual."--Danielle Ballantyne, Foreword Reviews

"A love contest that encompasses all things nature, with affection for its young protagonist at its heart."--Kirkus

About the Author

Clare Helen Welsh (Author)
Clare Helen Welsh is a picture book writer who loves dreaming up stories for young readers and their families to enjoy. For many years she was a primary school teacher, which ignited her love of storytelling, reading and role-play. Clare lives in Devon with her husband, two children and her dog, Hope. When she isn't imagining new worlds and creating characters, she enjoys walking on the beach and in the countryside and takes lots of inspiration from the natural world.

Brave Union (Illustrator)
Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell are a husband-and-wife illustration team known as The Brave Union. Kevin and Kristen began collaborating over ten years ago on their senior thesis stop-motion animation, "A Very Hairy Christmas." (A werewolf Christmas story, of course). Since then, they've started a studio and taken on the freelance world of illustration working on projects for magazines, packaging, t-shirts, music albums, and, their absolute love, children's books.