I Love You the Purplest: (I Love Baby Books, Mother's Love Book, Baby Books about Loving Life)

Any parent with more than one child eventually faces the question of "who do you love the most." This book centers on a mother and her two sons and the repeated comparisons the two boys make with one another. "Who is the best at...?" and "Who do you love the most?" are some of the questions directed at this mom by her sons. The answers are both touching and provoking - to both the child and parent reading the book. It is a unique approach to teaching the concept of boundless love and the limitless love flowing from a parent to a child. The book is of very good quality, especially the art work. Whyte's illustrations are full of warm colors and touching images, and the artwork dominates each page to add to the story. The artwork also avoids any taboos such as huge homes, lots of toys laying around or inappropriate images. The story itself is easy enough reading for a child who is past the basic reading level, and the words are printed large enough where a parent and child(ren) can all see the words & pictures together as the story is read. Finally, the length is not taxing on the attention of young children (3 to 5), but the charming story is not cut short either. You will love this book and the lesson it teaches.

I have this book and I often read it with my two daughters. I love the message in it ----- that each child is equally but differently loved. This is important to convey to your children. My girls now compete to see who can come up with the best color descriptions for my husband and me! I have a friend who is expecting her second baby. She said one day that she could not imagine loving another child the way she loves her first. This book is my baby gift to her.

Wow! Sometimes you read a book and think, "This was written just for me." That's how I felt when I read this one. I have four children who were born within six years of each other, and at times the sibling rivalry can be quite intense. My kids ask, "Who do you love the best?" The standard answer of "I love you all exactly the same" isn't exactly true. I love them all immensely just because they are mine, but I also love each of them differently because each one is unique. Barbara M. Joosse conveys this in her story of a summer evening that a mother and her two sons spend at a lakeside cabin. From the opening lines about hunting for bait, she makes it obvious that these two boys have distinct personalities: "Max exploded from the cabin, twirling the shovel in front of him. Mama came next, and then Julian. Julian shut the cabin door tightly to keep it safe from burglars and bears." Whenever the boys ask their mother who is the best, she gives them an answer that allows them both to be special. Max catches the liveliest worms, and Julian catches the juiciest; Julian is the rower with the deepest strokes, and Max is the rower with the fastest. When each boy asks, "Mama, who do you love the best?" She answers by giving them each a color of love that matches his personality. Julian is the bluest. Max is the reddest. Each boy is thrilled with her answer. Mary Whyte's illustrations are a beautiful complement to the story. The pictures fill each two page spread with the soft colors of a summer evening. The mother and sons are strikingly real. I look at Max and Julian and see my own boys, one overflowing with exuberant energy, the other cooler and more reflective.

This gentle, loving story explores a mother's heart and how we all can learn to express our feelings for others, especially children, in creative and "colorful" ways. My three-year-old loves the story and it provides a perfect atmosphere for our nighttime routine; after the boys and their mother fall asleep and the book ends, my daughter also is ready to tuck in. I hope this book is passed down for generations in our family.

This is a lovely story about the unique mother-son bond. As the mother of two boys, as different as night and day, I can relate to the conflict the children present to the mother of "Whom do you love the most." The mother's response is wise and patient and inspires in me the desire to see my sons as individuals whose qualities complement and enhance each other. I highly recommend this book to other members of the "mother of two sons" club!