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A review by cherylrainfield
No Matter What by Debi Gliori
3.0
Picture books that are reassuring can help soothe a child, help them know that they are loved–or should be loved. I think they can have great benefit. No Matter What by Debi Gliori is one of those books.
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“I’m grim and grumpy,” said little Small,
“and I don’t think you love me at all.”
“Oh Small,” said Large, “grumpy or not,
I’ll always love you, no matter what.”
“If I were a grumpy grizzly bear,
would you still love me?
Would you still care?
“Of course,” said Large. “Bear or not,
I’d always love you, no matter what.”
–No Matter What by Debi Gliori, p. 5-8.
We all need to know that we’re loved and cherished, and to know that we’re unconditionally loved. This is especially important for young children, who, at a certain age, can’t hear it enough. No Matter What helps reassure the reader that they will be loved, no matter how they feel or act. This 2008 edition is a chubby board book, one where the pages will withstand a lot of use.
The little fox in this book starts out feeling grumpy when her/his parent is on the phone, ignoring her/him, and this sets the stage for the little fox to ask for reassurance and to find out that she/he will be loved, no matter what. Gliori’s (The Snow Lambs, Pure Dead Magic) rhyming text is sweet and reassuring; the parent fox always has a loving, reassuring answer to give the child. The first two examples are easy to see why a child might feel they need reassurance that they’ll still be loved–feeling awful and/or acting out when feeling grumpy or angry (grim and grumpy, and grumpy and grizzly bear). The next two examples were not as immediately clear to me, and didn’t feel as strongly written. After some thought, I realized that “squishy bug” and the child worrying if they’ll still get a hug might mean if the child was feeling unlovable–but I wish that connection were stronger. Still, a child needing reassurance that they will still be loved is a universal need.
One section stopped me short while reading, since it felt un-childlike, and in a different tone than the rest of the book, almost formal: “But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?” I would have preferred the text to flow more easily. Still, all the answers are reassuring, and answer questions that many children may not even be able to express–such as knowing that the parent will still love the child, even if they are away from them.
read the entire review on my blog here
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“I’m grim and grumpy,” said little Small,
“and I don’t think you love me at all.”
“Oh Small,” said Large, “grumpy or not,
I’ll always love you, no matter what.”
“If I were a grumpy grizzly bear,
would you still love me?
Would you still care?
“Of course,” said Large. “Bear or not,
I’d always love you, no matter what.”
–No Matter What by Debi Gliori, p. 5-8.
We all need to know that we’re loved and cherished, and to know that we’re unconditionally loved. This is especially important for young children, who, at a certain age, can’t hear it enough. No Matter What helps reassure the reader that they will be loved, no matter how they feel or act. This 2008 edition is a chubby board book, one where the pages will withstand a lot of use.
The little fox in this book starts out feeling grumpy when her/his parent is on the phone, ignoring her/him, and this sets the stage for the little fox to ask for reassurance and to find out that she/he will be loved, no matter what. Gliori’s (The Snow Lambs, Pure Dead Magic) rhyming text is sweet and reassuring; the parent fox always has a loving, reassuring answer to give the child. The first two examples are easy to see why a child might feel they need reassurance that they’ll still be loved–feeling awful and/or acting out when feeling grumpy or angry (grim and grumpy, and grumpy and grizzly bear). The next two examples were not as immediately clear to me, and didn’t feel as strongly written. After some thought, I realized that “squishy bug” and the child worrying if they’ll still get a hug might mean if the child was feeling unlovable–but I wish that connection were stronger. Still, a child needing reassurance that they will still be loved is a universal need.
One section stopped me short while reading, since it felt un-childlike, and in a different tone than the rest of the book, almost formal: “But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?” I would have preferred the text to flow more easily. Still, all the answers are reassuring, and answer questions that many children may not even be able to express–such as knowing that the parent will still love the child, even if they are away from them.
read the entire review on my blog here