NEVER TOO LITTLE TO LOVE (PICTURE BOOK)

PICTURE BOOK
NEVER TOO LITTLE TO LOVE by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Jan Fearnley (Candlewick)

Tiny Too-Little has to really stretch if he wants a smooch from his long-necked love interest, but where there's a will, there's a way! A series of cut-paper pages display his attempts to pile different items on top of each other, but even when that fails, love conquers all and effectively makes the point of the title. A charming cumulative tale mixes gentle watercolors with enough novelty to stabilize the saccharine. Pre-school teachers, this title screams for a felt-board interpretation of the great object pile-up (such as the one sported by our model below on a Show-a-Tale apron from BookProps)! (3 and up)

Also of interest:

Sweet! Ten Ways to Use Books and Reading to say "I Love You" on Valentine's Day

1. Read aloud a book into a casette player, or a computer recordingdevice. Give the book and finished cassette/CD to a young loved one. Great for working parents! Kids can also make recordings as gifts for distant relatives.

2. Pack a special Valentine's Day brown-bag lunch and include a love letter to your child to read while s/he eats!

3. Make a Valentine for a favorite author or illustrator. Help your child address an envelope to the publisher (usually listed on thecopyright page of a book), and send it off.

4. Make pink fortune cookies by adding a few drops of red food coloring. Write your own fortunes together and read them aloud as you open the cookies. Recipe at www.planetesme.com/fortunecookie.html .

5. Share something personal and special by reading aloud, like a childhood diary or PG-rated love letters you and your spouse exchanged.

6. Have a family read-aloud with CUPID AND PSYCHE, as told by M. Charlotte Craft and stunningly illustrated by K.Y. Craft. Need more titles for your literary love-in? For a big bouquet of lovely books that manages to avoid too much mush, check out Unlovable Love Stories.

7. Let your child tuck you in and read you a bedtime story.

8. Find your favorite childhood book and inscribe it to your child.

9. Pack a new book inside the bottom of a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

10. Take your child on a date to the library.

Remember, ten thousand pieces of research support the Department of Education's findings that read-aloud is the best thing you can do to support lifelong literacy, that it contributes to background knowledge for all subject areas, and that read-aloud should continue through the grade levels. Love learning? Read-aloud is romantic!

On a personal note: You're invited to a publication party!
A children's literature shmoozapalooza for grown-ups is being hosted by the lovelies at Writer's Workspace on the north side of Chicago this Friday (2/16) at 6:30 p.m. in honor of my novel VIVE LA PARIS. Why don't you come by?

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.