When Louis threatens to run away, Mom goes to playful lengths to express how much she'd miss him in this lyrical, beautiful, and reassuring story of parental love.
The splashing waves will call to me,
Louis's mother, why do you cry?
Louis has just spilled his milk, and Mom is a little frustrated, so her little bear decides it's time to head to the end of the world, far, far away. But just as Louis is prepared to depart, he can't help but ask Mom, "Will you be sad when I'm gone?" So Mom relays her tale—of a mama bear whose tears create a great sea, who searches for her boy under waves and on mountaintops and beseeches the wind and the swaying trees to help her find him. Will the sadness end there, or will even the child's toys begin to cry, with no one to tuck them in or hold them tight? Illustrating the depth and breadth of a mother's love, Ronda Armitage's heart-tugging tale is filled with Victoria Turnbull's rich, whimsical scenes full of wonder that will take children to the very ends of their imaginations.
2 of 2 copies available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 25, 2025 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781536250176
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 15, 2024
A mother bear reassures her baby that her love is unconditional. Louis spills his milk, to Mom's dismay. Believing that his mother no longer loves him, he decides to run away "to the end of the world, far, far away." But Louis wonders: Will Mom be sad? Resoundingly, yes, she tells him. Her many tears will form a deep, deep sea. She'll be so upset that her "sobs will fill the sky" from way up high in the mountains and "rustle the leaves" of the great forest. Her grief will be so intense that even Louis' toys will join her. As Mom details the depth of her love, Louis eagerly listens for more. Armitage deftly captures the playful, affectionate back-and-forth rapport between a parent and a young child. Turnbull's colored pencil illustrations have an old-fashioned coziness, the gentle but whimsical imagery complementing the text and capturing the range of emotions that Mom and Louis experience as their conversation progresses and as the imagery flows from one fantastical situation to the next. Young readers will delight in discovering the recurring details in the artwork as the characters make their way back to their snug, lived-in home. A charming tale of parental love that's especially ideal for bedtime.(Picture book. 3-7)COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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February 1, 2025
Preschool-Kindergarten Louis, a small bear, spills his milk, and his mother is annoyed. Instead of helping to clean up the mess, Louis decides to run away, sure that his mother cannot love him anymore. As she mops up the milk, the mother responds with love and reassurance: She will cry a sea of tears if he goes. She will howl louder than the wind on a mountain. Even Louis' toys get into the act, wondering who would play with them if he went to the end of the world. The sentimental story and soft colored-pencil illustrations have a nostalgic feel that places the book in a progression leading back to Russell Hoban's Frances the Badger series, Else Minarik's Little Bear books, and Margaret Wise Brown's Runaway Bunny. As Louis listens to his mother's tale, parallel images show him packing a suitcase and journeying imaginatively to the places she describes. All is well as he decides to stay--and a twist at the end declares that perhaps one day they will go exploring together.COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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