From Publishers Weekly
Gliori (Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep) here explores anxiety about the limits of a parent's loveAespecially whether it can survive a bout of pint-size bad behavior. With a gentle, rhyming text and illustrations that exude a snuggly warmth, she offers a reassuring, though ultimately cloying answer. As bedtime nears, a cute little fox named Small who's feeling "grim and grumpy" (and whose parent, Large, is pictured chatting on the phone) acts out by upturning the living room. When Large asks what's wrong, Small begins interrogating Large (neither character's gender is specified): "If I were a grumpy grizzly bear, would you still love me? Would you still care?" "I'd always love you, no matter what," responds Large. As in books like Lisa McCourt's I Love You, Stinky Face, the child ups the ante with unpleasant scenarios: what if Small were some other ostensibly uncuddly creature, like a squishy bug or a crocodile? "No matter what" comes the answer againAand Gliori's warmly comic depictions of Large's abiding affections drive home the unconditionality of parental love. Unfortunately, Gliori pushes her point a bit too hard with a closing treacly analogy to the light of stars: "We may be close, we may be far,/ but our love still surrounds us.../ wherever we are." Still, few authors wear their hearts on their sleeves so effectively. Ages 2-6. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
PreSchool-Feeling grumpy, Small, a little fox, has a tantrum that turns the living room topsy-turvy, after which he questions Large about the resiliency and endurance of his parental love-"If I were a grumpy grizzly bear,/would you still love me?/Would you still care?" or "...if I turned into a squishy bug,/would you still love me and give me a hug?" Ever patient, Large reassures him that "I'd always love you,/no matter what...we may be close, we may be far,/but our love still surrounds us.../wherever we are." The charming watercolor illustrations show warm golds and browns with candlelight and fireside indoors and the cold, blue-and-gray night outside. The rhyming text and large, often double-page spreads make this book useful for story programs. There are many recognizable similarities in Small's world and that of a young child's-dinner in a high chair, bath time, bedtime stories, and favorite toys. Great for fans of Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me? (Chronicle, 1991) or Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You (Candlewick, 1995).Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Small, a very little fox, needs some reassurance from Large in the unconditional love department. If he is grim and grumpy, will he still be loved? `` `Oh, Small,' said Large, `grumpy or not, I'll always love you, no matter what.' '' So it goes, in a gentle rhyme, as Large parries any number of questions that for Small are very telling. What if he were to turn into a young bear, or squishy bug, or alligator? Would a mother want to hug and hold these fearsome animals? Yes, yes, answers Large. ``But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?'' There is comfort in Gliori's pages, but it is a result of repetition and not the imagery; this is a quick fix, not an enduring one, but it eases Small's fears and may well do the same for children. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
I’m grim and grumpy,” says Small to Large, “and I don’t think you love me at all.”But nothing could be further from the truth--and Large knows just how to reassure Small in this warm and tender story about a child’s biggest worry and a parent’s endless capacity for love.



Card catalog description
Small, a little fox, seeks reassurance that Large will always provide love, no matter what.

ANNOTATION

Small, a little fox, seeks reassurance that Large will always provide love, no matter what.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"I'm grim and grumpy," says Small to Large, "and I don't think you love me at all." But nothing could be further from the truth—and Large knows just how to reassure Small in this warm and tender story about a child's biggest worry and a parent's endless capacity for love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Gliori (Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep) here explores anxiety about the limits of a parent's love--especially whether it can survive a bout of pint-size bad behavior. With a gentle, rhyming text and illustrations that exude a snuggly warmth, she offers a reassuring, though ultimately cloying answer. As bedtime nears, a cute little fox named Small who's feeling "grim and grumpy" (and whose parent, Large, is pictured chatting on the phone) acts out by upturning the living room. When Large asks what's wrong, Small begins interrogating Large (neither character's gender is specified): "If I were a grumpy grizzly bear, would you still love me? Would you still care?" "I'd always love you, no matter what," responds Large. As in books like Lisa McCourt's I Love You, Stinky Face, the child ups the ante with unpleasant scenarios: what if Small were some other ostensibly uncuddly creature, like a squishy bug or a crocodile? "No matter what" comes the answer again--and Gliori's warmly comic depictions of Large's abiding affections drive home the unconditionality of parental love. Unfortunately, Gliori pushes her point a bit too hard with a closing treacly analogy to the light of stars: "We may be close, we may be far,/ but our love still surrounds us.../ wherever we are." Still, few authors wear their hearts on their sleeves so effectively. Ages 2-6. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal