"Every bird loves a tree,/ Every flower loves a bee,/ Every lock loves a key,/ And I love you." There's nothing like a love poem to curl up in bed with. And in this ode to love, almost-readers can partake as well as already-readers. Written in a rebus format, with pictures or symbols suggesting words, the book is both a challenge and a comfort. Children will have fun deciphering the rhymes comparing the affection waves have for whales, ducks have for lakes, and socks have for shoes. The refrain, of course, is the universal rebus series of symbols: an eyeball, a heart shape, and the letter u--I love you.

Jean Marzollo is the author of the bestselling I Spy books, including I Spy Gold Challenger. Suse Macdonald is the recipient of the prestigious Caldecott honor for Alphabatics. This simple little book, with bold, bright pictures and very few, very big words, will be just right for a naptime read-aloud. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
For this sweet valentine to youngest children, Marzollo (the I Spy series) and MacDonald (Alphabatics) join forces in a combination concept book and rebus. Word pictures substitute for the verse's nounsAand for the words "I love you," which end each of the four quatrains. Marzollo's natural instinct for preschoolers' view of the world is in evidence: "Every bird loves a tree,/ Every flower loves a bee,/ Every lock loves a key,/ And I love you." The pairings (one per spread) will be immediately recognizable to youngsters, and the closing "I love you" refrain pictures snuggling pigs, a mother and baby koala bear and courting rabbits. MacDonald's images of a wave hugging a whale, and of two ducks in flowered bathing caps racing into a lake, are especially winning. Ages 2-6. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K-Within this four-stanza poem, pairs of items are described as loving one another. Some are endearing, like the pigs, koalas, or sheep, which are clearly intended to be parent-child pairs. Others are less so. While shoes and socks, and keys and locks do go together, describing their connection as "love" seems exaggerated. Also, the decision to anthropomorphize some things and not others in the illustrations only adds to the unevenness. Each spread contains the rebus on the left and a charming, colorful picture on the right. Some of the rebus pictures are ambiguous, making it difficult to read. One example is the sand shovel and bucket. It becomes clear that the bucket is actually a pail only when the next rhyming pair (monkey/tail) appears. Also, the refrain, depicted as an eye, a heart, and the letter "u," is not, strictly speaking, a rebus. Of course, most readers will recognize that the heart symbolizes love, but it is the only picture not read literally. The repeated refrain, "And I love you," provides an appealing rhythm to the text. The entire poem is printed at the end, so that any confusion is easily allayed. Still, it's unfortunate that the possibility of perplexity exists in a format that is intended to create confidence in pre-readers.Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Marzollo (Do You Know New, 1998, etc.) pens a simple, happy poem for the very young, featuring commonplace pairings of child-friendly objects. ``Every sock loves a shoe,/Every ghost loves a boo,'' and, ultimately, ``I love you.'' The upbeat tempo has a mesmerizing effect, and combined with a touch of whimsy``Every monkey loves a tail''will make ``readers'' of even the youngest listeners. MacDonald's colorful illustrations make the rebus format a further success; every object named and the refrain are featured as icons in the poem and then incorporated into a larger picture on the facing page. The full-page illustrations that accompany the refrain are particularly endearing, portraying a variety of besotted animals. New readers can easily master the simple text while non-readers are given plenty of visual clues to assist them. The complete version of the poem is included. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Book Description
"Every bird loves a tree/ Every flower loves a bee/ Every lock loves a key/ And I love you." Illustrated with great whimsy and charm, this delightful book offers rhymes to read, pictures to decode, and a loving message to share.

Card catalog description
A poem with a rebus format, in which the speaker professes love equal to that of a bird for a tree, a flower for a bee, and a lock for a key.

ANNOTATION

A poem with a rebus format, in which the speaker professes love equal to that of a bird for a tree, a flower for a bee, and a lock for a key.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

For this sweet valentine to youngest children, Marzollo (the I Spy series) and MacDonald (Alphabatics) join forces in a combination concept book and rebus. Word pictures substitute for the verse's nouns--and for the words "I love you," which end each of the four quatrains. Marzollo's natural instinct for preschoolers' view of the world is in evidence: "Every bird loves a tree,/ Every flower loves a bee,/ Every lock loves a key,/ And I love you." The pairings (one per spread) will be immediately recognizable to youngsters, and the closing "I love you" refrain pictures snuggling pigs, a mother and baby koala bear and courting rabbits. MacDonald's images of a wave hugging a whale, and of two ducks in flowered bathing caps racing into a lake, are especially winning. Ages 2-6. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Children's Literature - Susan Hepler

You only have to master four words in order to read this rebus poem. Four rhymed stanzas pair off what loves what and each ends with symbols for "and I love you." It's a perfect read-aloud for new readers and a wonderful read-with for preschoolers. The rebus verses are also repeated without the picture in the back of the book. Suze MacDonald's humorous paintings feature plenty of light touches and heart shapes that lovingly float up from various animal pairs making this just right for Valentines Day, or any other day for that matter.

Children's Literature - Childrens Literature