View source for I Love You More and More by Nicky Benson and Jonny Lambert

{{infobox2
|title=I Love You More and More
|author=Nicky Benson and Jonny Lambert
|reviewer=Ruth Ng
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Perfect for snuggles with your small ones, the illustrations make this book a keeper.
|rating=4.5
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=28
|publisher=Little Tiger Press
|date=January 2016
|isbn=9781848692114
|website=http://www.littletiger.co.uk/authors?author_id=255
|video=
|aznuk=1848692110
|aznus=1848692110
|cover=1848692110
}}

I'm something of a connoisseur when it comes to books about bears.  I suppose it probably started with Winnie the Pooh, and my dad doing all the funny voices, but even these days I find I am irresistibly drawn to stories with bears in, and this one did not disappoint.  If you're looking for a good old pull-at-the-heartstrings read for cozy afternoons with your momentarily quiet little one, then this is a good place to start.

Told in rhyme, this is a book of loving sentiments, with a parental bear figure explaining how much he or she loves his baby bear.  Yes, I know, we've seen it's like before, but I suspect there's always a place for expressions of love that sometimes flow more easily through the words of a book than they may do in everyday life.  We discover that big bear loves baby bear pretty much more than anything else loves to do anything - more than flowers love to bloom and grow, and more than trees love the changing seasons.  The rhyme culminates in the nice affirmation of ''you are beautiful in all you do, and in all the words you say...I love you, baby, more and more with every precious day.''  It's simple stuff, but it hits the spot.

My only criticism was in relation to some of the loving examples - ''I love you more than waterfalls love to splash on me and you'', since I just couldn't personify the waterfall and it felt a little off to me.  Also there's one unfortunate patchy line where there's just one too many words squashed in, ''I love you more than anything, I cannot name just one reason,'' which I've stumbled through on every single read.  I took off half a star because of this, but I'm a fusspot so you should certainly go ahead and make your own judgments!

Anyway, even if one of the lines reads a bit squiffy, the illustrations are just perfect.  Seriously.  The bears look like bears, all big and hairy and with claws, but not scary claws, just proper-looking bear claws.  And we get to see them lumbering through woods, climbing trees, and catching fish, all very satisfyingly bearish things to do!  They aren't wearing clothes, and they don't live in a human-styled house, they are just good old fashioned bears.  Did I mention that they're terribly cute as well?  Really wide, endearing faces, and the sweet relationship between the two bears is lovely to see unfold through the story.  It isn't just the bears that feel right either, their surroundings do too, with lovely birch trees, imposing mountains, and a wonderful image of two otters playing in the water whilst we see the bears reflections looking on.  I love the pictures more than the story really, and my boy and I would quite happily just sit and chat about each one, making our own loving moment together.

This is perfect bedtime reading, with it's slow-paced rhyme and gentle nighttime ending.  Or save it for those busy days when you feel like you've spent most of it putting 'someone' on the naughty spot, and then savour the happy hugs you get at the end.  Sweet and beautiful, it's definitely worth a read.

Further reading suggestion: For another lovely bear book that's all about love you might also want to take a look at [[I Love You to the Moon and Back by Tim Warnes]].

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[[Category:Nicky Benson]]
[[Category:Jonny Lambert]]