Book: I Love You Stinky Face
Author: Lisa McCourt
“Mama, what if I were a big, scary ape? Would you still love me then?”
In line with February’s theme of family, our book recommendation for this month is I Love You Stinky Face, a story about a small boy being tucked into bed by his mother. After the mother tells her son that she loves him, he decides he has some questions… The curious boy wants to discover just how far his mother’s love for him extends. He follows by asking if she would still love him if he became such things as a smelly skunk, an alligator with been teeth, or even a Cyclops monster. The mother offers her son some clever responses to his questions, as she lets him know that her love for him has no limits. Enjoy this story with your child to help them understand that love is unconditional, especially the love of a parent for their child.
Activities
- Encourage your child to use their imagination. Ask your child what animal or creature they would be (real or imaginary)? Would they be scary, smelly, goofy? What would their name be? What would they like to do? Where would they live? Have your child draw a picture of what they might look like.
- Let your child know your love for them is unconditional through a similar conversation to that of the book by asking your child to come up with some imaginary creatures. Following suit of the mother in the story, use your creativity to let them know how you would express your love for them if they were this character.
- Create a poster or bulletin board that says, “I love my family because…” or “My family is special because…” As a family, come up with responses to complete the sentence, and encourage your child to express what family means to them. Leave this posted somewhere in the house and add to it as you see fit (e.g., to acknowledge a special moment or to recognize the positive impacts you have on each other).
You can find this book at your Burnaby library, just click here.