How Far Do You Love Me?

How Far Do You Love Me?
by Lulu Delacre

For those of you who follow my blog regularly, you will remember my son just graduated from high school. The day after graduation he headed off to freshman orientation. I was a bit overwhelmed that he was leaving so quickly to go off to college, but I have to admit I handled it very well. Last week he left for Spain for his freshman camp experience. When I read this book all I could think about was how many miles separate us right now and how much more love I feel for him. I know he is having a wonderful time because we chat on line, but it still does not diminish the amount of love in my heart for him. Whenever we say goodbye we always say, "I love you" and then race to see who can say, "most" first. I have to admit I was not familiar with the game that inspired this book. For years I have told my husband and my son, "I love you to the moon and back an infinite number of trips", but I never played this bedtime game with my son. The game, How Far Do You Love Me? is briefly described at the end of the book as a game to play with someone special in your life and to "let your imagination soar" as you describe all of the places around the world, and beyond, in which you can show the distance of your love. I think this is a great new tradition we can bring to our family, and hopefully you can consider it for yours as well.

Beautifully illustrated in soft pastels, this story carries the readers (children and their parents) across the seven continents and a number of different cultures in order to show the power of love between a parent and child. From the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the Alps Mountain Range in Switzerland and then on to Kangaroo Island in Australia the distances of love are vast and beautiful. The text provides information about the various cultures depicted in the illustrations and the location is identified in the bottom corner for each two page spread.

Near the end there is a two page spread which includes the question, "How far do you love me?" in over twenty languages. A map concludes the book, showing all of the various locations depicted throughout.

This is a wonderful book to share with a special child at bed time or anytime. Reading to a child is a perfect way to show them you care about and love them. How Far Do You Love Me? can spark a conversation about how far you love each other and no matter the distance between you that love will never fade.

I would highly recommend this title for any library with a children's collection. It will be a great addition to a family library as well. I would recommend the book for children from four to eight years of age.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Lee & Low Books, Inc. has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book through NetGalley.com.