I Love You So Much

by Carl Norac, Claude K. Dubois (Illustrator)

Lola the hamster wakes up with something important to say. Special, tender words are on the tip of her tongue. Are the words meant for Mommy and Daddy? Or should she tell her teacher? Or maybe her friend Frankie, the Skateboard King? The day is frustrating indeed as the words puff out impatient Lola’s cheeks. But eventually, her powerful, magical words are sure to burst forth. They’ll be worth the wait!

Children and adults alike will cherish this exuberant and universal story of self-expression and family love.

Genres: Picture Books, Love, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Carl Norac was born in Mons, Belgium, in 1960, the son of a writer and an actress. His early years were spent on a city housing estate, surrounded by playmates with whom he would act out Enid Blyton’s tales of adventure. His father later built a chalet and the family left the city to live in the middle of a forest. The importance of nature in his books comes from these years spent wandering among the trees. Every day after school, Carl went walking alone in the forest, making up stories. At the time, his parents owned a traveling puppet theatre and from the age of 12, Carl took part in their shows.

As a teenager, Carl wrote poems and received his first literary prize at the age of eighteen. This is when he started to travel throughout the world, mainly in Asia but also in Africa and the Americas. His children’s books are sometimes inspired by these travels that took him from sandy deserts to icy arctic wastes.

Carl Norac then worked in a number of different fields as a French teacher, a television scriptwriter, and a journalist before devoting himself completely to his passion—writing. In addition to poetry and plays, he has written about fifty children’s books and has received a lot of price ( He was also in the Honour List for The Andersen Prize in 2004 ) . Some of these, such as Les mots doux (I Love You So Much), have been translated more than twenty different languages with worldwide success. When he writes, the part he likes best is expressing the characters’ feelings. “A little bit of gentleness in a strange world.” These last years, he wrote some books directly in english, especially for Macmillan Chlidren’s Book ( with a american edition also by Clarion Books ). “My daddy is a giant” and “My mummy is magic”, the two first ones, are already translated in many languages. Carl Norac is the father of a little girl called Else.

Reviews

[Cristina Di Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dolci Parole è un tenero albo illustrato che sottolinea l’importanza per i piccoli di condividere, in ogni momento, le emozioni più profonde. La dolce protagonista Lola, infatti, si sveglia con la bocca piena di parole e sensazioni tenere. Vorrebbe dirle ai suoi genitori ma sia papà che mamma sono molto occupati. https://ilmondodichri.com/dolci-parole/

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sterren- English hardcover

Naar de collectie van de kleinkinderen.

[Geert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belangrijke personages
* Lola de hamster: Het hoofdpersonage. Ze wordt wakker met haar wangetjes bol van de lieve woorden, maar kan ze aanvankelijk aan niemand kwijt.
* De hond (Brak): De eerste vriend die Lola tegenkomt, maar hij is te druk bezig met een andere hond om te luisteren.
* De papegaai: Een dier dat zelf veel praat, maar geen geduld heeft voor de woorden van Lola.
* De kat (Karel): Te arrogant en druk met jagen om aandacht aan haar te besteden.
* Mama: Aan het einde is zij degene die wél de tijd neemt om echt naar Lola te luisteren en haar lieve woorden in ontvangst te nemen

Leuke weetjes
* De fysieke woorden: In het boek worden lieve woordjes, zoals kusjes en complimentjes, letterlijk voorgesteld als kleine vogeltjes en vlinders die haar wangen vullen.
* Wereldwijd succes: Het boek is enorm populair en is wereldwijd in vele talen vertaald. Wereldwijd zijn er al meer dan 275.000 exemplaren verkocht.
* Grote serie: Het karakter Lola de hamster is onderdeel van een geliefde reeks kinderboeken van dezelfde auteur.
* Doelgroep: Het boek is perfect voor peuters en kleuters (vanaf ca. 2 tot 4 jaar) vanwege de herkenbare situaties en de sfeervolle waterverfschilderingen.
* Populaire cadeautje: Het verhaal is erg geliefd als kraamcadeautje, en is in verschillende formaten uitgebracht waaronder een handig miniboekje en zelfs een speciaal babyboek waarin ouders mijlpalen kunnen bijhouden

[Delphine Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre à partager en famille dès l’âge de 3 ans, tout doux comme son titre. Lola a des mots doux qu’elle veut dire à sa famille dès qu’elle se réveille le matin. Mais les choses ne vont pas se passer comme prévu…
Des dessins pastel, en douceur, des pages qui se lisent tranquillement avec son enfant. Un bonheur !
« Dans l'autobus, il y a trop de bruit pour dire des mots doux. »

[Elizabeth Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute story and lowkey relatable! We’ve all been there, Lola.

(G rating)

[Leonardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagino que en inglés debe ser mucho más pasable

[Marinocheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

faites comme lola, dites les mots doux

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, gentle lesson on the importance of listening to our kids when they have something they need to say. You never know what you're missing if you don't stop to listen. A very human little hamster wants to tell someone how she feels, but no one has time to pay attention.

[Nicoeduca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edad recomendada: 2 a 5 años.
Tema: el amor

El narrador cuenta la historia de Lola, una dulce pequeña que tiene la "boca llena" de palabras dulces, pero que no tiene oportunidad de decirlas, por el corre corre diario y por ello se va sintiendo cada vez peor, pero en cuanto las pronuncia se siente muchísimo mejor. Enseña que siempre hay que decir las cosas bonitas que se sientan porque el resultado será muy positivo para ti y para todas las personas que te rodean.

[Cailin Leithead]

So cute! My family loves this book! I like that she didn’t say the special words to the boy that was being annoying to her although maybe she’s supposed to love everyone? Either way I love seeing how much her parents love her!! Don’t want to rate it because my family loves it so much but it’s fun!
(Read with my lc’s)

[Josecita Hernandez Pereira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dulce es la mejor palabra para describir este cuento.

Una historia hermosa, simple y dulce. Los niños la adoran, quizás porque se siente identificados con la protagonista…

Las ilustraciones son un complemento perfecto para esta historia.

[Esme🍂 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las palabras dulces es un libro tierno y muy sencillo, ideal para los más pequeños. Me gustó porque habla con sensibilidad sobre el amor familiar y el poder de las palabras con cariño. Aunque es una historia muy breve, deja un mensaje bonito y reconfortante. Es de esos libros que se disfrutan por su calidez.

[grasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because I love my grandma so much and she went away and I will never forget her😭😿😭😠😡

[Jahnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik herlees dit iedere week <3

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love You So Much is a very cute book, I love how Lola wanted to wait for the very best moment to share her special words with the right person. The illustrations are sweet and make me smile!

[eveltrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and gentle story with adorable and humorous illustrations.

[Giorgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molto bello, dovrebbero leggerlo molti genitori di adesso, che fanno i figli ma di loto non gli importa niente

[Mahdiye Fateh · Rating 4 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمه فارسی: حرفهای خوب

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the loose outline on the illustration work. This copy I have is a first print that came out in 1998 from a French publication from 1996.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love You So Much by Carl Norac was a super cute book to read. Lola has some special words that she really wants to tell her mom and dad. This would be a great story for kinder to 1st graders to read. A good reminder to tell your loved ones that you love them.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me as a kid to say "I love you" to my parents, is also just a very cute story and I often read it as a kid

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heerlijk boek

[salmA · Rating 5 out of 5]

las palabra dulces de mañana ya están en su habitación 💌

[DiaElla Mar Noun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decir las palabras dulces nos llena el día de alegría ✨

[Karen Hurtado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Las palabras dulces, al irse, surten efecto

[S. W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llorar con cuentos para niños es mi pasión

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with so many of these books, just a little too saccharine/kitschy. There are other similar books that I just think convey this better.

[Johanna Florez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different book in this series (I Love To Cuddle) was my favorite as a child and shaped my personality. I related to this one so much I almost cried?

[Rocío · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque sabía a dónde quería llegar fue bonito descubrirlo.