I Loathe You

by David Slonim

Unconditional loathing is monsterly love in this sweetly humorous picture book.

Just how much does Big Monster loathe Little Monster? Let it count the ways....
I loathe you more than tooth decay
More than blizzard snow in May
More than garbage in a dump
More than splinters in my rump
No matter what, through thick and thin, I loathe you there and back again!
Author and illustrator David Slonim depicts a tender, tongue-in-cheek celebration of a very special kind of loa...er, love.

Genres: Picture Books, Monsters, Childrens, Love, Humor, Storytime, Family

24 pages, Hardcover

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

David Slonim is an award-winning illustrator of many children’s books, including The Deer Watch by Pat Lowery Collins. He lives with his wife, four kids, and a dog named Maggie in Indiana.

Reviews

[babyhippoface · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORABLE. In a nasty, ugly, opposite-of-everything sort of way. Clever, and just adorable.

Little Monster quizzes Big Monster on how much he is loved--whoops, I mean loathed, which, in the monster world, is the same thing as loved, apparently. Big Monster happily reassures Little Monster that he is loathed "more than chicken pox, more than stinky, sweaty socks. More than garbage in a dump, or splinters sticking in my rump". Wow. That's a lot.

Big Monster lets Little know that nothing he could ever do could make Big Monster loathe him less--a message all us monsters want to hear.

This is absolutely perfect for one-on-one sharing with parents, and also makes a fun and funny read-aloud for groups. I think I'll stash this one away for Valentine's Day. My school's little monsters will love it.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, cute twist on the traditional "I'll always love you" picture books, this features a parent and child monster talking about their deep and everlasting loathing for one another. They loathe one another more than all the remarkably disgusting (aka "wonderful" in a monster's view) things in the world! Awwwe ;-)

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a humorous take on familial feelings featuring monsters. Children will giggle as the story features words that are the opposite of those used in typical books describes the love between a parent and child.

The illustrations, "rendered in acrylic with charcoal," are colorful and the monsters are not scary at all, in fact they are quite adorable.

We enjoyed reading this book together, despite the fact that the book is probably a bit too young for our girls.

The rhyming narrative is fun to read aloud and is a refreshing break from some of the saccharine sweet tales so prevalent for young children.

One note for other parents: Our girls didn't understand the word 'loathe,' so they appreciated the humor much more once I explained it. (I often ask if they understand challenging words we come across, but I initially assumed they knew this one.) I introduced the book as an "opposite-day" book and they loved the irony of it.

[Cassie Iturrino · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sorry but I have to disagree with the 96% of the people who liked this book. In today's society, having someone say that they loathe someone else is not appropriate. Isnt there enough hatred and loathing in this world that we dont have to teach it to our children as a bedtime story? Regardless if it is a story about monsters or not, to deem it as an endearing quality and a form of "love" is misleading. I would be upset if someone told my child that the loathed them because it was in a bedtime story that their mother read to them.

I read this book in the book store and actually read it out loud and there was another woman there who gave me a blank stare. She thought that I was joking and making up a story. At least at this point I knew I wasnt the only one to think that this is the wrong message to send to our children.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the clever backwards language in this book, but I think my son didn't quite understand that it was kind of a big long joke, from a human's point of view. We did talk about what the word "loathe" means, though, and we talked about how the monsters seem to love each other, rather than hate each other, so maybe he got the basic idea in the end.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun tongue-in-cheek twist on the I LOVE YOU SO MUCH genre of picture books. It's rare I find one of these I like and this one was done well enough to make that stringent cut. Fun, monsterous illustrations top off this play on an endless, tired theme.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm torn deciding whether or not this is suitable for PSST. I don't think the kids will get the humore of "I LOATHE You" and will need some explaining. I think it's cute but may result in a bad sarcastic habit parents won't like or kids won't know when to use. Hmmmm....

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great play on the "I Love You" stories. Great rhyme and rhythm, and funny illustrations.

[Samra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is adorable and rhymes.

[Vanessa Dargain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mispronounced word makes abhorrence exalted in clever and humorous way . A definite read again for nannies and their charges .

[Daija · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for children. The key topic is to show how much the big monster loves the little monster. This story starts with the little monster saying I loathe you to the big monster, then after the big monster says I loathe you back, the little monster asks him, how much do you loathe me? Then the big monster gives examples on how much he loathes the little monster, for example, in the story he says, “I loathe you more than bellyaches”. The story continues with the big monster telling the little monster how much he loves him. I rate this story a 5/5 because I think it’s something kids would enjoy. Kids love monsters and I also think this story might make them laugh a little.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and thought it was extremely cute, but I don't know that I'd use it with kids younger than kindergarten. You'd definitely need to talk about what the word "loathe" means and talk about how monster love seems to be the opposite of human love. I think for kids under kindergarten age it would likely just be too confusing for them to understand the joke that is going on.

[Misbah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww super cute! This is basically i love you this much, the monster version. The little monster asks the big monster if he'll still loathe him as much if he stopped being a gross little monster. Fun book.

[Maggie Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade range: 1-3
Genre: modern fantasy
I Loath You is a super cute book all about "loathing" or love. I think that it is a really sweet concept for a picture book. The illustrations in this book and the colors used are well put together and very fun to look at.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter picked this out at the library without knowing was "loathe" meant. As much as you can like about about and parent and child telling each other how much they hate one another, ...I guess I liked it? Ha.

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I didn't have to explain what loathing was to my child, this would be the perfect book.
That is my only note. Would read again, but change the word loathe to love until my children can read on their own, haha.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two little monsters try to one-up each other on how much they loathe each other. It's not a harmful loathing, but a playful one.

[Emily Kinsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

11/28
Fiction
3rd-5th
A silly twist on love, very funny! I thought they hated each other the whole time until I found out there was a twist at the end! Very entertaining and fun pictures.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so adorable. Little monster asks how much big monster "loathes" him, and will big monster still "loathe" him if he changes? I loved this book.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How do I love you? Let me count the ways..." for the monster family! A small monster is concerned the big monster will stop loathing him.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Monster and Little Monster share with each other exactly how much they "Loathe" each other.

Just so stinkin cute. The monsters are adorable and I just want to hug them.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny take on love.

[skcocnaH · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see what Slonim was trying to do here and it’s cute, but it was confusing for my 5 year old. She kept saying, “that’s mean!”

[Liem Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slonim, David. I Loathe You. A very funny book about how much two monsters “loathe” which translate to “I love you” in monster term. This is humorous book about a little monster and a big monster discussion how much they care for one another. Children will laugh with stinky socks and slimy rats. The illustration is very colorful and images of the monsters are not scary. The little monster is orange with represent a more active characteristic compare to the big monster which is green and represent a calm feeling.
I enjoy the witty and humorous discussion between a young and older monster. Children might be confuse with the word “loathe” as being negative. I recommend discussing the word before start reading the book. The words are simple that younger children are able to understand. Target audience ages 3-8

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Monster needs a little reassurance that Big Monster will loathe him, no matter what. Even if he doesn't stink or have fleas or warts or accidentally says thank you.

Cute book. Funny. Illustrations fit right in. Good for your little monster who might be getting too big for Guess How Much I Love You (but still needs to hear it).

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ADORABLE! "Did you not hear what I just said? Nice or nasty, kind or mean, I loathe you up, down, and between. From your horns down to your claws, you're mine, I loathe you just because - Snout to tail, scales and fuzz, always will be, always was."

I will definitely be reading this one for storytime!

[Dayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I write and illustrate children's books myself, I am very critical of some picture books. This book was a pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved it. The word "loathe" was a hard one to swallow at first, but the turnaround was handled so cleverly. An unconventional way of teaching about unconditional love. The illustrations are bright, fun and absolutely perfect.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun idea that I am sure will have kids laughing - instead of love, monsters loathe each other more than a bunch of rhyming distasteful things. Unfortunately, some of the examples were a little too gross for my preference or too silly for me to be able to use in a storytime setting (splinters in my rump, what the dog threw up).

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I know I am a sick puppy but this book made me laugh out loud. Would I read this to my child as they lay down for a long winter's nap? Probably not but still some kids would enjoy the irony of it all.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the greatest Valentine's Day book I have ever read. Monsterly Love is "I loathe you" So great. I don't know if kids will get, or appreciate but I thought it was exceptional. Unconditional monster love "I LOATHE YOU TOO"