I Will Love You Forever

Tyrannosaurus #4

by Tatsuya Miyanishi, Mariko Shii Gharbi (Translator)

A female Maiasaura finds a lost egg in the forest and decides to look after it with her own egg. Surprisingly, a baby Tyrannosaurus hatches from the egg. The greathearted mother accepts and raises him as her own son, Heart. One day, Heart goes to pick berries and comes across another Tyrannosaurus. The foster son of the Maiasaura discovers his real identity. The fourth title in this acclaimed Tyrannosaurus series, I Will Love You Forever delivers a heartwarming story about adoption with vivid, brightly colored illustrations and endearingly drawn characters.

Genres: Picture Books, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Adoption, Love, Fiction, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

His name is often written as 宮西達也 in Japanese, and sometimes as みやにし たつや.

Born in 1956, Tatsuya Miyanishi graduated from the Nihon University College of Art and was a doll artist and graphic designer before becoming a picture-book author. Miyanishi's books have a passionate fan base of all ages that enjoys his range of endearing characters in many genres, from superheroes to dinosaurs, all illustrated with bright colors. He has won the Kodansha Cultural Award for Picture Books, as well as the Kenbuchi Picture Book Grand Prize.

Reviews

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
This is another of Miyanishi's message books for children, written and illustrated in a style I find harsh and violent.

In this one, a peaceful Maiasaura mother finds a small egg left in the forest after a storm. She rescues it because "If that nasty Tyrannosaurus finds it, he will eat it."



Fair enough. Of course, she's startled when it hatches and is a baby Tyrannosaurus! She takes the baby back to the spot where she found it, but the baby calls her, and what new mother could resist the pull of an infant?

She takes it home to be a brother to her own son. She names her son Light and the adopted son, Heart, because "You are strong and powerful, but I would like you to be kind."

Fine so far. He's raised as a berry-collecting vegetarian. But as Heart grows up, he is told by others that he's not what he thinks he is, and eventually he has a run-in with a full-grown Tyrannosaurus who gives him the facts of life. You're one of us and we don't eat berries.

After a few mishaps, he runs to his mother begging to know "Am I your child?"

His mother's reply is just right. "You are my dear child, Heart. You are my treasure."



But then, the story seems to wander off track to what I find an ending that I don't think will make adopted kids feel better about their adoptive families. And it's a sad ending for the mother, whether or not she finds new piles of berries appearing unexpectedly.

But others may disagree. Fans of previous books in this series may enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Museyon Inc for a copy for review.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japanese author/artist Tatsuya Miyanishi, whose series of prehistoric picture-books manage to explore some very human issues in dinosaur form, returns in this fourth title featuring the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex. When a mother Maiasaura finds an abandoned egg, she takes it into her care, worried it might be eaten by a passing Tyrannosaurus. Imagine here surprise when the egg hatches, and the newborn baby is a T-Rex himself! Initially seeking to abandon the infant, her mother's heart simply can't accept such a course of action, deciding to raise Heart as her child instead. But what will this unusual child do, when he meets another T-Rex for the first time, and discovers who he truly is...?

Originally published in Japan in 2006, and then in this English edition in 2017, I Will Love You Forever has the same kind of heartwarming tale and vividly colorful artwork as its predecessors. As I was reading it, I kept thinking that these books from Miyanishi are so unlikely, in the sense that nothing about them - the overtly violent narratives, the almost-garish color scheme in the artwork - would initially lead me to suppose that they would leave me with a lump in my throat. And yet, they always do. This one was no different, in that respect, and although I found the ending here a little bit abrupt and open-ended - Heart just disappears, presumably going off with his birth father? - I still found the story quite poignant. Recommended to children who enjoy anthropomorphic dinosaur tales, as well as to those readers who have read and enjoyed other Miyanishi titles in this series.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a mother Maiasaura finds an egg in the forest, she takes it home and looks after it with her own egg. When the eggs hatch, she has a baby Tyrannosaurus on her hands. At first, she takes him back to the forest, but can't leave him there when she hears his cries. She brings him home and raises him as her own son naming him Heart. Heart thinks he is a Maiasaurus, eats berries, and is frightened of the stories he hears about Tyrannosaurus. When Heart goes to collect berries one day, he comes upon a Tyrannosaurus. He is told that he too is a Tyrannosaurus, just like the dinosaur he has met. Once he realizes that this dinosaur means to hurt his family, he attacks to protect his family. The foster son of the Maiasaura discovers his real identity and goes to live with the Tyrannosaurus, but never forgets his foster mother. This is the fourth title in the Tyrannosaurus series. I Will Love You Forever delivers a heartwarming story about adoption. My grandson loves watching the television series "Dinosaur Train" in which a Pteranodon family adopts a Tyrannosaurus so the concept was not new to him, but being only four and not adopted, he does not understand it. This would be a good story to use with children who have been adopted. The illustrations are simply drawn and colourful. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't lie: this book shocked me out of my freaking mind.

Like, however could a children book written that way?
A thing about this book is, it's written in a very matter of fact, weirdly realistic way. I mean of course, there's some nonsense in it, what kind of children book that doesn't?
But I think what this book try to convey is, there will always be some ending that wasn't happy, and that's life.

That being said, I still really really would like to read more of this series! The art is so cute and I heard other stories are just as intriguing while not being as odd as this one.

I'm not sure about giving this to any adoptive children though. Probably won't be a good idea considering the abrupt way the book ended.

[Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked how this story started, with its message of acceptance and love despite our differences; but I felt like the ending let me down with that message? I actually really thought it was cute until the very end when it came off like Heart was forced to pick between the family that raised him, and the one that birthed him. I don’t know, I just didn’t feel like the message ended up being very positive, like it was probably supposed to be.

I received a copy of this story from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tatsuya has written a series of dinosaur books, cute, but rather odd. I keep thinking we are losing something in the translation. This one is the story of an adopted egg, who is raised as a vegetarian, but who finds out that he is really a TRex, and eats meet. Other reviewers have said that it shows how strong adoptive love is, but I didn't see that. Some have said it shows how strong love is. Didn't quite see that either. It is a cute story of mother love, but has an odd abrupt ending.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a total downer.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'I Will Love You Forever' by Tatsuya Miyanishi is a book I chose to review not knowing what to expect. With it's cover featuring a frightening looking dinosaur, I suspected it might be a parody. I was pleasantly surprised by a sweet story that had a confusing ending.

A female Maiasaura finds an unusual and abandoned egg. She takes it to look after. When it hatches, a baby Tyrannosaurus is born. The Maiasaura are herbivore, but the new baby is definitely a carnivore. The mother names him Heart. Can Heart learn to be different than his species? What happens when another Tyrannosaurus comes along?

The drawings are interesting and done mostly in green and yellow. The story seems to be telling a message about adoption, but the ending is kind of sad and confusing.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Museyon Inc. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, the ending blew me away. You never see that sort of thing in a children's book. Very realistic and layered and ripe with opportunities for discussion. There are a few comments about it being a book to share with adoptive kids, but I didn't see it that way. I saw it as a very specific story about a very specific family with insights related to their story in particular. Identity is a tricky thing. I think it's better for kids to not gloss it over but to address it as soon as they can grasp it as a concept.

[Janis Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 Stars

This is cute, but know that this is a translated version and also that it doesn't have a typical western ending. So, if you think it's weird/strange, it's actually just different and that's a good thing:)

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wrecked me, and a better message than the similarly titled Robert Munsch book where creepy af mom crawls into the room

[Wenxin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can this be rated 3 stars I cry every time reading it except when I was a kid (I didn’t today because I couldn’t find it today) I love it so much

[nahyeon ju · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this with one of the students i tutor (he is seven) and it genuinely made me and the student tear up
why is a childrens book so sad?? all we said after the book finished was this is SO sad?!!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking.
Who are we? Is it what you see? Or what we are on the inside?
🦖🦕

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this. It's a beautiful story and the illustrations are great.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dug the art style, and it's good to see characters wrestling with emotions (especially male characters, since we're largely trained to believe that there is only one emotion: anger), but something about it left me thinking "That was fine."

I'd be curious to see how it reads in the original Japanese.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, last night, I picked this up as some relaxing reading before going to sleep, and was disturbed to discover someone was chopping onions in my bedroom. What other explanation could there be?

In all seriousness, though, this story was one of those that tears at your heart-strings. Wow. While all of these stories are a little bittersweet, this one was by far the saddest.

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I understand where the author was going with this. The blurb said it was a story about adoption and throughout there seemed to be a moral to it -- one that disappeared with the ending. It's definitely a tearjerker, but I'm not sure what message this is sending to adopted kids.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so...dark and in a bad way for a kid's book. I'm not even sure what it was trying to accomplish. I can't even tell you what the moral or message was. It was just traumatic all around.

[Melle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another surreal, weird, beautiful tearjerker from Miyanishi. This one plays with concepts of identity.

[Christina Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenderly she held her own egg and the egg that she had found.

“Hatch soon and be healthy,” she whispered.

I originally came across this series in Japan, where it is very popular. When I was teaching in the international school where I worked, I led the early years bilingual (English-Japanese) programme. Despite speaking Japanese to a fairly-high level, I often found reading children’s books quite tricky because of the language used (e.g. Have you ever heard someone call a fire engine a nee naw? etc). This series was one I read with the children and was one of the most popular in our library. I think the main appeal for children was the fact that the characters are dinosaurs (and who doesn’t think dinosaurs are cool?!) and the brightly-coloured illustrations which the children liked to imitate.

This is a series which I feel may not translate particularly well, due to the melancholy nature of some of the story lines.

In this particular book, a herbivorous Maiasaurus (fictional dinosaur) raises a Tyrannosaurus egg that she finds. When the child has grown up a little and discovers that he is not a Maiasaurus he leaves, but his mother promises to love him forever.

While this story might be enjoyed by most children, some caution might need to be urged if reading it with a child who has been adopted or fostered. The Tyrannsaurus parent insists that nature overcomes nurture so Heart is destined to be a Tyrannosaurus, despite his upbringing. While the discussion of this could be valuable, I would urge parents and educators to know their children before reading this.

Saying that, as a reader of other books in the series in the original Japanese, I would encourage other readers to read this book in the context of the others. In another book, the father Tyrannosaurus ends up adopting a baby dinosaur who is different to himself, in another dinosaurs who would normally be predator and prey become friends. The author himself has said that the main theme of his books is love and how it often takes forms we don’t expect.

Heart’s mother held him close.

With tears in his eyes Heart asked, “Mom, am I…am I a Tyrannosaurus? Am I you child?”

His mother hugged Heart as tight as she could.

“You are my dear child, Heart. You are my treasure.”



What I liked: The bold-coloured illustrations, the dinosaur characters, the portrayal of the unconditional love of a parent

Even better if: Needs to be read in context of the series, not just as a stand-alone, so would like to see more of these books published in English.

How you could use it in your classroom: Judge your pupils when using books from this series as this particular book could raise some issues for children who have been adopted, but try to draw out the universal themes of love and acceptance.

(Thank you to Netgalley and Museyon Inc. for my review copy)

[Maureen Lubitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on You Have Your Hands Full

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I Will Love You Forever is a picture book in Tatsuya Miyanishi’s Tyrannosaurus series. My girls have enjoyed reading the other books in this series, so I was looking forward to sharing it with them.

The story begins with a female Maiasaura finding an egg in the forest. She brings it home to her own egg, and sits on both eggs until they hatch. She is a little alarmed when the egg she found hatches into a Tyrannosaur, but she is determined to raise both babies as her own. She calls the baby Maiasaura “Light” and she calls the baby Tyrannosaur “Heart”.

The crux of the story is Heart discovering what he really is, and the subsequent fallout from this revelation. This is the story of a mother’s love, and a son’s devotion to his mother. Throw in a healthy dose of nature vs. nurture, and you have an emotionally charged picture book about dinosaurs.

The illustrations are bright and colorful. Miyanishi prefers a more subdued color scheme, which makes sense when dealing with the rustic world of dinosaurs. Figures are rendered in a fairly primitive style, much like a child might draw. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite artistic styles when it comes to picture books.

My girls are venturing into the middle years of elementary school, and they prefer novels for personal reading nowadays. That said, they do appreciate a good picture book, and they love these dinosaur stories. They enjoyed this book, but they said it was very sad. They actually got a little misty-eyed at the end!

I would recommend I Will Love You Forever. This book will hold special appeal to fans of dinosaurs, but the layered story will broaden the appeal to a general audience. I would caution parents that this book might be a bit much for sensitive children. This book would probably be best for older preschoolers and children in the early years of elementary school.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Will Love you Forever is a picturebook by Tatsuya Miyanishi, which is currently scheduled for release on June 1 2017. A female Maiasaura finds a lost egg in the forest and decides to look after it with her own egg. Surprisingly, a baby Tyrannosaurus hatches from the egg. The greathearted mother accepts and raises him as her own son, Heart. One day, Heart goes to pick berries and comes across another Tyrannosaurus. The foster son of the Maiasaura discovers his real identity. The fourth title in this acclaimed Tyrannosaurus series, I Will Love You Forever delivers a heartwarming story about adoption with vivid, brightly colored illustrations and endearingly drawn characters.

I Will Love you Forever is a book that left me with mixed feelings. I was not fond of the art style, it seems a bit harsh- but the story came across as a little off to me as well. Perhaps something was lost in the translation from the original Japanese? It starts off fine, a dinosaur mom adopting an egg she finds and raising the Tyrannosaurus that hatches from it as her own, teaching him to be kind. Fine so far, but the disparaging of his species and the grieving mother that lost said egg, and the confusion and trauma all around by the end of the book shook me more than a little. I cannot imagine that anyone taking part in adoption (in any capacity) would find this book anything but painful.

I some how missed the fact that I Will Love you Forever is part of a series. I am not a fan of the art or writing style- although some of that could be because of translation problems or cultural differences. While some might enjoy the read, I just was not one of them

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm not that much into dinosaurs. But I'm VERY MUCH into books that can help adopted children, and the parents who love them, care for those children.

Personally, I've never met a dinosaur. Yet I've known:

1. Mothers who gave up their children for adoption, good people with a sense of responsibility.
2. Mothers who worked really-really hard in order to adopt a child, and made those relationships beautiful.
3. Adopted children who loved the families that raised them.
4. Plus, adopted children who yearned to meet their birth parents... and did.

Adoption merits a ton of picture books.

THEREFORE, I SEE SO MUCH NEED FOR BOOKS LIKE THIS ONE BY TATSUYA MIYANISI

It's a very dramatic story, and certainly this book vividly brings to life what can happen when adopted children discover that they are adopted.

Although I don't like the ending at all... I'll still give this book FIVE STARS.

An author's point of view need not coincide with my own.
I still respect that author's viewpoint, even if it doesn't coincide with my own.

[Jena's Book Blog · Rating 2 out of 5]

A female maiasaura dinosaur find a tyrannosaurus egg while she is gathering berries one day and takes it home. She raises the baby she calls Heart as her own. While I thought this book was going to have a deep and meaningful message for adopted children, I ended up feeling the exact opposite. I'm honestly really not sure what message the story had and I feel like children will end up being confused. If they are young enough and just want to read the book because of the dinosaurs, I think it would be a fine enough read for them but if your child is old enough to take messages away from the book, I'm not sure they would love it.

*I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and was excited when I saw a new one coming out. This is the 4th book translated into English of the popular Japanese Tyrannosaurus series. It is a picture book with delightful art which definitely has a unique style. The dinosaurs are ugly but in a cute way. This doesn't appear to be about the TRex from the other books, but I'm wondering if this is his origin story and he is the baby found in the forest by an herbivorous dinosaur mother. The themes are pretty strong and the ending is bitterly sweet. Main topics are adoption, being different and not being defined by your looks or your birth parent's bad deeds. I hope the publisher continues to translate Japanese picture books as I've loved everything I've read from them.

[Sheena-kay Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story about love, adoption, acceptance and sacrifice told through dinosaurs. I must say for a short read this left me quite emotional. Both writer and artist know the right words and images to draw out the reader. Even single parent issues and brotherhood are touched on this book. The art will definitely be great for kids and adults can read this to children without being bored or annoyed by childish language or cliches. Highly recommend for small children, parents, and picture book enthusiasts. I got an e-copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Arminzerella · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Maiasaura finds an egg in the forest and brings it back to her own nest. When it hatches, she discovers it is a Tyrannosaurus. Since Tyrannosaurus EAT Maiasaura, she's prepared to abandon the hatchling, but then he calls out to her... Instead, she keeps him - naming him Heart - and raises him as her own, along with her own child. Heart grows up believing he is a Maiasaura until one fateful day he meets another Tyrannosaurus, possibly his biological father, who disabuses him of that notion.
Lots of tears are shed. Maiasaura momma never sees Heart again. Way dramatic and depressing.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this series and it often makes me cry. This book was no exception. To be perfectly honest, I almost felt devastated at the end of the book- but at the same time I absolutely loved it. I desperately want to know what exactly happened to Heart, but it seems like you are supposed to wonder so you consider all the possibilities.

[Wendopolis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am unsure as to how to rate this book. Possibly something is lost in translation. The description states this is a 'heartwarming story' but I am not sure that is entirely true. I felt like crying as I read, so it does evoke emotion, but my reaction to the ending was not 'heartwarming'. I don't know how to describe how I felt. There was love, but also angst, anger, sorrow, heartbreak. Is that heartwarming?

Would I read this to my young child? No.