Todos Son Mis Favoritos

by Sam McBratney, Esther Rubio, Teresa Mlawer

also illustrated by Anita Jeram

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2004

About the author

The 1943 born Northern Ireland native started writing children's books when he was a teacher in his thirties, with the aim of helping out students who had trouble reading. But he continued writing for a more-personal reason: "the act of imagining simply makes me feel good," he says. The fifty-seventh book of Sam McBratney's career, and his first book with Candlewick Press, was the much-loved GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, which has sold an astonishing 15 million copies worldwide, and is available in 37 languages. "This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered," the author admits. "But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered, if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."

Where does Sam McBratney get his inspiration? "I told my children stories when they were young," he says, "so when I write I try to think of what they would have liked." But there may be another source guiding his writing as well. The author's father--who worked as a type compositor with the BELFAST TELEGRAPH, and whose favorite books were westerns--is the person Sam McBratney credits for giving him his love of the English language. "Most of my picture books--GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, JUST ONE!, and JUST YOU AND ME--explore the relationship between a big one and a wee one," the author notes. "The big one is not called the father in the stories, but that's what he is. Although my dad died before I became a writer, the father in my stories has a voice and a presence that he would have recognized and understood."

In addition to authoring many books for children, Sam McBratney wrote radio plays for adults and a prize-winning collection of short stories. He received a degree in history and political science from Trinity College, Dublin, and worked for many years as a teacher.

Reviews

[Anahita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrated was great but I didn't like the story that much. The kids that I was reading this for them get bored with the book so fast. :-(

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time there was a Mummy Bear and a Daddy Bear who, when they tucked their three baby bears up in bed each night, told them that they were the three most wonderful baby bears in the whole wide world.

But the following night the three baby bears asked Mummy Bear how she knew that they were the most wonderful baby bears in the whole wide world. Mummy explained that she knew because Daddy had told her that on the night they were born. The three baby bears were content with that answer and they snuggled down as content as could be.

However, one day shortly afterwards the first baby bear began to wonder which of them their mummy and daddy liked best and then the second and third baby bears wondered the same thing. And they all had their reasons for thinking that Mummy and Daddy liked the others better.

They worried that they couldn't all be their Mummy and Daddy's favourite. But when they broached the subject with Daddy Bear, he gave them the most reassuring of answers that not only satisfied the three baby bears but also restored faith in human, sorry bear, nature!

'You're All My Favourites' is such a sweet book, beautifully illustrated and, as one critic said when it was first published, it is 'The perfect comfort read.'

I saw this on my shelves, forgot I had already read it and decided to give it a read. And I am glad that I did for it is a delightful story expressing the love of a family through three young bears and their parents.

Each of the young bears are worried in turn that they are not the most wonderful little bear in the world as told by their parents because they have a brother and a sister or two brothers who they think challenge them for the title.

But Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear are most reassuring and tell each of them in turn why they are each the most perfect little bear that anyone had ever seen. It's a lovely book, delightfully illustrated, and gives the reader that warm family feeling.

[aruushi · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

Incredibly cute with an even more incredible message: that love is abundant, everyone has lovable qualities and real love can not play favourites. It's something all children need to feel and all parents convey.

[Marce Mag And Instagram mi_librero_tutti_frutti · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’re all my favourites” de Sam Mc Bratney es un libro de 32 páginas en el que el autor nos platica al historia de tres ositos y sus padres. Tiene hermosas ilustraciones de Anita Jeram que lo hacen muy llamativo para los niños.

Decidí comprar este libro en formato electrónico en Amazon para Kindle porque mis hijos han empezado a preguntarse a cuál de los dos quiero más y este libro me parece muy bueno para empezar a hablar del tema.

A pesar de que son pocas las páginas y la historia es muy corta, el mensaje es de gran valor. Si conocen algún libro que trate el mismo tema, por favor háganmelo saber en los comentarios. ¡Gracias!

[Emily D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lovely theme for a children’s book, read with a student and noting for a future read with my kids.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book when I had my third son. I have loved it from the beginning, because it reminds me of how easy it is to love each of my kids. They are all my favorites.

[Thehappymeerkat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book (a board book 2016 edition) for free from the publisher Walker Books in return for a review.

Every night three baby bears are told they are wonderful. But one night all three begin to wonder, which one of them is Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear’s favourite?

This is a lovely board book around A5ish in size. Being a board book the pages are made of thick cardboard and are beautifully rounded so without sharp edges. Each of the pages has a slightly glossy finish and beautiful illustrations. The story in this book is simple but sweet. As the three baby bears are being tucked in for the night, they all start to wonder who the favourite baby is. Each of the baby bears has one thing about them that separates them from the other two, making them feel less special. As the title suggests, the story is resolved and despite all the differences between the three sibling bears, they are all loved by their parents.

This is a wonderful book to read with children, especially those who have other siblings and who may be feeling the same way as the baby bears. I really love the illustrations in this book. They are all so sweet and simple yet detailed enough to show bear fur, individual grasses, etc. Even if your child has no siblings I think this book will still appeal and it’s certainly the type of book I was drawn to as a child.

A really beautifully illustrated book and with a wonderful story!
(pictures can be seen on amazon and my website)

[FabledHeartless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une petite histoire toute douce pour apprendre que malgré la différence, tout le monde a son importance. C’est d’une incommensurable douceur, tant dans le texte que l’illustration. Un vrai bonheur pour les yeux et pour le cœur !

[Katrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable story about three bear children who ask the most important questions. A lovely bed time story.

[Promyk.książek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo urocza książka, idealnie trafia nawet do dorosłego, pokazując że nie ma jednego kanonu do bycia cudownym

Po polsku: Wszystkich was kocham najbardziej

[Cheryl Neer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet

[Katie Lauren Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book due to the reader

[♡ Abbie Charlotte Wicks ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dylan read it to me so it was 10/10

[Dyah Sesunan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids always asked the same questions, easy to read

[Chrisanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartwarming.

[Amandine Despres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

gained an entire star for Jeram's art, and the use of "biggly or littley"

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. My mother gave each of her children a copy of this book for Christmas several years ago, and I don't think any of us can read it without crying a little.
It's a nice reminder that parents love all of their children, each in a different way. I may be mom's favorite for one reason while my brother's and sister's are mom's favorites for other reasons, but we are all loved and we are all special.
I am so glad I got this book. I look forward to one day haveing children of my own that I can read it to and help them understand the special love a parent has for a child.

[Amanthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I had my firstborn reading him 'Guess how much I love you?' by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram was a cherished ritual. Imagine my delight in finding another gem of a collaboration by the two in 'You're all my favourites'. It seems like destiny to find this book just 2 months after having my second child. I know this is the perfect book to teach children that they are loved equally by parents. Just reading it to myself made me teary. I know I'm going to hug my two kids to bits when reading this. The perfect book for families with more than one child!!!

[Emily Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give You're All My Favorites 100 stars.

I like the three bears in the book. It's like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, only different.

There is nothing that I didn't like about You're All My Favorites. I liked everything.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture Book; Already in my school collection! Love it! Sweet story of mom and dad bear with three little bears. Their baby bears want to know if they are the BEST bears in the whole world and who is their parents' favorite. Soft, lovely illustrations. Grade K-2; Highly recommended.

[Mfoot]

Lu en français
Vous êtes tous mes préférés

[Halle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the story of You're All My Favorites, there are three cubs and a mommy and daddy bear. Each of the three cubs is different in some way, one is the smallest, one has no spots, and one is a girl. Each of the three cubs begins to worry if they really are their parents favorites, even if they might be the smallest cub, or not have spots like the other cubs, or if they are the only girl cub in the family. No matter what, the parents convince their cubs that they all are loved equally and that they are all their favorites.

The themes in this book are love, family, and acceptance of differences. The book displays that a parent does not love any of their children more than the other, but they are all loved the same. Not matter how each of the cubs are different from their siblings, the mother loves them regardless and equally.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself reminiscing on my childhood with my younger brother. I think this is a perfect book for parents to read to their children, especially if you have more than one child. I know from personal experience that sometimes there can be competition between siblings for the attention and love from parents, which is something that every family can relate to in some way or another.

I definitely recommend this book because of its importance to young children with siblings. From a young age children need to feel love from their parents and done so equally between all children. The importance children knowing that their parents love them, even though they might be different than their other siblings, that they love them all the same!

[Lauren White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a family of bears. There is a mom, dad, and three children. One of the parents tucks the 3 children in every night and says that they are the most wonderful baby bears in the world. They bears began to wonder how they know that they are the most wonderful. So, they asked their mom and she told them that their dad told her. The bears liked that answer. But, they then began to wonder who was the most wonderful of them 3, they did not think that they could all be the most wonderful. They all began to think about how the others could be more wonderful than themselves. They asked their dad one night after he tucked them in. Their dad told them that they are all wonderful because their mother said so. He assures each of them how wonderful they are. The 3 children are happy with his answer.

I think the theme of this book is family. It shows how siblings might get jealous of each other but their parents love them all the same.

This book made me feel happy and made me think about my family. It is natural to get jealous or try to compete with siblings but it is very reassuring to know that your parents love you all the same. I like how all the bears said why they thought the others were better but their dad said that stuff didn't matter and they are loved all the same.

I highly recommend this book. The illustrations are very cute. They show all of the baby bears and their parents. This is a good book for children with siblings. It can show kids that even though they might be different from their siblings, they are all loved the same.

[Perry Nathanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

You're all my Favorites by Sam McBratney is a story that a family of bears, the parents and three children bears. Because there are three baby bears and the parents always tell them that they are the most beautiful bears. The three baby bears begin to wonder if the parents love the one of the bears more than the others or if one of the bears is better than the others. They begin to think that the parents love one of the bears more than the other, the parents reassure them that they are all perfect. The parents continue to reassure the bears every night that no matter what they look like they are all perfect in their own way and that they are all loved in the same way.

This book has strengths and weaknesses throughout the story. The strength of the story is that it can be used in a classroom as a way of reassuring students that may be struggling with the same thing that their parents and teachers love them the same as the other kids. This book may help student to not feel alone with their emotions and insecurities about not being as good as another person or their siblings. A weakness of this story is that the parents reassure the baby bears with comments that the other parents has said and I think that the author should have had the parents say why each bear is special instead of saying what the other parent said.

[Chloe Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're All My Favorites is about three baby bears and their parents. The three bears wondered how their mom knew they were the most wonderful bears in the whole world. They each continued to worry if there was enough love for them and if their parents loved their sibling more than them. Eventually the mom and dad bear reassure them that they love them all equally and love the unique traits that make them different. This book explores the themes of love and learning there is enough love to go around. Another theme is wonder and questioning. I gave this book a 4-star rating because I feel that a lot of children can relate to the overall thought of am I loved as much as my siblings and then having parents reassure their child. Also, the illustrations are great in this book with great details and brush strokes. I personally relate to this book because I have two siblings and there are three baby bears. I can remember reading this book as a child and imagining my sisters and me as each of the bears. I recommend this book because it tells children its ok to be unique and you will be loved just as much with any of your flaws.

[Cassidy Crandall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every night while the three bear siblings were getting tucked into bed their parents would say, "you're the most wonderful baby bears in the whole wide world." But this comment made the three siblings question how each of them were all equally favorites. But don't worry, the parent bears reassured the baby bears it was possible and they loved them all equally. Despite the differences each bear had that made them unique; each bears was special and loved oh so much.

I really enjoyed reading this picture book; it was well written and would be easy for children to follow along to. I would say that this book would be better to keep at home than at school; it is a great way for parents to adjust to having multiple children and explaining that their love does not run thin between each child. Reading this aloud went smoothly and the illustrations did not take way from the meaning of the story but enhanced the simplicity of the love and care that is provided from the bear family.

[SIMPLYbKates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my 3 little ones when they were just toddlers and their new baby brother had recently come home from having been born, I would continue to read this to them until the older 2 were well into grammar school yet they all adored this and hearing their Mum reaSSURE THEM that my love didn’t split in half or thirds when each addition to our beautiful family was conceived. I told them how much my heart and love grew not only three times as much but tenfold and I loved them all so unconditionally and unquestionably that my heart has grown larger than I’d imagined my lungs could possibly bear. They’ve given me so much joy, happiness, purpose and I’ve been profoundly privileged to have them to call my own as they are so remarkably precious and genuinely lovely humans.

[Ersa S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is no mystery that I love all things bear and so that is how this book caught my eye. I was taken in by the very first page with it's watercolor illustrations and soft text. It really helped set the mood for this book and I enjoyed very much the message that was given.

Children often wonder if their parent favors their siblings over themselves and just as often leave those feelings to themselves. Not these little bears! They were very vocal about their curiosity over whom their parents favored and their parents gave unique and loving reasons as to why each child was their own favorite.

Perfect book for toddler storytimes.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time, a mother bear and a father bear told their three little cubs they were the best bears in the whole wide world. But the baby bears begin to wonder if each of them can really be the best. It doesn’t seem possible that they could all be the favorite? Or could they?

This charming picture book offers young readers a reassuring message and the delightful illustrations accompany an easy narrative. This book is certain to be a favorite of young readers and their parents.

Highly recommended.