I Love You Because You're You

by Liza Baker, David McPhail (Illustrations)

Describes, in rhyming text and illustrations, a mother fox's love for her child no matter how he feels or what he does. By the illustrator of If You Were My Bunny.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Liza Baker is a children's book editor and the author of several books for young readers, including two previous titles illustrated by David McPhail, I Love You Because You're You, and Mama's Right Here. Liza lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband, Aaron, a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department, and her three very busy young sons, Gardner, Byron, and Caleb. [From Scholastic.com.]

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book for my child because it reiterates that I love him no matter what!

[Kelsey Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I think some children need reassurance from their parents that no matter what they do they will be loved. This book is about a mother fox telling her baby that she will love him no matter what he does. Although this book is designed for young children I think anybody feeling down or unloved and needs some kind of reassurance could benefit from reading this book.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story with a great rhyme pattern, sweet message, and fun animal illustrations that extend the story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute little book. Ashley needs to be reminded of this daily right now. :)

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my 1 year old cousin...In fact I more sang it than read it. He was fascinated and kept looking at the pictures. I thought it was great.

[Tallon Dorough]

Text to self Connection

This book is about a mother telling her child she loves them no matter what they do or the way they feel. This book relates to me because my mom has always told me that she loves me no matter what just like the mother in the book. She also read this book to my younger sister every night and she loved listening to the book because it reminded her that our mom loved her no matter what.

[Ashley]

thank you Josie

[Michael Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and I have twin 4 year old girls who have always loved this book because of the way it flows. As they get older, we are finding they are picking this book more and more for thier before bed stories on days when we all don't have the best day together if you know what I mean. I think they want to hear Mommy say she loves them and it's a great reminder for us to remember that no matter what happens we will & do love them forever :)

[Espresso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read this book to my son above any other because the message is so powerful. I think that it is very important to let our children know that our love is unconditional, and this book illustrates that concept to all ages.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just love this sweet book!

[Rida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a lovable book. Everyone should own it!

[Capn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenally good message!!! Way ahead of its time! "I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do. I love you any way you are, I love you because you're you!"

[Srujan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an absolute favourite with my son and my daughter! ❤️❤️ Reassuring and soothing!

[McKenna Russell]

This is a story about a little fox and his momma. Throughout the entire book the mom is telling her little fox all of the different times that she loves him even when he is doing random things. It is a super cute book that demonstrates a good message about love and specifically a mother’s love and how no matter what, it is unconditional. The characters include the mother fox and her cub. The mom is a very loving character and she tells her son every single day. The little fox is a little wild and shows all of the emotions of a young fox throughout the day, yet his mother still loves him. The text structure varies a little bit. On each page it is either on the bottom half of the page below the picture or it is on the top half of the page above the picture. No matter what the words are usually always centered though. The characterization, like mentioned before includes just the two characters, the mom and her cub. The illustrations look like they are drawn or sketched because they include a lot of texture and extra lines that look like a pencil. They are also very detailed drawings and give a very good visual for what is happening in the book. I really like that the book is short and simple and can be used for a variety of kids because of the message that it gives about love. It is easy to read and the illustrations represent the text really well. They also show the emotions of each character really well since that is kind of what the book is really about. I could use this book probably anytime throughout the year to teach about the concept of love and how it has no limits, but I could also use this book for Mother’s day and have the kids draw what the thought of while I was reading it and give that to their moms for Mother’s day.

[Krystal Shoop-Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this charming and endearing book. It features animals throughout, almost in a fairy tale fashion. The main characters are Mama Fox and Baby Fox. The story focuses on daily events of everyday life with a child. The good times, and the bad times, for both family, friends, and children. "Love" is the key. No matter what you do, I'll still love you. The darling illustrations by David McPhail capture the facial expressions perfectly! This children's picture book is both excellent for children and adults. Particularly in the world of Adoption, I found this book to be most comforting to my daughter and to me. Love prevails.

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I Love You Because You're You" by Liza Baker is a sweet book. The book discusses how a mother's love is unwavering. Throughout the book, the character is loved throughout his many emotions. His mother loves him when's acting silly, when he's bashful, or when he's angry. The author states, "I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do. I love you any way you are. I love you because you're you." I truly feel that this book epitomizes a mother's love. Even when a child is upset or scared or sad, a mother's love does not falter, but rather remains strong. David McPhail did a fantastic job of illustrating this book.

[Jenna McNeil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, loving and sappy children’s book about love. A mother and child share a love that is unconditional. The book goes on about how the mother fox loves her child when he is happy and when he is sad, he loves her for many reasons. The illustrations go along with the storyline and show every reason why she loves him and at the end, she says “I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do, I love you because you’re you”. This book can be used in any classroom just as an addition to the classroom library for kids to pick up and read.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a fox mom who loves her cub. It shows us that no matter what her cub does she still loves him. That’s what makes him unique and she loves that he is himself. I felt like the book was really short, but it was a cute story. However, I did not feel anything when I read this book. I would read this book to a toddler or it can be used in kindergarten to show what a poem and rhyme look like. The theme of the book is family and love, this can help kids feel that they are always loved no matter what.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new version of Liza's story includes questions and ideas to discuss with the child such as, "What's your favorite bedtime story?" and "Name three things you love about you." The message of love is still the same: A mother tells her child that she loves him no matter what his mood is or what he does. Great for bedtime for parents and child.

[Eva_Amaré · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mama read this one ten million hundred times today. Pretty sure she cried a little. Probably because we're such delightful children. Even when we wake up at 5:30am. Sweet book, with a lovely story. Not very interactive and the pictures weren't our fave, but the message is on trend with what we believe to be true about our mother.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful poem like book that shows the unconditional love between a parent and child. The repetitious verse is easy for little ones to understand how important and "big" love is. I used this for a Valentine's day read since I think love is a more important aspect of Valentine's day then cards and candies.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful, and eloquently and simply describes a caregiver’s love through all the things kids do. Love is true, accepting, and grand. This book gets read over and over, ages infant to fourth grade. Treasured for over ten years now. Love it, and never tire of reading it again and again.

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be an eye-opening read for a child. No matter what emotion, Mama loves you. "I love you because you're you" is a bit hollow. "I love you because you're my child" might have some more traction, but in any case, the point is a good one. The rhymes work, and the illustrations pair well with the text.

[Mariya Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a mother fox telling her son all the reasons she loves him. It is a cute little story that basically explains she loves her son for the good & bad parts of him. The book has little areas where it asks questions or creates commentary for the adult and child.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any mom and kid can relate to this book! It is wonderful for teaching about the bottomless love that mothers have for their children- despite the antics that kids get up to. Sweet message and I am so happy to have this in our home library!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the message and the rhyming. Illustrations are cute. It would be 5 stars if the parent of the child who comes over for a play date were depicted as a male or if the doctor were depicted as a female.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become my ADHD/ASD son's official "book from mom." Illustrations are endearing, story is pleasant to read out loud, and the descriptions of a mother's love are a good reminder for both mother and child.

[Mayra Espinoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute book that demonstrates how strong a mother's love is. The illustrations are perfectly combined with the way the story flows. I feel this is also a great book to introduce children to rhyming. Overall, great book!

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book shows that no matter what a child does, a mom still loves that child. Because this is a true principle. I wish it did a better job saying the other emotions that a mom might feel at a child's behavior. Because most people feel multiple emotions at the same time.

[Foluso Bolaji · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this when i was young, really good for kids