Ms Muffet and I have a few all-time favourite books. Some are downright funny and others are just so touching they give you the warm fuzzies! Here are some books about the deep and tender relationship between parent and child that I would recommend.

Guess How Much I Love You ~ Good for babies and pre-schoolers
by Sam McBratney (illustrated by Anita Jeram)

I really love the heartwarming message and the beautiful pen-and-wash artwork. In this story, Little Nutbrown Hare prepares for bed and searches for the right words and descriptions to convey how much he loves his father. He says, for example, “This much!” stretching his arms as widely as he can and “I love you as high as I can hop!” However, Big Nutbrown Hare seems to outdo him at every turn! Finally, the little one says that he loves him “right up to the moon”. It seems he has won the competition of affection but once the young one is asleep, the father kisses him goodnight and says, “I love you right up to the moon and back.”

Love IS hard to measure but it is nice to try anyway!

The Runaway Bunny ~ Good for babies and pre-schoolers
by Margaret Wise Brown (illustrated by Clement Hurd)

Margaret Wise Brown is one of Ms Muffet’s favourites. My daughter was thrilled to be reminded of her other books – the bunny is very much like the characters in Goodnight Moon and My World. The picture of the mother fishing for her child in this book is the very same one on the wall of the room in Goodnight Moon.

In this delightful story, a young bunny toys with the idea of running away. To this, his loving mother says, “If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.” What follows is an imaginary game. The little one thinks up of all sorts of scenarios – he becomes a fish in a stream, a crocus in a hidden garden and a trapeze artist, among others. His mother, not to be outdone, always thinks of the perfect solution to get him back. Finally, reassured of his mother’s enduring love, the bunny decides he should just stay and be her little bunny.

Anything For You ~ Good for babies and pre-schoolers
by John Wallace

Another lovely tale about unconditional love, with sweet illustrations and warm colours. Little Charlie has tried to be a helpful bear but has inadvertently made an even bigger mess of the garden, home and himself! (I am sure most parents can relate to this!) Asked to go into the tub, he declares to his mum, “I’d do anything for you!” He goes on to give many more examples of how he can prove his love such as climbing to a really tall tree and so on. So when his mum tells him to snuggle into bed and close his eyes to sleep, he holds to his promise and does so without a fuss. His mother kisses him and says that she too would do “anything” for him.

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