Review by Booklist Review
In this ode to a much-adored child adopted from an unspecified country by an American couple, the parents describe how they loved their child even before they met her. They share their excitement about snuggling her for the first time and welcoming her home. The bright colors of the digital-media artwork convey the parents' joy, and whimsical doodle-like dots and hearts evoke the family's exuberant love: And we knew / our crazy-much love for you / would grow and grow more / and spill out the windows / and bust down the doors. As the poem progresses, we see the little girl grow from an infant to a young schoolchild, and her parents celebrate milestones, such as learning to walk and boarding the school bus for the first time. The standout illustrations burst with energy and are as saturated with color as the subject of the story is showered with love. A perfect gift for an adoptive family and every family that has a deep and abiding love for their young children.--Michelle Young Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--As a young girl grows, her parents share the story of her adoption and how they knew she was the child that would spark their "crazy-much" love. They travel across the world to meet her and bring her home, to watch her grow from her first bath and first steps, until she is ready to board a school bus for the first time--and sneak her dog along to school. Vibrant and bright images fill the pages of this genuinely charming story. Whenever the concept of "crazy-much" is discussed, colorful bubbles, in one instance bath bubbles, swoop across the page giving visual representation to the abstract concept. The refrain of "crazy-much love" that "spills out the windows and busts down the doors" along with a few other key phrases offer a lyrical repetition, emphasizing the importance of the child to the parents. However, at times the wording can feel a little clunky, though the sentiment is sincere. This is a realistic portrayal of a modern foreign adoption from the adoptive parents' point of view. VERDICT Eye-catching and heartwarming, this is an excellent choice for anyone wishing to share the loving bond between parents and their children.--Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A child learns how she was adopted and how much she is loved in this story told from the point of view of her adoptive parents.From the beginning of the story, readers see how much the parents already love their child, who is not even in their arms. From anxiously deciding on the right color to paint the child's room and filling it with stuffed bears to "count[ing] the hours" until they can get on a plane and fly across oceans to meet her, these adoptive parents make it clear how they feel about their child. Once home, the child discovers her first bath, her first word, and her first day of school, all with "crazy-much love" from her parents. The baby changes as she grows, but nothing about that love does. Boldfaced type and capitalized words throughout the book emphasize the emotions of joy and love. Snchez uses energetic lines and bold splashes of color to effectively mirror how the parents feel about their child. Multicolored circles filling the pages like so much buoyant confetti visually symbolizes the love between parents and child. This baby's father is white, the mother has olive skin and black hair, and the child is Asian; the illustrations feature a supporting cast of extended family, friends, and neighbors of a wide variety of races and ethnicities.An honest and encouraging story about a transracial adoption. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
