Review by Booklist Review
Louis, a small bear, spills his milk, and his mother is annoyed. Instead of helping to clean up the mess, Louis decides to run away, sure that his mother cannot love him anymore. As she mops up the milk, the mother responds with love and reassurance: She will cry a sea of tears if he goes. She will howl louder than the wind on a mountain. Even Louis' toys get into the act, wondering who would play with them if he went to the end of the world. The sentimental story and soft colored-pencil illustrations have a nostalgic feel that places the book in a progression leading back to Russell Hoban's Frances the Badger series, Else Minarik's Little Bear books, and Margaret Wise Brown's Runaway Bunny. As Louis listens to his mother's tale, parallel images show him packing a suitcase and journeying imaginatively to the places she describes. All is well as he decides to stay--and a twist at the end declares that perhaps one day they will go exploring together.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a cozy, stone-floored cave, bear cub Louis spills his milk. When his mother gets upset, Louis cries, then packs up his things and storms toward the door: "I'm leaving today, I'm going away. You don't love me anymore!" Planning to make for the end of the world, he nevertheless takes a beat: "Will you be sad when I'm gone?" Over-the-top reassurances follow: "I'll cry night and day," his mother declares via operatic lines from Armitage (A Mighty Bitey Creature); "I'll cry so much that my tears will make a great sea." Fanciful colored pencil illustrations by Turnbull (A Home That Means the World) visualize the parent's claims as waves of tears appear to flood the cave. Through weepy eyes, she peers over to see how Louis is reacting, then doubles down: "All my sobs will fill the sky." She works this seam with zest ("Wind, Wind, please help me find him"), but Louis remains unmoved, until his mother points out that his absence will leave his toys bereft, too. Children sometimes wonder, at low moments, if caretakers and parents really love them; in extended scenes of playacted peril, Louis's mother offers all the reassurance he needs. Ages 3--7. (Feb.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A mother bear reassures her baby that her love is unconditional. Louis spills his milk, to Mom's dismay. Believing that his mother no longer loves him, he decides to run away "to the end of the world, far, far away." But Louis wonders: Will Mom be sad? Resoundingly, yes, she tells him. Her many tears will form a deep, deep sea. She'll be so upset that her "sobs will fill the sky" from way up high in the mountains and "rustle the leaves" of the great forest. Her grief will be so intense that even Louis' toys will join her. As Mom details the depth of her love, Louis eagerly listens for more. Armitage deftly captures the playful, affectionate back-and-forth rapport between a parent and a young child. Turnbull's colored pencil illustrations have an old-fashioned coziness, the gentle but whimsical imagery complementing the text and capturing the range of emotions that Mom and Louis experience as their conversation progresses and as the imagery flows from one fantastical situation to the next. Young readers will delight in discovering the recurring details in the artwork as the characters make their way back to their snug, lived-in home. A charming tale of parental love that's especially ideal for bedtime.(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
