I Love You More Than . . .

July 23, 2018
In this affirmation of paternal love by the creators of Mixed Me!, an African-American man addresses his child, lamenting that though “I am not always with you as much as I’d like... You are always running around in my mind and chilling inside my heart.” Pictured more often apart than together—it appears that travel often separates them—the two participate, on facing pages, in analogous activities as the narrator lovingly reminds his child that he’s seen and adored: “I love you more than I love the beach… I love the footprints your little feet make when I’m chasing you through the sand.” Matching the fluidity of Diggs’s free-association narrative, Evans’s stylized mixed-media art features a fluctuating palette, sinuous movement, and imaginatively loose lines that depict favorite shared experiences such as dancing, movie-going, and tucking into a tall pile of pancakes. A father-child reunion caps this story that imparts a reassuring message: whether or his parents are physically present, this child is deeply loved. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

November 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-This book is more than just a beautiful love letter from a father to his child, it also provides the reassurance so many children need when they are separated from their parents. It opens with a father in a hotel room waving at a tablet, luggage strewn about the floor and the words "My child" vibrantly standing out against a golden background. On the opposite page, a child of indeterminate gender weeps and holds a tablet while these words appear above: "I am not always with you as much as I'd like." This is not a sorrowful story, though, but one of jubilation. The father comforts his child and says that even when they're not together, his child is in his mind and heart. Diggs uses pattern and repetition to create vignettes that show how he loves the little one more than he cherishes his favorite things and then describes something they do together. For example, the father loves his child more than dancing, although he loves it when they make up dance moves together. Filled with vibrant mixed media artwork, many of the spreads celebrate the bond that exists between this black father and child. Besides dancing, they sing, watch 3-D movies, walk the beach, eat stacks of mile-high pancakes, and ride the subway in New York City. It ends with the dad coming home, arms wrapped tight around the youngster. There is no better feeling than this, and the silliness and joy expressed between the real heartache of missing the one "you love more than everything" makes this a true gem. VERDICT An outstanding first purchase for every picture book collection.-Rachel Zuffa, Case High School, Racine, WI

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