No Matter What

Scots children's author and illustrator Debi Gliori - best known for her series of adorable picture-books featuring Mr. Bear, and for her series of spooky middle-grade fantasies about the Strega-Borgia family, which began with Pure Dead Magic - also happens to be the author of my all-time favorite reassurance tale, No Matter What. When Small, a little fox who feels "grim and grumpy," wrecks the living room, Large knows something is wrong, and a back-and-forth exchange begins, with Small posing a series of questions: Would Large still love her, if she were a bear? What about a squishy bug? The answer, of course, is always that Large will love her, "no matter what!"

Like so many books of its kind, from Guess How Much I Love You to Love You show more Forever, this is a story meant to reassure young children, to teach them that parental love is unconditional, and won't be withdrawn because they make a mistake, move away, or grow up. Unlike some of these other titles, however, Gliori's No Matter What is deliberately vague, when it comes to the gender of both parent and child - no pronouns, other than "you" are used in the text, and the illustrations are inconclusive - meaning that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways: as a mother-son, a mother-daughter, father-son, or father-daughter story, depending. The rhyming text itself is simple and sweet, making for a good read-aloud, and the adorable illustrations are colorful and appealing. All in all, it's a winner, and one I highly recommend to anyone looking for this type of story. show less

I find new little secrets tucked away every time we re-read this delightful book. My daughter asks for it nightly and quotes it back to me when I tell her that I love her throughout the day. It can be a story of accepting differences, accepting emotions, or accepting unconditional love. Perfect for bedtime and connection.

This story is told through a baby kangaroo about the infinite love a parent has towards a child even when you may not feel it, they love you no matter what! I liked this story because it sends a positive message in a easy flowing writing style through rhyming. "It's like that with love- we may be close we may be far, but our love still surrounds us...wherever we are." I also related to this book and that quote because it's like something my mom used to say to me, "distance makes the heart grow fonder," so I felt a particular connection with this book. I also liked this book because the illustrations took up the whole page and only had minimal amount of text per page. I didn't like though how dark the text font was compared to the show more background illustrations on some of the pages, it wasn't as clear and easy to read as it could be. show less

Small, a baby fox was having a difficult time believing that his mother loved him. He wanted to know how how much. He asked, “what if I were a grumpy grizzly bear”, a “squishy bug”, or a “crocodile? Large reassured small that she would love him “No Matter What! Children of all ages need assurance that they are loved. Loved this book!

(Read Aloud) In this book, a baby kangaroo asks his mom if she’ll still love him depending on who or what mood he is in. Each time the mother reassures him that her love is unconditional, and nothing he does is going to change that (even if he’s a crocodile or in a bad mood). I liked the message this book presented, and the ending when the mom told her son that her love will always surround him like the stars surround them. I believe this is a good book for children because of the message, and it teaches them that nothing they do will make them unlovable. This is a good read aloud book because it shows children what a healthy relationship between a mom and a son should look like. It also teaches them that they are lovable when they show more don’t feel like they are. show less

This is a cute book about how a parent kangaroo loves his/her child kangaroo "no matter what". It has great illustrations of the child's thoughts of turning into different animals while asking the parent "But what if...? (would you still lvoe me?)" It uses a nice rhyming pattern that makes it fun and easy to read. Also, "I'll always love you, no matter what" is repeated throughout the book and could be said in a chorus.

Reviewed by Me for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

As Small puts it, "I'm grim and grumpy, and I don't think you love me at all."

So begins the story of a small fox, who while feeling grim and grumpy attempts to push the limits as to how far Large's love will go.

Large's love is boundless, though, whether Small would be a grumpy grizzly bear, a squishy bug, or a crocodile. Large's love won't wear out, and with time together it can even be fixed.

The glorious illustrations are what make this the perfect bedtime story, and young children will delight in knowing that a parent's love will always be there - no matter what.