I Love You, Stinky Face

A mother is tucking in her small child, but he has a question! This creative young boy wants to know if Mama will still love him if her were a scary ape, a terrible dinosaur, a green alien or a stinky skunk. Mama, of course, will love her little one no matter what he is and so she tells him until he is satisfied enough to finally say “I love you, Mama.”

What a wonderful and addictive book. I had gotten this book years ago, I have read it to the kids so many times, I think we all know it by heart but the pictures and the words are so fun and so loving that it really does get read and read again. I love the pictures by Cyd Moore, they really portray the boys descriptions of his mythical self. I asked the kids for the best part, they show more said ‘all of it’ and then, ‘I didn’t like the dinosaur’. I love that the kids know that Mama loves the boy no matter what, just like most mothers (including me of course). show less

This is a silly and sweet take on books in which children demand reassurance of a parent's love. Through lovely illustrations and a gentle color palate, we see a young boy and his mother getting ready for bedtime. He presents various scenarios in which she might not love him: if he were a "super smelly skunk" or a dinosaur or any other number of scary creatures. She insists that she will always love him, "stinky face" and all. Although this story exists solidly in the "I will always love you" genre of children's books, the illustrations and subject matter (e.g. stinky skunks, vicious dinosaurs) give it a bit of an edge to similar books that consist solely of soft cuddly animals.

This book was one of my favorites to read for my children at bedtime. The story follows a mother reassuring her child of her love, no matter what unconventional things they might become. It starts with the child asking their mom if they would love them if they were a scary ape or a smelly skunk, the mother lovingly answers, yes, every time, showing unconditional love. The book can spark conversations about imagination and creativity, while teaching kids that no matter what, they are always loved.

I Love You, Stinky Face Review

I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt is an exceptional young read that shaped my childhood and started my love for reading. In the book, the boy repeatedly asked the mother if he was another creature, such as an alien or skunk, if she would still love him.

She responds each time with a way she would still take care of him and tells him that she would love him in each and every form. The author uses this epistrophe, or the repetitiveness of end clauses to create a sense of memorable and impotence to the text. An example of this is when the boy asks if his mom would still love him and she states that she would tell him she loves him in each scenario.

I enjoy the illustrations in the book, how wild and show more crazy the creatures look, which shows how extreme the boy's imagination is. It also shows the mom in the illustration being the exact same with the same loving look and little red hearts to symbolize her love and kisses. show less

This book was one of my favorites to read at bedtime as a child and remains one of my favorites til this very day. I love how the author has the conversation lead by the daughter. Additionally, the illustrations on each page are just as entertaining as the context of the book. They go along perfectly with what the mother and daughter are talking about throughout the entire story. Each and every horrifying, and stinky creature the daughter asks her mother if she would still lover her, is replied to in the most brilliant of ways by the mother. My personal favorite was when the mother replies to her asking if she would still love her if she was a green alien by saying, " And I would pack a note with all the bugs that said, I love you show more little greenie, bon appetit." In conclusion this is a book I will read to my future students, as well as my future children. show less

This book is about a child who is asking his mother how much she loves him. He goes through many characters and each time asks his mother if she will still love him. Each time his mother replies with an answer that explains that she will always love him no matter what. I thought this was a very cute, fun book. My children love all of the characters that the child pretends to be, and I love that I can show them that a mother's love never changes. One could use this book in class to teach about family love and family values.

Few books can show the depths of love a mother has for her child without being overly sweet and still having a laugh. But this book achieves it with fun illustrations to help show what the little stinky-face boy is imagining.