Guess How Much I Love You
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Lap Listeners stage.
Why it fits Lap Listeners (for babies in their first year, when books are about your voice, not the plot)
The back-and-forth of Little and Big Nutbrown Hare turns affection itself into a refrain. Its soft repetitions give parents natural places to snuggle and squeeze. Emotional attunement, disguised as a story.
What makes it special
It gave families a permanent piece of private language — 'to the moon and back' entered the culture from these pages. Anita Jeram's sketchy, windblown hares feel hand-made and warm, all soft browns and open meadow. In an era of quick 'love you' texts, it models affection as something you take time to measure.
From the publisher
Welcome the family classic with an elegant, refreshed cover — the quintessential picture book, just waiting to be shared. Sometimes, when you love someone very, very much, you want to find a way of describing how much…
About Sam McBratney
Sam McBratney (1943-2020) was a writer from Northern Ireland who taught primary and secondary school for twenty years and had published more than twenty books before Guess How Much I Love You appeared in 1994, when he was 51. His publisher says it has since sold more than 60 million copies and been translated into 57 languages.
The book's official site describes it as the story of the Nutbrown Hares trying to find a way to measure the unmeasurable. McBratney's own description was plainer: 'The words are simple, direct, and true.'
Also by this author: You're All My Favourites · Will You Be My Friend?
More from “Sing It, Say It Again”
This book is part of The Best Books for Babies: 30 Teacher Picks (Lap Listeners) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.