ePregnancy Magazine May 2004 Editor's Book Pick No one understands unconditional love better than mothers. Well, maybe their children do. Disgiused as a children's book, this story is all about how much one person can love another. It's a flip-sided book that ends in the middle and starts from either side. "I love you more than," begins a mother when questioned by her curious son. "I love you more than," begins the son on the opposite side of the book when his mother asks the same question. Too often we assume our children know we love them because of all we do for them. But love needs to be said out loud, over and over again. Written by Laura Duksta, illustrated by Karen Keesler and endorsed by the two biggest hearts in the book world, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (co-creators of the Chicken Soup series), this book is sure to find a special place on your child's bookshelf. Beautifully illustrated and easy even for new readers, it will be a favorite for years to come. After the kids deliver breakfast in bed on Mother's Day, snuggle in for a whole lot of love and see if you can out do each other in a friendly game of who loves who more. -JR
Laura grew up just outside of Boston at her families restaurant on the ocean. In 1991 she relocated to South Florida living again just a block away from the beach. She loves to watch the sunrise and moonrise over the ocean-especially with her nieces and nephews.
I Love You More is her first book-she actually went from being a bartender to a best-selling author in the last few years. The book was an answer to a prayer, written for her oldest nephew Tyler. Laura is incredibly grateful for the inspiration that literally changed her life.
In 2001, she and illustrator Karen Keesler, started I Shine, Inc and self-published their book. They sold over 179,000 copies on their own until partnering with Sourcebooks at the end of 2007. In 2008, with their publishers help, I Love You More hit the New york Times Best Sellers List three times. Their mission is "to generate the conversation of love around the world" and they are doing just that-they receive orders and emails from all over the globe. ILYM is now available in Korean and Hebrew. They have won several awards and have been written up in in many local and national publications, including USA Today.
Laura's favorite thing to do is going into schools and sharing her program "Self-Esteem through Love". Losing her hair at age 11, to a disease called Alopecia Areata, made her realize how tough it is when young people feel like they don't fit in. Her program teaches students to celebrate and be empowered by their differences rather than being stopped by them and inspires them to be their very best.
Laura never dreamed of being an author but she is very glad that she took what seemed to be a good idea and turned it into a mini empire of love!
Shine On!
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