Love You When You Whine [Hardcover]

Emily Jenkins (Author), Sergio Ruzzier (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Have you ever known a child who doesn’t occasionally whine? Or hit, or forget to say please, or refuse to share, or interrupt, or throw a tantrum, or ask for every toy in the store? We may like to pretend otherwise, but these are things small children do . . . and we continue to love them even when they misbehave.
 
This amusing catalog of bad behaviors is playfully illustrated in warm watercolors. Together, text and art present funny and familiar scenes that grownups and children everywhere will recognize and want to talk about.

 

Love You When You Whine is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS–In this cozy picture book, a patient mother declares her unwavering love for her daughter, no matter what trouble she gets into. The tot's actions–pouring cereal on the floor, trying to sneak dessert without eating dinner, chewing with mouth open wide, unfurling newly folded laundry, throwing a tantrum–will seem familiar to young listeners. Ruzzier's intimate, warm-hued paintings spotlight each behavior and add lots of humor. The characters, white cats with expressive cartoon faces, are appealing. The youngster's fluid features go from devilish to emotionally distraught to irresistibly sweet, while the mother's reactions to her child's antics are hilarious. For example, the illustration for Love you when you…won't get dressed shows the kitten dancing nude on top of a dresser, the drawers open wide and spilling clothes, while Mom stands by with a look of exhausted resignation. The tale ends with reassurances and bedtime hugs. Pair this tale with David Shannon's No, David! (Scholastic, 1998) to encourage kids to examine their own behaviors–and have a good laugh at themselves.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
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Review

"Comforting.."  --Kirkus Reviews

 

"Reassuring.  Youngsters will smile at both the kitten's tolerance tricks and also the knowledge that a parent's devotion will withstand a bit of a whine."  --Publishers Weekly

 

"Cozy.  Ruzzier's intimate, warm-hued paintings spotlight each behavior and add lots of humor."  --School Library Journal

 

"Playful."  --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374346526
• ISBN-13: 978-0374346522
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an opportunity for discussion, July 26, 2007

By 

Melissa Bridgman (memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love You When You Whine (Hardcover)

Unlike the previous reviewer, I think that this book offers a huge opportunity for discussion of a) appropriate behaviors with children and b)the fact that a parent's love is unconditional. All kids get frustrated and hit, or whine, or have a tantrum. Given perspective, they also know that these things are wrong. I think that this is a sweet book that can deepen communication and love between parent and child.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We adore this book!, January 15, 2007

By 

PCG "CrazyX3" (CT Shoreline) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Love You When You Whine (Hardcover)

My sister-in-law gave me this book for my birthday, and I'm pretty sure my three year old son inspired her to purchase it. He has done almost everything in the book the adorable kitten does, so of course he LOVES to read this with me! The illustrations are wonderful and make even the worst of behaviors (hitting) easier for a young child to talk about. Even the mother cat in the book is priceless, with her great facial expressions of mingled patience and disbelief. When we read this book, we laugh, we talk, and we hug at the end. I always appreciate children's books that are good for parents too, which this one certainly is.

5.0 out of 5 stars Parenting/Child Must have, October 1, 2008

By 

ems (westchester, ny) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love You When You Whine (Hardcover)

If you have kids than this is the gift to remind them and you Why you love them, even when they whine!!!
A great gift for older kids 8 & Up, especially for teens.

(Just because something has pictures in it, or is in picture book format doesn't mean its appropiate for all ages. There are many graphic novels aka comic books that are not suitable for the preteen set.)

It's tongue-in-cheek and I've even used it in my picture book storytimes with 3-5 year olds and their parents. We all laughed and discussed how not to behave. If your child is going to do everthing he sees, reads, hears, then remove all stimulus from them immediatley, because they have no will of their own!

I feel it's good to have a chuckle at oneself and one's children every so often, unless of course yours is the perfect exception to all rules, then no laughing allowed!!!