So, here are three stories that my son frequently asks for, and I plow through them, desperately trying to keep the lump in my throat from constricting my voice or the tears from streaming down my cheeks. As long as he doesn't want to read all THREE at the same time, I usually do OK.
1. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown: About a mommy and her baby bunny. The baby wants to run away from home (why? did she make him eat the greens before getting the clover blossoms?), but the mommy says, Wherever you go, I will follow you there, for you are my little bunny. Despite the little bunny's constant rebellion, the mother bunny's love remains steadfast.
2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein: Do I even need to explain why this one makes the list? The part that gets me is at the end, when the tree has nothing left to give the boy, and she apologizes. The boy never says thank you throughout the entire book, but the tree constantly is thinking about the boy's welfare and what's best for him, never for herself.
3. I'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch: Again, about a mother's steadfast love for her son. There was a time when I really identified with this part of the book:The little boy grew... until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off of the shelves. He pulled all the food out the refrigerator, and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes the mother would say, "THIS KID IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!"
But at night she would still sing her song: I'll love you forever/I'll like you for always/As long as I'm living my baby you'll be
What books do you read to your children that are potential tear jerkers? Are there any that you refuse to read because you can't make it through the book with dry eyes?
8 comments:
Oh my gosh, I cry at "Guess How Much I Love You". Every time. For some reason, I get this soft tone of voice when I read it to the kids, and I can't read it in any other tone. Dave said it is a great picture of God's love for us.
I just think about how much I love my kids, and the tenderness in the story captures it perfectly for me.
I can't read I Love You Forever without crying either.
The Velveteen Rabbit is another tear jerker for me.
Dawn, that one is pretty emotionally moving, but we don't own it (or it probably would be on the list too).
Amelia, "The Velveteen Rabbit" was one of my favorites growing up.
It's so funny. I've thought about this post all day and mainly I can only think about Joey from Friends reading "I Love You Forever" at Emma's 1st b-day party. :) It's hilarious!! And they all cry at the end. So funny.
Serioulsy, I Love You Forever is impossible to read!
The Runaway Bunny was a favorite for my mom and me... she gave it to us when my parents came as soon as Lucy was born! Great choice. Another that makes me cry each time is "Prayer for a Child" by Rachel Field.
"The Giving Tree" is one of my favorites. What wonderful symbolism. That's the book we kids got our dad for his 40th birthday.
The Giving Tree makes me cry like a baby.
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