I Love You More Than Christmas

by Ellie Hattie, Tim Warnes (Illustrator)

Overview

Now available in a board book, this festive celebration of friends, family, and love at Christmas from best-selling illustrator Tim Warnes is perfect for sharing with a little one.

Little Bear, Mommy Bear, and Daddy Bear all LOVE Christmas! There are presents to wrap, treats to bake, and decorations to hang on the Christmas tree. But is there something that they love even more? The popular picture book story from the illustrator of the best-selling board book I Love You to the Moon and Back is now available in board book for the youngest readers and is perfect for sharing with a child at Christmas.

With a "To" and "From" dedication page for gift-giving.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680102086
Publisher:	Tiger Tales.
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	398,244
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 11.38(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	AD630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ellie has always loved picture books. As a little girl she thought it would be pretty cool to work on them - and even more amazing to write one. After a lot of thought, cups of tea, and creative support from the important people in her life she finally managed to do both. Ellie lives in London, England, and her next life goal is to own a cat. A fluffy one.

Storyteller Tim Warnes has been writing and illustrating kids' books for 25 years. He's passionate about helping parents and caregivers nurture their children through stories worth sharing. Tim also enjoys playing the banjo, birdwatching, and wearing fancy hats. Learn more about Tim's work and the world of picture books on his blog, My Life in Books: www.TimWarnes.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/21/2020

“I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas!” sums up Little Bear’s feelings about the holiday, but he loves something else even more. Every time he tries to tell Mommy and Daddy Bear what it is, however, he’s interrupted by exciting holiday preparations, such as Christmas cards arriving: “I love cards and packages, oh, yes, I do!/ But the thing that I love more than Christmas is—,” Hattie writes. Little Bear’s parents face the same challenge; whether it’s Daddy Bear bursting through door with the tree or the oven timer signaling that a special treat is ready, no one can get a word in. Until, that is, the Bear clan shares a quieter happy moment at bedtime. Warnes’s winsome images include lots of homey detail and depict a furry family overjoyed to decorate, bake, dance, and just be together. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2020

K-Gr 3—This adorable picture book shows Little Bear and his family preparing for Christmas. Each spread brings a rhyming description of some of the wonderful holiday preparations, like holiday cards, baking, decorating, and singing carols. Little Bear is interrupted each time in his declarations of what he likes best about Christmas until the final page. The watercolor illustrations are perfect with the sweet message of the text. Interestingly, there is no mention of any religious connotations of the holiday celebration. The parts of the celebration that are highlighted are completely secular, down to the decorations and the music. The characters are all animals, but the celebration seems very conventional and European in nature, with a family unit of a mother, father, and cub. VERDICT In a time of tight budgets, this is a nice overview of traditional nonreligious celebration, but not a first choice.—Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elem., FL

School Library Journal

2020-08-18
Little Bear loves everything about Christmas, but there’s one thing he loves even more.

The Bear household is busily getting ready for Christmas. Mommy Bear wraps and bakes; Daddy Bear brings home a humongous tree; Little Bear exults in it all. With each new Christmas tradition that’s introduced, from opening Christmas cards to receiving carolers, Little Bear sings a song that celebrates it. “I love ornaments, and garland, and lights on a string, / candy canes, stockings—and all of the things / that make Christmas perfect—oh, yes, I do! / But the thing that I love more than Christmas is—” But before Little Bear can complete his rhyme, each time he is interrupted by a new element of Christmas to celebrate. Since that terminal rhyme is always set up with one that ends with an “oo” sound, readers will not be surprised in the least when Mommy and Daddy interrupt him one last time with an emphatic “YOU!” It’s all so uber-idealized readers may find themselves gagging on the syrup—it even seems to get at Hattie: Daddy Bear’s smug “What an exceedingly talented family we are” has a whiff of irony to it. Warnes’ cartoon bears inhabit a cozy, middle-class home; while the carolers are clothed, the Bear family is not, but readers may notice a white marking on Mommy Bear’s chest where a string of pearls might rest.

Like marshmallow on top of caramel. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews