Introducing  the book I love *to the moon and back*, featured in this week’s MaiStoryBook Library Collection:

“Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

Book Synopsis and Review

Hop into the world of Little NutBrown Hare and Big NutBrown Hare and their universe of love. It’s time for bed, and Little NutBrown Hare has one final game to play before sleep. *Guess How Much I Love You?* This sweet little bunny schemes up all the ways possible to prove to Big NutBrownHare that he loves him most. But every idea he comes up with, from stretching his arms the widest they can go, to standing and reaching as high as he can, are thwarted by Big NutBrown Hare’s grown-up size~ Big NutBrown Hare’s arms will always be wider, and he can always reach higher. They both love each other just as much. Finally, Little NutBrown Hare declares that he loves his dad all the way to the moon~ and as the little one closes his eyes and drifts to dreamland, Big NutBrown Hare whispers in his ear his ultimate measurement of love.

Through this story, you’ll learn fun ways to measure love. Some ways are to use your body, such as how wide you can stretch your arms, or how high you can reach. Therefore, it’s a perfect interactive read aloud that will get your little ones moving as well. Have them stretch their arms and reach up high along with the story. This story is also great to practice comparisons. Stretch your own arms and raise your hands with your little one to compare, who has the widest arms, or who has the tallest! The real life application will reinforce the child’s comprehension about the story, and they’ll enjoy the mini competition of who can show the most love. Overall, it’s the perfect book to set the mood for Valentines Day, and to encourage your little one to share with their loved ones just how much they love them. It’s a read aloud that will leave you both feeling filled with love!

Vocabulary List

• Hare (p. 1) a large rabbit
• Tumbled (p.12) suddenly fall 
• Hop (p. 16) small jumps
• Lane (p. 20) a skinny road
• Thornbushes (p. 22) bushes with sharp points

Themes/Main ideas

• Love is infinite: It’s hard to measure love because love is never ending. Love can go on forever.
• Different ways to measure: Discuss measurements with your little one and how you can use your body or other tools to measure how big or how much of something there is.

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “Guess How Much I Love You” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

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*To the Moon* Love Craft

The *best* competition to have?? One which you actually might secretly wish to *lose*?? ~It’s the *Who loves who the most contest!* Try it out with your little loved ones, and see what wild measurement of loves they come up with! Their ideas will tickle your tummies with giggles and fill your heart with warmth and love. Record their proclamations of love in a special journal for a treasured keepsake for you to cherish, and to share with them when they are older. It’ll make the perfect Valentine’s Day surprise! This week’s craft inspired by our story highlights one of the grandest professions of love ~ *I love you to the moon~ and back!* Be prepared for an afternoon of rosy reds, precious pinks, and odes of love.

Materials

• 1 sheet each of  8″ x 10″ red paper, pink paper, and white paper
• Tape
• Scissors
• Markers (Valentines colors~ pinks, purples, reds)
• Glitter glue (optional)

Directions

• Cut out a large red heart shape from the red paper. I recommend folding the paper in half and tracing a half heart outline along the crease and cutting along the line so that you have a symmetrical heart.
• Write, or have you little one trace the words “I Love You…” on the heart. Encourage them to draw a picture of them and their loved one on the heart.

• Cut two vertical, long strips from the pink paper. Write “To the moon” with an arrow pointing to the right, on one strip. Then write “and back” with an arrow pointing to the left on the other strip.

• Then, cut out a moon shape from the white piece of paper. Write and have your little one trace the word “Moon” on the moon.
• Next, fold the pink strips back and forth on each other like in the example, so that they become spring-like.

•  To connect the pieces, tape the ends of the  two pink strips to the heart with the *To the moon* one on top, and the *and back* one on the bottom. Then, tape the other ends of the strips to the back of the moon. The *TO the moon* strip should be pointing to the moon, and the *and back* strip should be pointing to the heart.

• Decorate the heart and moon with markers and/or glitter glue.
• Fold the springs so that the moon hides behind the heart, until your ready to open the surprise Valentine!

Enjoy your *To the moon* Love Craft!

• Gift this craft as a special Valentine to a special loved one.
• Hang it up as a reminder of the love you have for each other.
• Use it to help retell and share the story *Guess How Much I Love You*
• Use it to prompt you and your little one to share with your loved ones just how much you love them.

*~Overall, have fun creating your own *To the Moon* Love Craft, and I hope you and your little ones come up with the grandest ways to profess your love! Please comment below  – tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary  – or post on FaceBook to share your photos of your own *To the Moon* Love Crafts and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you!~*

*Check Back on Next Friday for our New Reading Adventure*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*