book pick: I Loathe You

by Melissa

what if monsters celebrated Valentine's Day? this book isn't about the Hallmark holiday, but it is about the love of a Parental Monster for a Child Monster (gender-neutral, these monsters are). it's like a grotesque, glop-loving spin on the more pastel-hued Guess How Much I Love You. which is to say, it's right up our alley when we're more in the mood for silly than saccharine...

I Loathe You is by artist David Slonim. looking at his semi-abstract paintings that are the stuff of galleries, you wouldn't think this would be the kind of man to produce storyful art about monsters, a slug and a rubber duck. but he is a children's author, to be sure, and the kind that understands what parents enjoy as well as the young'uns.

so, how much does Big Monster loathe Little Monster? more than leeches, what the dog threw up and certainly more than stinky, sweaty socks. and even if Little messes up with a "please" or a bath, Big will always loathe the little brute, from horns to claws.

hm, maybe a tiny bit saccharine.