1) Love You Forever written by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw
Plot Summary: Before bed each night a little boy listens to his mother sing him a song. The lyrics are (as most Canadian adults know by heart) "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." The story follows the life of this boy as he becomes a teenager and then a man, moves out of his childhood home and starts a family of his own. As his mother ages and reaches the final days of her life, the son returns home and sings for her the song from bedtime all those years ago.
Appeal: This book is just simply timeless. Munsch's singular style of writing appeals to both children and adults - while the children are laughing about a quick little joke he snuck into the story, the adults can cry about the overall theme of the work.
Limitations and Weaknesses: Even typing the lyrics from the famous song made me weepy just now, so this book needs to be read aloud by an adult that feels emotionally equipped to tackle the devastating nature of this book.
Love YOU Forever, Robert Munsch.
Munsch, R. N. (1986). Love you forever. Firefly Books.