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I get why some people initially found this book creepy but given that it was written as part of the grief process I don't get why people still need to keep calling the guy who wrote it for his dead children creepy.
It's always struck me as being so over-the-top, with Mom crawling around,climbing ladders and rocking her full-grown adult son in her arms, that the emotional truths and tributes the author attempted to convey are lost in the absurdity. A very clunky literary device, which offsets any good intentions, at least for me.
Also, the pictures of the younger Mom depict her looking a LOT like an FLDS wife, with that long braid and pastel granny gown. Adds another dimension of more than a little creepiness, considering the overweening controlling behavior which she claims is love for her "baby"! (to be fair, the book was published long before the FLDS starting making the news a few years ago).
Yes, maternal love is eternal in both directions - but this book does not do its subject justice in any way.
I read this book so many times I had it memorized. I did not find it creepy at all. I never looked at it as an exact replica of a Mother's love, I always took it as symbolic of the love a mother has for their child.
I also think it sent a great message to my children. No matter their age, I would always love them, nothing wrong with that message, IMO.
It's always struck me as being so over-the-top, with Mom crawling around,climbing ladders and rocking her full-grown adult son in her arms, that the emotional truths and tributes the author attempted to convey are lost in the absurdity. A very clunky literary device, which offsets any good intentions, at least for me.
Also, the pictures of the younger Mom depict her looking a LOT like an FLDS wife, with that long braid and pastel granny gown. Adds another dimension of more than a little creepiness, considering the overweening controlling behavior which she claims is love for her "baby"! (to be fair, the book was published long before the FLDS starting making the news a few years ago).
Yes, maternal love is eternal in both directions - but this book does not do its subject justice in any way.
Ever hear of hyperbole? Of course it's not about a mother who climbs a ladder to see her grown son. It's an exaggeration and a sweet one at that. When my kids were little and found this book which DH bought for me and not them I decided to read it to them anyway. They immediately understood no Mom would do such a silly thing but it demonstrated the strong love Moms have for their children.
Ever hear of hyperbole? Of course it's not about a mother who climbs a ladder to see her grown son. It's an exaggeration and a sweet one at that. When my kids were little and found this book which DH bought for me and not them I decided to read it to them anyway. They immediately understood no Mom would do such a silly thing but it demonstrated the strong love Moms have for their children.
Yes -but there are other books which convey the same message of the everlasting nature of mother-child love with considerably more literary effectiveness and grace. This one seems just clunky to me!
Ever hear of hyperbole? Of course it's not about a mother who climbs a ladder to see her grown son. It's an exaggeration and a sweet one at that. When my kids were little and found this book which DH bought for me and not them I decided to read it to them anyway. They immediately understood no Mom would do such a silly thing but it demonstrated the strong love Moms have for their children.
That's what I read into it as well.
There was another kid book that we checked out from Kumon of all places. It was to practice reading with my son but he wanted me to read it to him at bedtime. It had a similar theme of a parent growing old and the son at the very end comforting his elderly mother. As I recall, the illustrations were quite lovely--watercolors if I recall. I was reading along and as we progressed, I started getting more and more choked up to the point of me sitting on the bed sobbing. Never saw this emotional sucker punch coming....wow. I cry easily at movies or reading a book though.
Don't any of you think of the mother climbing the ladder to her adult son's room as figurative? Symbolic of how a parent will always love their child?
Of course it's completely metaphorical.
But some clumsy, cheesy or outrageous metaphors, and some illustrations of metaphors, can tank the most well-intentioned story, which I think is what happens with this book.
A similar but better executed book is The Rainbow Bridge, about the loss of a pet. It's also a metaphor, but it doesn't distract from the narrative.
I'm not belittling Mr. Munsch's experience or its affect on readers in any way. It just does not have the same effect on everyone.
Last edited by BirdieBelle; 12-05-2013 at 09:16 PM..
Reason: typo
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I cry easily at movies or reading a book though.
