This powerful and heartwarming picture book about unconditional love is the perfect book to show your loved ones how much you love them, no matter what. Small is a little fox with big feelings. When Small is feeling down, Small asks Large, "If I turned into a bug, would you still love me and give me a hug?" Large's responses to this question and those that follow are nothing but loving and affirming. With a gentle, rhyming read-aloud text paired with inviting illustrations, this is an essential addition to every little one's library. PreSchool-Feeling grumpy, Small, a little fox, has a tantrum that turns the living room topsy-turvy, after which he questions Large about the resiliency and endurance of his parental love-"If I were a grumpy grizzly bear,/would you still love me?/Would you still care?" or "...if I turned into a squishy bug,/would you still love me and give me a hug?" Ever patient, Large reassures him that "I'd always love you,/no matter what...we may be close, we may be far,/but our love still surrounds us.../wherever we are." The charming watercolor illustrations show warm golds and browns with candlelight and fireside indoors and the cold, blue-and-gray night outside. The rhyming text and large, often double-page spreads make this book useful for story programs. There are many recognizable similarities in Small's world and that of a young child's-dinner in a high chair, bath time, bedtime stories, and favorite toys. Great for fans of Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me? (Chronicle, 1991) or Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You (Candlewick, 1995). Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Small, a very little fox, needs some reassurance from Large in the unconditional love department. If he is grim and grumpy, will he still be loved? `` `Oh, Small,' said Large, `grumpy or not, I'll always love you, no matter what.' '' So it goes, in a gentle rhyme, as Large parries any number of questions that for Small are very telling. What if he were to turn into a young bear, or squishy bug, or alligator? Would a mother want to hug and hold these fearsome animals? Yes, yes, answers Large. ``But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?'' There is comfort in Gliori's pages, but it is a result of repetition and not the imagery; this is a quick fix, not an enduring one, but it eases Small's fears and may well do the same for children. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. "Exude[s] a snuggly warmth."-- Publishers Weekly DEBI GLIORI has illustrated many beloved picture books, including Joyce Dunbar’s Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep and Tell Me What It's Like to Be Big, along with her own No Matter What and Penguin Post. She lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.