My daughter received the book Love You Forever written by Robert N. Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw for her birthday when she turned three years old. Since it was first published in 1986, Love You Forever has become a favorite among parents. The story captures the circle of life so well that it left me in tears when I read it to my daughter the very first time. Although my daughter didn’t understand the meaning of the book at the time, I consider this book a true classic.

The story begins with a little baby boy who is being rocked to sleep by his mother. The mother sings the same song to get the boy to sleep, even as he ages into a man. After many years, the mother becomes old and frail. The son begins rocking her to sleep, singing the same song his mother sang to him as a baby.

Love You Forever ends after the man’s mother passes away, and he is left to continue the tradition by rocking his first born daughter to sleep every night. I bet you guessed that he sings the same song to his infant daughter that his mother sang to him.

Parents who enjoy the book Love You Forever will be excited to know that Robert N. Munsch offers an audio version of the book for free on his official website. Also on the website, Robert shares how he came to write the song for book out of his own personal tragedy. His first two children were stillborn. The song led to a book idea, which was quickly embraced by just as many adults as children.