I Love You, One to Ten

In this poem addressed to a young child, author Caroline Adderson outlines the ten things a mother loves about her little one. From his scaley elbows and knees all the way to his twitchy tail, every inch of this little "monster" is itemized and admired. Gentle and humorous illustrations by Christina Leist show how one tired parent decides to participate in a bit of rowdy play at bedtime, with the result being a happily tired child and a mother who is even more in love with her offspring than she was at the beginning of the book. This satisfyingly unconventional bedtime story encourages children and parents to appreciate each other just a little bit more every time they read it.

Caroline Adderson is the author of award-winning books for adults and children. Her works of adult fiction have been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the Giller Prize and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. She is a three-time CBC Literary Award winner, two-time winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and recipient of the Marian Engel Award. Her books for children have also won many awards; Middle of Nowhere was awarded the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize and Norman, Speak! the Helen Isobel Sissons Canadian Children’s Story Award.

Christina Leist is a Vancouver-based children’s illustrator, writer, and book designer. After graduating from the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden with a Bachelor (Honors) in Communications Design, she worked as an Art Director for several international advertising agencies. Her books featuring imaginative worlds for the young have received several award nominations and great recognition. Both live in Vancouver.