Love You More is about a couple of parents telling their child how much they love them and what they have learned from loving their child. The parents thought they knew true love with each other, but their child has taken them to another level of love.
In Love You More we see the child grow as the parents take a modern take about love and how the family now centers around the love for the child. Gary Urda has taken from his own experiences with his three sons and what they meant (and mean) to him.
Jennifer A. Bell has created some delightfully whimsical and sweet illustrations. They are childlike and innocent but have a lot of detail too. Great pastel colors compliment the basic, poetic text. The fact you never hear the words “the child is growing up/has grown up” but is shown from newborn to pre-teen is an interesting twist. It probably is my favorite part of the book.
I did wonder if Urda had based the story on his own experience (and as mentioned he has) but as it is only one child through the book, of course it is not exact. Therefore, this is a great first baby gift. It is a perfect shower gift. It also would work as a fist birthday gift. The child is stereo-typically male looking so unless you know the child is male, it could be an issue (or not. Know your audience). There is an interesting mix of classically feel with modern sentiment.