I Will Always Love You - Michael Wong - ★★★

Author: Michael Wong

Illustrator: Zina Iugai

Genre: Picture Book

Rating: 3 stars.

In a Nutshell: This indie picture book began well but some of the writing choices didn’t make me happy. The illustrations are mostly gorgeous.

I had loved Michael Wong’s I Will Always Be Proud of You for its writing as well as artwork. So it was tough to resist this one when I saw it on Edelweiss, especially as the cover is equally stunning. The execution, though, was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The story is mainly a loving narration from the mother to her newborn daughter, talking about how she will always adore her child and be there for her. The “always” in this case covers a couple of decades, ending with the cycle of life moving on to the next generation. As the mother is addressing her newborn child, detailing her thoughts about what the future might hold for them, the book works for new parents looking for a book to read to their (girl) child.

Some of the situations, such as the first words spoken by the baby or the first day of school, resonated with my very core. The sentiment was completely relatable, and I could see why the mother was so emotional about seeing her child reach new milestones. Up to page 34 or so (in this 50 page book), the content is about the mother reassuring her baby that she is always going to be around, supporting her, helping her, and cheering for her. I found everything till this point pretty good, though a bit too cloying.

However, the remaining few pages had the “child” graduating, leaving for “her own home”, getting married, and having her own baby. Three reasons why this didn’t satisfy me:

1. No mom is going to dream of her newborn baby having *her* baby a couple of decades down the line. This stretched too far into the future to be convincing. Who dreams of becoming a grandmother immediately after becoming a mother?

2. Why is the girl shown with no job/career/professional aspirations? Why are marriage and a baby the goal?

3. How do we assume that the child will grow up to be a heterosexual and get married to a man?

I can still understand pt 3 as that is the default thought setting for many parents, but I cannot accept pts 1 & 2.

The story is written in rhythmic prose, and the rhymes are spot on. This makes the book a good option for reading aloud.

The illustrations are as stunning as they were in the other book I read. Every page is vibrant with colours and the characters seem to glow. The sketches are inclusive whenever possible. I am somewhat undecided about the decision to plug the author’s earlier two picture books within the story illustrations. Though these don’t obstruct the flow, they were distracting to me as it felt like too obvious a marketing attempt. The main thing I did not like was the way the mother was sketched. Even when the baby is just a newborn, the mother is as thin as a rake. No sign of a postpartum belly at all! Even until the end, when the mother becomes a “grandmother”, her looks and her dress size stay unchanged. Can we please be realistic about women’s bodies?

Overall, a major part of the book is still good and saccharine sweet. But the final section somewhat messed up my experience.

If you are okay with the ending, then this book ought to work well as a gift option for new mothers.

My thanks to Picco Puppy and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “I Will Always Love You”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.