Children’s Book Review: Have I Ever Told You? By Shani King

HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU?

By: Shani King

Illustrated by: Anna Horvath

Published: January 8, 2019

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers

Non-Fiction

One of the most important things you can say to your child is “I love you.” But even more than that, telling your child you support them, you encourage them, and you believe in them, even at the youngest of ages, is just as important. This touching book offers parents a frequent opportunity to read the words that should be said to kids every day:

• You are special
• You can be whatever you want to be
• You make me happy
• I love the conversations that we have
• Be kind to everyone
• Stand up for people
• Always do the right thing

In a conversation that seems to be between a parent and a child, the parent is sharing all these things and more in a loving way. This is the kind of book I would have loved to read to our kids, but I didn’t need a book to tell them these things. But, the book is a reminder of all the things that our children need to be told when the world seems to be tearing others down. I would expect that there are some words and situations in this book that younger kids (who this book is targeted to) wouldn’t understand. That opens up a conversation you can have with them about what it means to be courageous, humble, or compassionate. It’s never too early to learn these words.

The illustrations are unique and every page features hands. On the page where it talks about protecting the child, there are two hands forming a basket like they would hold a tiny animal. Both hands are of a different race and there is a child sledding down the hill of the hand and another child sitting in the palms of the two hands. There are also animals like a mouse or a cat or fox on the page for the child to find.

HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU? has won an Indie Excellence Award and a Next Generation Indie Book Award. It is well-deserved and quite a beautiful, touching book to share with your child.

Shani King wrote HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU? as a note to his children, to remind them that they are amazing in their individuality and that they have the power to choose who they want to be in this world. The illustrations create a masterful visual narrative: warm, witty, simple, profound, and as ferociously empowering as a children’s book can be.

To purchase a copy of HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU, click the photo below:

I will be linking up this review with other bloggers on Booking Mama’s Kid Konnection, HERE. There you will find other children’s and YA book related posts every Saturday.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR KIDS

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.