I Love You the Purplest

A wise and loving mother reassures two brothers that each has a special place in her heart. Barbara Joosse’s heartwarming text is beautifully complemented by Mary Whyte’s engaging watercolor illustrations.

Book lists this appears on

Themed Booklist

Twelve Books That Say “I Love You”

Other books by this author

Grandma Calls Me Beautiful

Barbara M. Joosse

Illustrator:

Barbara Lavallee

Age Level:

0-3

Genre:

Fiction

Mama, Do You Love Me?

Barbara M. Joosse

Illustrator:

Barbara Lavallee

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

Sail Away Dragon

Barbara M. Joosse

Illustrator:

Randy Cecil

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction, Fantasy

In the imagination of a young inner-city boy, police sirens sound like howling wolves, streetlights look like stars, and shots fired by neighborhood gangs sound like those stars cracking the darkness. But when his older brother joins a gang, he can no longer pretend. With the help of his mother, he comes up with a plan to save his brother and unite his neighbors in a stand for peace.

Stars in the Darkness

Barbara M. Joosse

Illustrator:

R. Gregory Christie

Age Level:

6-9

When Bram comes to America, he misses everything from Holland — his brick house and friendly neighbors and walks to the sea. Most of all, though, he misses his time with Mama in the morning chair. Will Bram ever begin to feel at home in America? Illustrations done in soft colors are the perfect match to this touching story about starting over from a child’s point of view, which is based on the author’s husband’s experience of emigrating to the U.S. shortly after World War II.