Grade:

Transfiguring Adoption gave this book 4 out of 5 Hoots based on it’s usefulness to foster and adoptive families. [Learn more about our Hoot grading system here.]

From the Cover of I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt:

“A mother tucks her child into bed with comforting words of love. But the imaginative child has a few questions.
“What if I were an alligator with big, sharp teeth that could bite your head off?”
“What if I were a super smelly skunk, and I smelled so bad that my name was Stinky Face?”
“What if I were a green alien from Mars, and I ate bugs instead of peanut butter?”
The answers from this unstoppably devoted mother will have children and grown-ups laughing out loud. A parent’s unconditional love was never so creatively tested…or so beautifully reassured.”

Transfiguring Adoption’s Thoughts:

I Love You Stinky Face has been one of our family’s all-time favorite books since our children first moved into our house and we sought out books to reassure them of our unconditional love for them. In the book, the boy questions his mother’s feelings for him and asks her repeatedly if she would still love him “if” he were some type of creature that looked, smelled, or behaved differently. Through this series of humorous questions, the mom lets the boy know that she would behave in some way to accommodate his differences and would love him just  the same.

We used to read this book to our children and then drill them about how much we loved them and then ask them questions like if we would love them less if they hurt a sibling or broke a window? We’d start with small infractions and work our way up to more serious. In the beginning, they absolutely believed our love for them would change, and we saw great changes in them as they came to realize that, while we would certainly be upset or even angry if their actions were purposeful, we would not stop loving them, nor would we love them less.

This book is full of creativity and fun. Our children always loved the action and emotion filled pictures, especially the fact that as the little boy becomes different creatures, they are still wearing his pajamas, a fact they never failed to point out and laugh at.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which creature from this book would you have the most fun being?
2. Which creature would you like to be the least in this book?
3. How much do you think your parents love you?
4. Would they love you any less if you looked, smelled, or acted differently like the creatures in the book?
5. Would they love you any less if you had an accident like you spilled your milk or broke a window?

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Note: Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.