I Love You Already!

Written by Jory John

Narrated by Tony Call

From the creators of Goodnight Already!

Bear can't wait to spend a pleasant day alone.

But Duck wants to hang out.

Will Bear ever get to relax by himself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062447043

Jory John

Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time E. B. White Read Aloud Honor recipient. Jory’s work includes the award-winning Goodnight Already! series; the bestselling Food Group series, including The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, and more; the national bestseller All My Friends Are Dead; and many more popular picture books. You can visit him online at joryjohn.com.

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this one just as much as Goodnight Already!. I even forced my sister and niece to read it together (my sister was Bear, my niece Duck -- definitely accurate). They both loved it and there were many giggles along the way. Jesse and Evie read it one night before bed and I got a text message that simply stated, "you are the bear." And it's true. Me and Bear have a lot in common -- I also just want to relax on my days off with my books and coffee and snacks and TV. Jesse & Evie are definitely my ducks and I love them dearly.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genius. Not a spectacular story (but a very good one, well-told), not amazing art (but vibrant, expressive, and apt), but the premise is a perfect fit for so many avid readers (and other ppl) that this ought to be a runaway hit.

Of course you, my friends, know that I am a Bear. I really could use a Duck in my life, but my family are all Bears, too. Maybe I'll meet a Duck when I move into a senior housing campus.

And there's an earlier book about these two? I definitely want to check it out!

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That 'odd couple' pair of friends, Bear and Duck, who first appeared in author Jory John and illustrator Benji Davies' Goodnight Already!, return in this hilarious follow-up, as Duck attempts to rouse his ursine friend from a day of solitude, and get him to go on a walk with him. Unfortunately for Duck, Bear had been looking forward to a day by himself, and doesn't react with great enthusiasm to his anatine friend's many conversational forays. When Duck is injured (entirely through his own peskiness), Bear must step in and smooth his hurt feelings and ruffled feathers, assuring his friend that he does indeed love him (already)!

Like its predecessor, I Love You Already! pairs an amusing dialogue-based text - it's really just a series of exchanges between the two friends - with colorful and humorously appealing illustrations. Having seen the earlier book performed many times to great effect by a pair of storytellers, I would hazard a guess that this one too would make an excellent read-aloud selection, especially if the performers really get into their parts! The artwork adds to the hilarity here - I particularly liked the opening scene, in which Duck is reading a book about taking walks with bears, while sitting next to his "I Love Bear" mug, as Bear himself celebrates being alone! Recommended to anyone who enjoyed the first book about Bear and Duck, or to anyone searching for humorous picture-books.

[melodyreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

introvert bear and extrovert duck; we are different and like different things, but we can still like each other.