I sat down to read I Miss You Every Day by Simms Taback and I was immediately wrapped up in its pages. I had not heard anything about the book prior to spotting it on the shelf in the curriculum lab but it is a book I would certainly recommend to anyone who is separated from a loved one. It took me back to elementary school and the feeling of continuous longing to see my grandparents more often.
The phrase “I miss you every day” is repeated throughout the book by the young girl, stressing the fact that she can’t bare to be apart from the people she loves. Although it is not made clear by the text whom exactly she is missing I noticed that on the back side of the front cover the words grandma and grandpa, daddy and cousin Beth were listed. Who she is missing must be left out purposefully so that the reader can easily relate to missing a loved one.
The illustrations in the book are wonderful, not only because they are beautifully drawn but because you can learn more about the text by taking a closer look at the pictures. The young girl thinks of a solution to getting to see her loved one, she imagines wrapping herself up as a package and sending herself to their home. This is something many of us wish we could do when we long to see our loved ones. I often joke about being able to teleport myself to see friends and family separated from me by distance. The last page shows the girl peacefully asleep in bed, my take on it is that she is dreaming of spending time with the loved ones she misses.