Joey's Dramatic Reading

"love you forever, by robert munsch."

i first heard about this book watching joey 'reciting' it as a dramatic reading for ross and rachel's baby, emma on her first birthday party in my favorite sitcom, f.r.i.e.n.d.s. he did not know he had to bring presents for emma. knowing that phoebe had the 'gift of music' to give, joey decided to use his 'talent' as a present. he grabbed a book for a dramatic reading - this one.

the book is so cute in its simplicity, meaningful in its sentiments. after joey reads it, rachel is so moved by it, and so does everyone else.



i really thought the book didn't exactly exist outside of f.r.i.e.n.d.s!

then i came across this BIG book at one of the leading bookstores in one of the many malls in dubai. the size attracted me at first, then i saw the title which sounded familiar - and then i saw the name!

joey's book!

you might not understand it but it was an exciting moment for this friends' fan.


i read the book quickly. there is this one part that's creepy and funny - when the mommy climb up to the son's bedroom to cradle him when he was already a grownup, and treated him like she always had - like her baby - but then again, any mommy's boy could relate to this bit. heck, whether you're 3 or 30, you would want to be mommy's baby - forever and always.

but i didn't expect the story to turn and when the mommy was too old to sing, the son sang to the mommy instead. "..my mommy you'll be.." it had moved me to tears. and what an end! it was so simple yet so sweet! daddys take note!

i totally get how rachel must have felt!

my babies

i'll love you forever,
i'll like you for always,
as long as i'm living,
my baby you'll be.

robert munsch wrote these four lines as a song, and planned to sing it to his babies. unfortunately, both died once born and he never get to sing it. everytime he tried to sing it, he cried thinking of the babies he never had.

"It was very strange having a song in my head that I could not sing.."

so he made a story around the song - and he got 'love you forever'. he said everyone who reads it must make up their own version of the song.




how would you sing it?
want to sing it to your baby tonight?