honouring the simple, unconditional (sometimes intense!) childhood love of fabric-friends
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When Ivy was a newborn, some ladies from Church gave her a cuddly pink bunny blanket with her name on it. She was never the best sleeper, so ‘bunny’ became a wonderful tool for comforting/settling—we couldn't (wouldn’t) go anywhere without her.
Ivy is now 4-years-old, but bunny still means the world to her. She doesn’t need her for comfort now, but the friend who helped her through so many difficult times still holds immense value.
I think that’s why she loves Guff by Aaron Blabey so much. It's completely relatable for her—as it will be for any child who has a special ‘cuddly’ in their life. (Their parents will relate too!)
Guff is a short and sweet story about a little girl’s special cuddly:
“This is my Guff.
He’s really nice.
I’ve known him since I was little.
And I still know him even now I’m big.”
Guff is a busy toy, he gets lost, falls in the ocean, and even gets a bit smelly. (Boy can those things get smelly!)
“But I don’t care about any of that. Because he’s my Guff.”
It’s a wonderful story that beautifully expresses the simple and unconditional love of a child.
Guff has certainly seen better days, he’s missing an eye, an ear and coming apart at the seams, but the little girl still loves him.
To her, he means all kinds of things. Things like security and friendship.
While I, too, find the story relatable (the look of panic on the mother's face as they leave Guff on the bus has been on my own face many times), mostly I just love how it reminds me of the simplicity and intensity of childhood.
It also reminds me that as a parent in particular and as an adult in general, I must never undervalue the things that are precious to children.
P.S. I've tagged Guff for children aged 2 to 6-years, but the story is short enough that it can work for a younger child too (Angus loves it).
Book Depository has free postage anywhere in the world and great pricing, but North American readers may prefer Amazon.
GUFF
by Aaron Blabey – Penguin Random House Australia, 2017
ages 2 to 6 years / picture books + heartwarmers
