Rhayne's Reviews > Just for You

As children we are always trying to please our parents and this inhibition isn’t one that leaves us as we grow older. We work all our lives to make our parents proud, for them to appreciate our dedication and in turn understand our own appreciation for the lessons they have taught us. In our youth we complete mundane tasks to satisfy our parents request and as adults we search for meaning in our work so that we may reciprocate such financial or metaphorical wealth to our parents. Just for you a story by Mercer Mayer covers such an ongoing concept through her young critter.

Just for you by Mercer Mayer begins with a young critter attempting to do tasks for his mother. Each time the critter attempts a task it never turns out exactly as planned, making the critter discouraged until he is eventually able to complete a task especially for his mother without falter. Mayer brings relatability to the characters in the expression illustrated upon the characters faces and their living in a world similar to our own. Also by picturing the environment in such vivid cheerful colors, a lightheartedness can be expressed while still allowing for the darker/sadder emotions to be of influence.

Mayer invites readers of all ages to experience the simplicity of pleasing our parents, expressing to all of us that a parent’s ability to express pride in their children isn’t defined by the difficulty of a task. No matter our age or our success, our parents will love us for who we are and take pride in what we do so long as we simply do our best. By asking young readers to simply try with all hope to complete tasks and the older audience to remember that success isn’t defined by a pay raise or a 401k. Success is defined by our ability to attempt all tasks with our best intentions, to try and try again and even if we don’t succeed, our parents will still swell with pride.