The Hug by Eoin McLaughlin, with illustrations by Polly Dunbar, is a perfectly
charming picture book formatted to create a pair of stories that mirror each
other and meet in the middle.
Hedgehog
is sad and needs a hug, but he’s simply too prickly and his forest friends invent
imaginative excuses to delay. Fox is in a hurry to go knock over a garbage bin
– Squirrel must count his three acorns … again – Magpie needs to sing a very,
very long song. McLaughlin balances Hedgehog’s need with the other animals’
genuine concern about being poked as they endeavor to evade their friend’s
request. Eventually,
wise Owl encourages tearful Hedgehog to remember that although he’s “a little
bit tricky to hug … there’s someone for everyone.”
The
next turn of the page proves Owl correct. For there is Tortoise, perfectly
armored against all those prickles. The two rush into each other’s arms, “As
happy as two someones can be.” Readers
then discover the book can be flipped and read from the back with the Tortoise
on a similar quest, but his hard shell is equally unappealing for Badger,
Rabbit, and Frog when they are asked for a hug.
Dunbar’s
delicate watercolors leave plenty of clean space on the cream-colored pages to
enable the well-drawn characters to shine. The magical moment, when Hedgehog
and Tortoise hug, culminates in soft, swirling lines and dancing stars that
surround the pair as their dream is realized.
McLaughlin’s
thoughtful use of simple words and sentence structure creates a text that is accessible
for young readers and the story would also be a delightful read-aloud
selection.
Recommended
for home and school libraries.
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