Reviews for Hug a bug
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
PreS-Gr 1-An ode to the power of the hug, this simple rhyming story commands readers to start embracing. "Hug your pillow./Hug your pet./Hug the mailman-/don't forget." Cartoon illustrations feature doll-like characters with button noses and wide round eyes that give them a permanently shocked appearance. The buoyant verses suggest that just hugging the local grouch will set him off on his own hugging campaign. Rounded figures in sugary pictures paired with a sentimental text make the book cloying overall. The singsong rhymes will work with preschoolers, while beginning readers can manage the simple words and sentences on their own. However, the book closes with a challenge to "Hug the whole wide world.or try." This concept may sound noble, but encouraging young children to hug strangers such as the mailman, a firefighter, or a clown can be a risky idea.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
In this hug-a-thon, readers are enjoined to "Hug the dentist. / Hug a clown. / Hug the mayor of your town." While parents today may not want to encourage their kids to get physical with people they barely know, this doesn't negate the book's worthy sentiment. Andreasen's art features adorable, if vaguely Joan Walsh Anglund-esque, kids. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
A nameless little girl goes on a hugging spree that's the long and short of it. Yet the results are unexpectedly pleasing. The effusive hugger starts small, embracing a painting, book, pillow, and pet, before moving on to more elusive targets like a mailman, a firefighter, and (very gently!) a bug. The only thing resembling a plot turn occurs when the girl hugs someone who doesn't want to be hugged: Step right up and hug that grouch. Be prepared he might say, Ouch!' But when you hug that grouch, he'll see how very sweet a hug can be. Andreasen uses weathered textures to give the characters the feel of old dolls; with their spherical eyes and noses, they exist on the border between adorable and strange. It is unlikely that too many will be put off, though; Spinelli's text is a paean to bursting joy, and by the time the girl and the ex-grouch embrace the whole world at the end, most readers will want to get in on the hug-fest, too.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2008 Booklist
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Twenty-two brief sentences accompany lighthearted illustrations to extol the virtues of hugging. Spinelli's simple, rhyming text is exuberant and affectionate, inviting the listener/reader to join in, and by the second reading some small children may have the book nearly committed to memory. Shy or cautious children and parents may find the prescriptive "Hug the dentist. / Hug a clown. / Hug the mayor of your town" either emboldening or a bit indiscriminate. But Andreasen's sweetly round, twinkling-eyed people look pleased with themselves as first a little girl and then a small boyredeemed by a hug from grouchinesshug just about anyone and anything that crosses their path. The all-Caucasian cast is a bit disheartening in this day and age, but it's hard to hold too big a grudge against this open-armed celebration. Endearing, if you like hugging, and light as a feather. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
