Hugs. Robert Munsch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2014. 30 pp., board, $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4431-3313-5. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 3-8. Review by Jennifer Baetz. ***˝ /4

excerpt:

So they walked and walked and walked and finally came to a huge snail.

“How about a hug for my little brother?” said Thea.

“Hug?” said the snail. “I love to give hugs.”

And the snail gave Tate a big snail hug.

“How was that?” said Thea.

“Slime! Slime! Lots of slime! Yuck!” yelled Tate.

“OK!” said Thea. “Not a good hug.”

Following the production of several books revised as board books, Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko offer up their first original board book, Hugs.

     Thea is mad at Mommy and takes her little brother, Tate, with her for a walk. After a long stroll, Tate decides that he needs a hug. Thea gives him one, but it’s not quite right. Thea decides to try something different and enlists the help of several well-meaning and hug-loving characters, but none of the hugs make Tate happy. There is only one kind of hug that will satisfy Tate – a Mommy hug.

     Hugs is straightforward and sincere, and expressive illustrations by Martchenko support Munsch’s text and add a touch of silliness. A pleasing amount of repetition allows readers to quickly learn the story and help retell it when the book is read again (which is sure to happen with this sweet story). Readers will also enjoy remembering and recapping the events at the end of the book when Thea and Tate recount the hugging adventures to Mommy.

     The publisher’s target audience of children 3 to 8 years for this board book is broad, and the decision to produce it as a board book for this age range is a bit puzzling. This is not to say that the story could not be enjoyed by younger children, but the book could have easily been produced as a picture book. It would not be surprising to see this story change formats in the future. This original board book is much more satisfying than the revised board book versions that have previously produced, however. Format considerations aside, readers of all ages will enjoy reading this story and will likely agree that often what one really needs is a Mommy hug.

Highly Recommended.

Hugs is dedicated to Thea and Tate Hedemann from Saskatoon, SK…the same city where Jennifer Baetz works as a Fine Arts Librarian.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - March 28, 2014.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME