Hug! - Ben Mantle

Published by Little Tiger Press: Munster Road, London, 2013.

This book is written and illustrated by Ben Mantle, who also illustrated Bunnies on the Bus, a book I featured in my first picture-book group review, and that still remains one of Ezekiel's favourite reads.

A sweet rhyming story about the joy of hugs, each page of this book shows a pair of animals embracing in some way, with descriptive adjectives describing the type of hug it is. From "wriggly, jiggly" for a pair of snakes to "upside-down" for a pair of bats, each animal is given fun illustrations to add to the light-hearted nature of the poem. 

The book builds to the final statements: "Sharing hugs is lots of fun. Time to snuggle, everyone!"

In the context of a children's book being read to a child by their guardian, this is a good message.


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