Review by Booklist Review
PreS. A smiling pig rubbing noses with her child on the jacket captures the warm feelings in this book. Yet, as the text makes clear, not all cuddles are the same. Monkeys cuddle gently, while turtles do it slowly. For kangaroos cuddling is easy, but for crabs it's hard. Naturally, as the young boy who leads off the narrative knows, the best cuddle comes from Mom. Van Genechten effectively uses simplicity in words, design, and art. Each animal gets an uncluttered two-page spread with large figures, thickly colored and outlined in black, in the forefront of the pages. Plenty of white space gives the pages an open feeling, but there are also bits of collage that provide hints of habitat. This will be excellent for toddler story hours, but perhaps the best use will be one on one, where after the reading, cuddling can ensue. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Short and snappy text paired with bold, childlike, cartoon illustrations make this picture book feel like one big hug. Each spread comically depicts how different creatures cuddle. "Monkeys cuddle gently...and turtles cuddle slowly." "Cats cuddle playfully...but porcupines have to cuddle verycarefully!" Of course, in the end, "...the best cuddle of all...is Mommy's cuddle." Adorable animals drawn in thick black lines and warm colors are presented on clean white backgrounds. The naïve pictures and playful narrative provide just the right amount of humor without becoming overly sweet. A fun read-aloud for sharing with groups or for snuggling one-on-one.-Julie Roach, Malden Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Monkeys cuddle gently...and turtles cuddle slowly."" Though unoriginal, the text of this Dutch import will speak to preschoolers. The art, featuring friendly animals outlined in black adeptly conveys the warmth and reassurance found in all parent-child embraces. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Who loves a cuddle? Everyone, that's who. With simple text and scenes, a litany of animals demonstrate: monkeys hug gently, turtles slowly, ducks with their beaks, elephants with their trunks, kangaroos cuddle easily but crabs cuddle hard, cats playfully, porcupines carefully and a bear hug is special, but BEST--is Mommy's cuddle. Though there's no lack of picture books about hugs, it's the large, expressive illustrations of the animals that make this so appealing for the very young and perfect for family sharing. The expansive shapes define the animals in heavy black lines against generous white backgrounds and capture the creature's characteristics. The Belgian author/illustrator embraces just the right amount of sentiment; all the reader needs to supply is a lap and arms. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
