Review by Booklist Review
An inquiring young boy wants to know how one would go about hugging a porcupine in this whimsical look at cuddling with animals. Charming pencil, paint, and ink illustrations show children hugging a variety of domestic and wild animals, while the short, rhyming text offers advice in question-and-answer format ( Can you hug a horse? Of course! ) or with simply stated facts ( A hedgehog is a little prickly. An ostrich is a little tickly ). The spare, interactive text and clear, uncluttered illustrations, many of which show only the child and the animal against a white background, make this a natural for group sharing. The mystery is ultimately solved as all of the characters, huggers and hugees alike, are collected into a group portrait, and the text declares. THIS is how you hug a porcupine: CAREFULLY. An endearing debut from Isop, who won the Cheerios New Author Contest with this sweet entry.--Enos, Randal. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Isop, winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest, makes a solid debut with this sweet musing on taking up with the ostensibly unembraceable. It's a particularly nettlesome issue for the protagonist, because all his friends are doing just fine with other animals: "A dog or cat is not so hard./ Just hug them in your own backyard./ Hugging bunnies is just divine./ But how do you hug a porcupine?" Millward's (The Bog Baby) pert mixed media drawings, coupled with a strategic use of white space, give the verse a sense of timing and subtle comedy; much of the fun comes from the interplay between the flummoxed boy and the suspicious porcupine, and all the other clutches that are advancing with varying degrees of enthusiasm and ingenuity (the bunnies can't get enough, the elephant offers its trunk, and the cat looks dubious). It's a lighthearted lesson in trust and letting down one's guard-once the porcupine is convinced of the boy's friendship (an offering of marshmallows smooths the way), a hug seems like the most natural thing in the world. Ages 3-up. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Most of the time, the mechanics of how to hug an animal are fairly straightforward. Horses, cats, and dogs do not provide much of a challenge, but a porcupine is another matter. With rhyming text, Isop works through a catalog of animals, both common and unusual, always circling back to the central question: "Hugging bunnies is just divine. But how do you hug a porcupine?" The question befuddles the young boy intent on giving the hug, and the animal looks equally uneasy. The boy tries armoring himself in a catcher's outfit and then a cardboard box, but the porcupine has no interest in being hugged. Finally, the boy hits on the idea of sticking a marshmallow on every quill. This does the trick, though it turns out that the marshmallows were less critical than the resulting trust and friendship. The slightly absurd concept will resonate with the audience, who find the idea of hugging giraffes and kangaroos inherently funny. Minimalist cartoon illustrations in watercolor and pencil convey expression and add humorous details. Small vignettes surrounded by ample white space keep the look clean and direct. The small size of the pictures makes them better for sharing in small groups or one-on-one.-Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Can you hug some billy goats? / Entice them with a bag of oats!" Well-metered verse describes the conundrum of one brave boy who, after watching his friends hug horses, cows, bunnies, pigs, yaks, and a host of other animals, figures out the best way to hug a porcupine: "carefully!" Finely detailed watercolors suggest the delicacy required for this potentially prickly pursuit. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
