Review by Booklist Review
What would you rather have: a free hug or a free slug? The slug, by the way, does not refer to the slimy creature but instead to a punch from a villainous-looking skunk! Big, cuddly Bear loves to give hugs, and all of the forest animals love to receive them. Well, all except Skunk, who carries around a case of Super Stinky Tricks, which he uses to try and make the ever-affable Bear unhuggable. Each trick backfires, only irritating Skunk even more, while unsuspecting Bear offers Skunk a hug to make things better. When Skunk refuses to accept the embrace, Bear tells him that he will save him one for later. Later finally comes when Skunk's supersmelly stink-bomb balloon bursts in his own face, and Bear needs a clothespin to cover his nose while he keeps his word and offers a hug. Brightly colored cartoon-style illustrations and playful dialogue give this picture book a fun comic-book feel. A humorous and heartwarming take on friendship and forgiveness.--Mazza, April Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Not only does grouchy Skunk definitely not want a hug, he's out to get the No. 1 purveyor of cuddles in the forest, the loving and popular Bear. Skunk has a bottomless briefcase of "Super Stinky Tricks" designed to make Bear smelly and therefore unhuggable, but each dastardly ploy backfires spectacularly. Bear's inability to forego giving hugs unwittingly saves him in the nick of time, making Skunk fall victim to his own smelly schemes, which involve a dead fish, an enormous bag of garbage, and a noxious stink bomb. Skunk's eventual capitulation, however, poses a new challenge for Bear: does he have the courage to hug a reformed reprobate who reeks? Even readers who know exactly where this story is headed will have fun following the comic tango of Mack's (Duck in the Fridge) hapless villain (who wears a top hat worthy of Snidely Whiplash) and oblivious, goody-four-paws hero. Told almost entirely through eminently performable dialogue, the story has the goofy verve and physics-defying slapstick of a Merrie Melodies cartoon. Ages 4-8. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Everyone in the forest loves ebullient Bear and his big hugs-everyone except Skunk, the gleefully grouchy outcast. Bear's constant cheerfulness gets under Skunk's fur so much so that he decides to play a series of nasty tricks, but no matter how hard he tries, nothing goes right. When the stink balloon he plants for Bear backfires on him, Bear knows just what he needs to cheer him up-a hug. Skunk is quickly converted to Bear's hugging ways, and Bear's good nature wins out-even if he has to wear a clothespin on his nose. Mack's bright cartoon illustrations, created with a combination of ink and pencil and Photoshop, bring the characters to life and mesh perfectly with the crackling text. The message-that everyone is lovable, no matter how stinky and mean on the surface-bubbles through the story without ever becoming heavy-handed. A sure favorite for storytimes.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Bear loves to give hugs, but Skunk isn't having it. Skunk tries to sabotage Bear's hug-fest with increasingly pungent ploys (rotten mackerel, stinky bag of garbage, "stink balloon"). It all backfires, leaving Skunk smelly and defeated--and in need of a hug. The joke is overripe by the end, but the expressive illustrations enhance the situation's built-in humor. (c) Copyright 2015. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A big brown bear is generous with his hugs, and all the forest creatures appear to enjoy his embracesexcept a grumpy, scheming skunk. Mack is back with a tale reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes but with a warm if odiferous ending. Readers learn early on that even though Bear offers his hugs to everyone, Skunk isn't having it. Bear enthuses, "[Hugs] make you feel great!" Skunk responds with the grumpy if accurate assertion that "nobody hugs a skunk!" Undeterred, Bear replies, "I'll save you one for later." Soon Skunk has a briefcase of "Super Stinky Tricks" with which to fend Bear off. First he tries to clobber Bear with a stinky fish, but when Bear bends down to hug a worm, the fish misses Bear and bounces back to smack Skunk. The second try is no better, and neither is the thirdSkunk ends up smelling worse than usual. Adding insult to odor, with each mishap, the sympathetic Bear offers a hug. Finally Skunk relents and accepts a hug. In an instant, each animal is wowed by the experience. Skunk discovers he loves hugsand Bear realizes he cannot stand the smell of Skunk. The digital illustrations have a cartoon comic feel that ably matches Skunk's laugh-out-loud attempts to get back at Bear for just being nice. Share widely. Few will be able to resist chuckling at this humorous yet heartwarming tale. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
