Slug needs a hug

Jeanne Willis

Book - 2015

Slug worries that the reason his mother never hugs him is that he is ugly, so he follows his friends' advice to be furry, with a beak, horns, and more, until his mother can no longer recognize him, but then he learns that she loves him, no matter what.

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Subjects
Genres
Stories in rhyme
Picture books
Published
Minneapolis, MN : Andersen Press Picture Books 2015.
Language
English
Main Author
Jeanne Willis (author)
Other Authors
Tony Ross (illustrator)
Item Description
"First published in 2015 by Andersen Press Ltd, London."
Physical Description
pages
ISBN
9781467793094
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

There once was a young slug who was very, very needy, / and always greedy for a hug. But, alas, his mother isn't a hugger, leading Slug to worry, Is she never snuggly / because I am so ugly? Hoping to become more huggable, Slug asks other creatures for suggestions: Kitten proposes Slug needs to be fluffier. Bird advocates getting feathers and a beak. Piglet, Goat, Moth, and Fox also offer advice. Slug implements each of their suggestions, which becomes challenging as a beak, snout, and goatee jostle for room on his slimy face. But when he returns home, his mom doesn't recognize him until he shucks his accumulated accouterments, prompting her to reassure him: But I love you as you are! / You're the sweetest slug by far. Slugs, after all, lack arms for hugging, and the book concludes with the two sharing a sweet, affectionate smooch. Cartoonish, watercolor art and bouncy, lively rhymes make for a droll, entertaining tale. With a positive, supportive message, and a raucous delivery, this one will make storytime shine.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2- Poor slug is "wet and weedy, very, very needy, and always greedy for a hug." Sadly, his mother never hugs him. One at a time, various animals tell slug how he should make himself "more huggable, less slithery and sluggable"-namely, by making himself more like them. Tony Ross's deliciously silly ink and watercolor illustrations are a delightful complement to Jeanne Willis's bouncy rhyming text. When Slug returns to his mother, she doesn't even recognize her son beneath the ersatz fur, feathers, snout, beak, and legs. In the satisfying conclusion, Slug's mother confesses she adores her son as he is: "If I could, I'd hug you darling!" Alas, slugs have no arms "and so...They kissed!" This is a kinder, gentler version of Bernard Waber's classic, You Look Ridiculous, Said the Rhinoceros to the Hippopotamus (Houghton Mifflin, 1973). Both stories stress the absurdity of changing to imitate others, but Willis's tale places more affirming emphasis on the protagonist's innate lovability. VERDICT This is a fun and whimsical choice for storytimes about individuality, self-esteem, and love.-Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA © Copyright 2015. 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

Once upon a time-y, / there was a little slimy, / spotty, shiny, whiny slug." In this humorous rhyming story, Slug wants a hug from his mommy but worries he's too "slithery and sluggable." Taking advice from various creatures, he tries to make himself more "huggable"--in the end realizing he's just fine the way he is. Ross's winsome illustrations enhance the breezy verse's playfulness. (c) Copyright 2016. 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 mopey mollusk seeks approval from his mom, but can't get the hugs he desperately wants, in a bittersweet, slimy story. Sluggy is a "spotty, shiny, whiny slug" who is greedy for hugs but never gets them, even from his own mother. "Is she never snuggly / because I am so ugly?" he sighs into a reflecting puddle. Sluggy consults with nearby animals for an extended slug makeover in hopes of become a more huggable son, trying on beaks and goatees, feathers and tails, but in the end, it's not a lack of love but a lack of arms that keeps the hugs from happening. Luckily, slugs can kiss, and at least they're not leeches. What at first seems like an unbearably melancholy story is given uplift by the silly costumes and by a sweet, unconditionally loving ending. But any young reader who's ever felt temporary neglect may feel a pang even amid the singsong-y rhymes. The watercolor illustrations seem to lose precision as Sluggy's accumulating costume gets more absurd, as if showing that Sluggy is disappearing into another identity. Still, it's the earned payoff and a delicate balance of tones, both light and melancholy, that make the slug's quest memorable. Sluggy may not have limbs for hugs, but the book feels like a big, generous embrace. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.