How many hugs?

Do more arms mean better hugs? That's the question raised in this lighthearted contemplation of animal intimacy, Swain and Henry's follow-up to All Kinds of Kisses. Starting with appendage-free snakes, Swain moves through the animal kingdoms, highlighting creatures with a growing number of arms, legs, or tentacles. These rhymes can get convoluted as they try to strike a playful note, divide each number in half (since a hug requires two arms), and provide details about each animal: "While nautilus-a small secretive squid/ that lives in a chamber where she likes to stay hid-/ comes out for a squeeze from her ninety long tentacles./ That's forty-five hugs, each one identical." But as a thought experiment, it's charming, as are Henry's smudgy graphics, which feature subtle heart shapes hidden throughout. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. Illustrator's agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Beginning with the (debatable) premise that it takes two arms to give a hug, this story tells how many hugs various animals could provide, given the number of appendages they have. Though the playful built-in math lesson and the appended animal facts add some interest, the text's rhymes are forced and their rhythm awkward; cloying illustrations feature smiling animals with heart decorations. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.