Perfect Picture Book Friday
The Hug (Faber & Faber, 2019) by Eoin McLaughlin and illustrated by Polly Dunbar is a darling book.
Poor Hedgehog. He’s sad and no one will give him a hug. They all have excuses. Owl explains, “You’re just a little bit tricky to hug,” but tells Hedgehog, “there’s someone for everyone.” Hedgehog is now even sadder. How will he find his someone. And then they meet and share a happy hug.
Flip the book over and start from the other character’s viewpoint. Owl explains the problem to him, too.
I love the story and the adorable artwork. An especially good read for anyone who has had trouble finding a friend but potentially eyeopening for those who easily reject others.
Both the author and the illustrator are from the UK. Read about Eoin’s next book here and read about Polly Dunbar here. I enjoyed Polly’s news page, which shared about her other books and projects.
Category: PB
picture books
A Hippy-Hoppy Toad
Perfect Picture Book Friday
A Hippy-Hoppy Toad (Schwartz & Wade, 2018) by Peggy Archer and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf is a delightful picture book that makes me smile.
Toad is on a teeter-totter twig in the middle of the road, when SNAP he goes flying and lands in a tree. Along his journey he meets a bird, a bee, a cricket, a dog, a lizard, the wind, and a shoe, then ends up back where he started.
The rhyme and rhythm work well. That and the alliteration make for a great read-aloud.
The illustrations are so much fun. I love the toad’s expressions and the leaves are beautiful. Watch for the additional creatures only in the images.
The book won the 2019 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award, and is a Junior Library Guild Selection.
Author Peggy Archer writes picture books and board books. Read about her here. Take note of her poetry journey. You can follow Peggy on Twitter here.
Illustrator Anne Wilsdorf has illustrated many books in both English and French. See all her books here. Anne lives in Switzerland.
Business Pig
Perfect Picture Book Friday
Business Pig (Sterling Children’s Books, 2018) by Andrea Zuill is a darling book.
Everyone notices their something different about Jasper when he is born. Not only doesn’t he fit in with the rest of the pigs, he continues on a different path. Therefore, when Jasper wants to be adopted he goes about it in a unique way.
I love the humor in the artwork that adds to the humorous text. The book has something for both kids and adults to enjoy.
This is author/illlustrator Andrea Zuill’s fourth book. Her newest book, Sweety, about a naked mole rat, comes out from Schwartz & Wade this month. Read about Andrea here or follow her on Twitter here.
No More Noisy Nights
Perfect Picture Book Friday
No More Noisy Nights (Flashlight Press, 2017) by Holly L. Niner and illustrated by Guy Wolek is a fun book I think both kids and adults will enjoy.
Jackson has just moved into his new house and settled down to sleep when he discovers he has a noisy neighbor. He comes up with a creative idea to keep his neighbor quiet so he can sleep. But then he learns he has another noisy neighbor. He solves that problem. The third night it happens again. Finally, Jackson can sleep peacefully.
You can hear the book read aloud on the author’s site here plus see Holly’s other books.
Awards for this book include: Mom’s Choice Award Gold Winner; Mississippi Magnolia Children’s Choice Award PreK-2 List, 2019; and Scholastic Book Club Selection.
See a variety of the illustrator’s work here and read about Guy here.
Hammer and Nails
Perfect Picture Book Friday
Hammer and Nails (Flashlight Press, 2016) by Josh Bledsoe and illustrated by Jessica Warrick is a darling picture book. It’s especially perfect for Daddy’s with girls to read to their daughters.
Darcy has plans to play with her best friend, but now the friend is sick so Darcy’s day is ruined. Or so she thinks. Daddy suggests they have a Darcy-Daddy Day doing one thing from her list and one thing from his. She doesn’t think he’ll like what’s on her list, but he asks her to give him a chance.
Like Darcy, I think you’ll be smiling.
Click here to see some of the awards for this book.
The illustrations are cute, funny, and really add to the story. You can check out illustrator Jessica Warrick’s books here and her illustrations here.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an author website.