Hug [Hardcover]

Jez Alborough (Author)

Book Description

Bobo the chimp is walking through the jungle. He passes lots of creatures enjoying a cuddle together - even the snakes have got someone special to squeeze. But poor Bobo is alone. Will he ever find the hug he needs?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

How can it be that a book with only one word--hug--repeated throughout, can be so good? The proof is in the pudding (or the wilds of Africa) in Jez Alborough's picture book Hug, a delightful mini odyssey of a baby chimpanzee on the hunt for his mum and a cuddle.

Our little friend wanders through the trees, witnessing many other animals from chameleons to giraffes as they snuggle together. "Hug," he says, happily, at first, but then with growing despair as he sees there are no hugs for him. The story is told purely by the expression on the little chimp's face as his hopes are built up and dashed again until eventually, with a huge smile, he finds his mum and reaps the reward.

Hug is a clever, unusual book that portrays the art of children's illustration at its very best: a story brought to life with the stroke of a brush through facial expressions and body language that children will immediately understand.

Ideal for sharing with small ones, this lovely book is a warm, comforting read that cannot fail to please. (Ages 1 to 4) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

With a cheerful chimp nearly as sweet as Curious George and a text of only three words, Alborough (It's the Bear!; Where's My Teddy?) celebrates the pleasure of giving and receiving good hugs, as well as the joy inherent in finding just the right word. "HUG," says a tiny chimp as he watches two lizards embrace and two pythons entwine. "HUG," he explains to a mother elephant and her baby who notice the chimp's forlorn expression. They decide to help him find what he's looking for and ride past an affectionate lion family, two giraffes and two hippos. But the disappointed chimp simply dissolves into tearsDto the consternation of all the jungle animals. Suddenly the chimp's mother appears. "BOBO," she shouts; "MUMMY," answers the chimp, and readers quickly realize that it's not just a hug the chimp wants, but a hug from his very own mother. Like a wordless book, the story unfolds through a series of expressive pictures rather than language. Alborough makes clear the chimp's distress as he tries to communicate with only the repeated word "HUG," and the elation the animals gain from their shared affection. Ages 2-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 34 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens Hardbacks (January 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0744592879
• ISBN-13: 978-0744592870
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,961,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jez was born in Kingston upon Thames in 1959. He went to art school in Norwich and then set about entering the competitve world of children's books. Jez has now written and illustrated over thirty picture books for children, he was runner up of the 1985 Mother Goose Award with his first book Bare Bear. Jez lives in London with his Danish wife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A heckuva huggy monkey, August 5, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hug (Board book)

Virtually wordless yet convincingly lovable. That's probably the best way to describe Jez Alborough's sweet, "Hug". I'm not usually taken in by cutesy picture books. For me, if a book is going to be sweet it needs a little added spice. The kind of stuff you find in Janet Stoeke's, "Minerva Louise" books, for example. So the image of a baby chimp opening its arm wide crying, "Hug", is not supposed to charm me. Unexpectedly, it did.

In this tale, a baby chimpanzee sees different baby/parent animals hugging one another. Bobo (that's the chimp's name, it turns out) at first is delighted. He points and yells, "Hug", whenever he gets a chance. But soon it's clear to the little guy that he's alone and there's no one for him to hug. A friendly pair of elephants take pity on the fellow and set out to locate his parent. Along the way they see more and more animals hugging in their own special ways. Bobo lets go with an awe inspiring, "HUG" when at long last his mommy arrives. The two hug (to a chorus of other animals saying, "Hug") and before you know it everyone's hugging everyone else. At the end, it's just Bobo and his mommy walking off together at last.

This book has all the usual toddler fears in it. The separation from the parent. Seeing a bunch of other people happy when you're not. I appreciated that author/illustrator Alborough didn't make her animals hug in incorrect ways. Which is to say, you don't see two giraffes standing on their hind legs hugging with their front ones. Instead, they nuzzle. Bobo himself is a pretty sympathetic creation too. The slow dawning realization that he doesn't have anyone to hug is heartbreaking. Also, Alborough was clever to cast him as her hero. Chimpanzees hug just like humans do, so kids will identify intrinsically with the reunited mother and son. The illustrations in this book never become treacly, and even the massive everybody-hugs-everybody scene at the end doesn't overflow into schmaltz. It's just a sweet book with a sweet message of hugging.

When I checked this book out of the library, the check out girl's reaction to the cover was, "awwww". That pretty much sums up the book right there. It may not contain the wit of an "Olivia" storyline or the artistic breadth and depth of a Chris Van Allsburg creation, but it's got heart. And heart, whatever else people might say, is very hard to create. A great lovable tale.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comfort defined!, November 14, 2000

By 

N. Welz (East Lansing, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hug (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic picture book. First, in its simplicity of language, for there are only three words in this story. But that doesn't mean that it is less than any other picture book. Quite the contrary, the incredibly expressive characters, especially our main character, Bobo, are illustrated with complete heart and soul. Bobo's quest for a hug is truly heartbreaking at times, yet the final hug is the epitome of happiness and comfort. Children will have a great time identifying all the animals and watching a friendship develop between Bobo and the elephants. If you hug your own kid everytime someone in the story hugs, you will have a great time, too!!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 20 month old loves Bobo, January 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Hug (Hardcover)

Although Amazon's recommended reading age for this book is 4-8, I have seen other sources list the appropriate ages as 1-5. My almost 2 year old received this book as a gift and instantly fell in love with it. With only three words in the entire story, the book encourages creative storytelling, while the wonderful illustrations depict a wide range of emotions. The characters, all of whom are parent and child jungle animals, are charming and loveable. Be prepared to reread it over and over, and ENJOY doing so!