I Hug

August 1, 2017

PreS-K-This addition to the series is aimed at the earliest of beginning readers. McPhail's distinctive style of watercolor over ink outlines follows a reddish-blonde toddler girl through a day of her life as she hugs things, starting with her dog, her rock, and her friend, and ends the day by hugging her father, her mother, her bear, and her pillow. Each spread has a four word sentence that repeats "I hug my..." with the last word changing. Each illustration has necessary contextual clues, making this a solid choice for beginning readers to build their vocabulary skills. The cover and endpapers show the young girl also hugging a variety of other animals and objects not included in the text of the story. With the repetition and "day in the life" structure of the book, young prereaders might also find this a satisfying read-aloud, and the minimal text opens itself up for dialogic reading. VERDICT A good option for libraries serving a young audience.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
McPhail's newest in the I Like to Read series hinges on pivot grammar. Pivot grammar--with one word substituted in a repeated sentence--is perfect for the very youngest beginning readers. Frontmatter depicts a chubby, white preschooler toting a turtle around before the story begins. Then just 10 statements, all starting, "I hug my..." tell a complete bedtime story. Illustrations showing the targets of the grinning hugger's affection make each new word absolutely clear. Winsome and astonishingly patient animals calmly endure the child's enthusiastic attention. Most of the illustrations feature just the child and the creature, person, or object that's being hugged floating in framed white space. Midway through the book, after the pattern is established, two double-page spreads with more background and details invite new readers to linger and add their own observations. "I hug my rock" features a beach scene. On a tree-hugging spread, a pigtailed brown-skinned child peeking around the fence hints at what comes next: "I hug my friend." Sometime between hugging dad and hugging mom, the child changes into pajamas, then hugs teddy bear and pillow before falling happily asleep. Or maybe not. A final page with just the words, "I hug" shows the pajama-clad child hugging teddy while gazing at the moon. Ideal for the newest of new readers, this tender title's usefulness may be limited to a very narrow developmental window, but it'll do yeoman work within it. (Early reader. 4-8)

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January 1, 2018
A small child happily hugs her cat, her dog, a friend, a tree. The text consists of a single sentence on each page; the "I hug my..." structure repeats, with only the object nouns changing. McPhail's familiar pen and watercolor-wash illustrations, a variety of vignettes and full-page art, convey warmth and security. A positive, upbeat experience for the youngest readers.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)