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The Hug

by Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

Interest age: 3 to 5

Published by Faber & Faber, 2019

  • Picture books

About this book

Tortoise really wants a hug, but no-one wants to oblige. Frog finds he has to hop off suddenly; Rabbit's in the middle of digging a hole. Owl explains that Tortoise's shell is putting off the animals: what to do?

At the same time, but at the other end of the book, Hedgehog is having just the same problem. Squirrel's apparently in the middle of counting all her nuts (even though she only has three) and Magpie says that he might have time for a hug after he sings his song... which is quite long. It's the prickles that are putting everyone off.

Both Tortoise and Hedgehog are really sad... who will they find to hug? Turns out that perhaps there might be someone...

Engineered so that each character's story is depicted on opposite sides of the book that have to be flipped over to meet in the middle with a lovely big HUG, this is a sweet, touching book about finding just the right friend – and hug – for you.

About the illustrator

Polly Dunbar studied illustration at Brighton Art School and now lives and works in London. Author and illustrator of Penguin, Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie, she thinks that colour is a brilliant way to cheer yourself up and whenever she's feeling grey, she puts on her best pink frock and paints! Polly is the daughter of the distinguished author Joyce Dunbar who she collaborated with on the picture book Shoe Baby. She is also the illustrator of My Dad's a Birdman, written by David Almond, and Here's a Little Poem, an anthology of poems for very young children. Polly was one of the Best New Illustrators 2008 and BookTrust's fourth writer in residence. Polly lives and works in Brighton.

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