Short & Snappy Happy Book Blog: Hedgehugs
Creators: Lucy Tapper and Steve Wilson
Publisher: Maverick Arts Publishing in the UK and Henry Holt in the U.S.
Themes: friendship, Valentine’s Day, seasons
Age Range: 2-6
Word Count: 308
Teaching Tools:
Why I Love It: Hedgehugs is short, snappy, and really sweet. Horace and Hattie are best friends and wish they could hug, but how will they ever hug with all their spiky spines in the way. Their hug attempts are cute and the illustrations make you want to root for them. And the solution is unexpected and adorable. Makes you want to hug someone!
Excerpt:
Horace and Hattie are the very best of friends.
But there is one thing that they cannot do together.
They cannot hug.
They are just too spiky.
In spring, they found some old, hollow logs.
Horace and Hattie squeezed inside.
But the hug was too bumpy.
From School Library Journal: “Horace and Hattie try various methods to hug throughout the year….Finally they come up with a solution all by themselves. Illustrations have a colorful background collage appearance that displays cloth textures in the grass and in the leaves and flower petals. The characters are endearing when they solve their hug problem.”
Author/Illustrator Tidbit: Husband and wife team Lucy Tapper and Steve Wilson work on the Hedgehugs’ adventures together, and Lucy sketches the pictures.
Available On:
Author Michelle Meadows blogs about her favorite short and snappy books on the Short & Snappy Happy Book Blog – a resource for teachers, librarians, parents, and other book lovers. Subscribe
