I Hug

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.