Same Love, Different Hug

PreS-Gr 2–A young brown-skinned, brown-haired child with large glasses and freckles lists a variety of hugs when showing love to family and friends. There is no one-size-fits-all; different people like different kinds of hugs. Some people don’t enjoy that kind of contact at all, preferring to show they care in another way, such as a “secret” handshake. In another example, a youngster’s sister is ill in bed and prefers to be serenaded by guitar rather than being touched. Told in a relaxed rhyming scheme, Hovorka’s book informs readers of the types of hugs and non-hugs that are available for sharing. Digital illustrations reveal a multicultural community with varying hair colors and skin tones but all enjoying being together, sometimes with hugs and sometimes without. Simple backgrounds let the people be the center of attention with pictures in an array of sizes from vignettes to full spreads.