Who Wants a Hug? by Jeff Mack
2015; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 68; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2015.0231
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoReviewed by: Who Wants a Hug? by Jeff Mack Jeannette Hulick Mack, Jeff Who Wants a Hug?; written and illus. by Jeff Mack. Harper/HarperCollins, 2015 34p ISBN 978-0-06-222026-4 $17.99 R 5-7 yrs “Everyone liked Bear. No one liked Skunk,” and it’s no wonder: cuddly Bear loves to hug while stinky Skunk is a crank. When Bear tries to convince him of the benefits of a hug, Skunk responds, in Jimmy Cagney fashion, “Oh yeah? I’m a skunk, see? . . . And nobody hugs a skunk!” Cheery Bear is unfazed by Skunk’s sneering, which so irritates Skunk that he tries to stink-ify Bear, but an attack with a smelly fish, the dropping of a bag of trash, and a stink-bomb balloon all backfire on Skunk, leaving him more malodorous than ever. In his vaporous vulnerability, Skunk finally allows Bear to hug him and finds . . . that he likes it. There’s an amusing Looney Tunes-esque sensibility to Skunk’s escapades, and kids who resist sweeter stories of affection will find this take on hugging to be a hoot. Illustrations enhance the humor with Skunk’s grumpy demeanor, his purple-banded black top hat, and his penchant for carrying around a boxing glove on a stick and a suitcase labeled “Super Stinky Tricks.” The other critters’ cuddly cuteness is endearing (it’s easy to see why big brown Bear is so appealing to everyone) while the stinky theme will crack up the kids who chortle at potty humor (“Who cut the cheese?” asks a mouse after the stink-balloon fail). The digital illustrations (created with pencil and ink and Photoshop) are attractively rendered with a tidy style that successfully straddles the line between cute and comic, while clean white space keeps the compositions crisp. Pair this with Stein’s Dinosaur Kisses (BCCB 9/13) for a more raucous approach to an embrace-themed story session. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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