Slug Needs a Hug! by Jeanne Willis- OPTIONAL

Willis, Jeanne. Slug Needs a Hug!, PICTURE BOOK. Andersen Press USA, 2015. $17.99. Slug’s mom can’t hug him because she has no arms. The little slug can’t figure out why his mom won’t hug him. He thinks it’s because he’s ugly. He goes around to the other animals in the community and asks them for help in trying to figure out what he could do to change his appearance and get a hug from his mama. They suggest beaks and fuzzy jackets; tails and feathers; horns and wings. When he finally gets home, his mother doesn’t recognize him. Once his disguise is removed his mother tells him how much she loves him just the way he is. Since they can’t hug, they kiss. I liked the ending of this book, but that’s about it. The conversations between the animals were much too lengthy and I didn’t find it feasible that Slug believed that his mother found him ugly. I thought it was a really bad feature to focus on. PRE-K, EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian