Tag: affection

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles loves all the ways to cuddle!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles, by Mike Allegra/Illustrated by Jaimie Whitbread, (Oct. 2022, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645675594

Ages 4-8

The rainforest is alive with squeaks and squawks, grunts, grows, and hisses, until the day a cheerful capybara shows up and introduces cuddles to all the animals. Some animals aren’t so sure about the full-on cuddle: turtle’s worried it will make their shell less tough, and hugs make green iguana uncomfortable, but capybara assures everyone that a cuddle can take whatever form makes you comfortable: it’s just about being together! One animal after another FLOOFS along with the capybara, making the rainforest a friendlier, cuddlier place than ever before. Cheerful storytelling illustrates the power of a hug while reassuring readers who may be uncomfortable with full-on contact that cuddles can take whatever form makes them feel happy, secure, and loved. An author’s note touches on the book’s inspiration (Capybaras really do FLOOF!), and endapapers reveal a lush rainforest setting. Pleasant cartoony animals are cute and will appeal to readers; shades of yellow, green, and brown give the artwork an earthy feel. This will make a good readaloud for preschool and kindergarten classrooms, when kids are still learning their boundaries, and the boundaries that others feel comfortable with.

Visit the Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles book detail page on Page Street Kids’s website to download a free activity kit, complete with capy facts and an activity on consent.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

While We Can’t Hug explains the now normal to kids

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

While We Can’t Hug, by by Eoin McLaughlin/Illustrated by Polly Dunbar, (Aug. 2020, Faber & Faber USA), $15.95, ISBN: 978-0571365586

Ages 3-7

Last year, Hedgehog and Tortoise became best friends in The Hug. This year, social distancing has hit them, too, but they’re finding ways to work around it in While We Can’t Hug. For the book’s duration, Hedgehog is on the left side, and Tortoise on the right; they’re sad that they miss each other but can’t hug, until Owl swoops in and tells them that there are many other ways to show love and affection. The two friends tentatively give it a shot, first, by waving, then by making funny faces. Inspired, the two write letters, blow kisses, dance, and paint pictures together, simply enjoying the other’s company. Author Eoin McLaughlin eloquently uses brief text to communicate the many ways to show others we love them while hugging isn’t an option. Polly Dunbar’s warm artwork uses comforting colors and soft shading to make each reader feel like they’re included in Hedgehog’s and Tortoise’s circle of friends.

For little ones who are having a difficult time not seeing friends and family, or seeing them and not being able to run and hug them, books like this are vital in explaining that love is still there, even when touch isn’t an option. Polly Dunbar provides the most important observation as Hedgehog and Tortoise share love across the book’s pages: “They could not touch. They could not hug. But they both knew that they were loved”. And that’s the message to take to heart.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar know the power of The Hug

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Hug, by Eoin McLaughlin/Illustrated by Polly Dunbar, (April 2019, Faber & Faber), $15.95, ISBN: 9780571348756

Ages 3-6

A sad hedgehog just wants a hug to help feel better, but every animal he comes across seems to find an excuse to run away. A tortoise also wants a hug to boost its spirits, but the animals all have other things to do, too. A wise owl tells the hedgehog that he’s a bit spiky to hug, and the tortoise’s shell is a bit hard, but “there’s someone for everyone”. And when the hedgehog and tortoise meet, they share a hug that will warm the insides of every reader in the room. The Hug is an adorable flipbook with short, easy-to-read sentences about the power of a hug. Read Hedgehog’s story, then flip the book and read Tortoise’s; they meet in the middle, in a hug that makes the two friends, and their readers, “as happy as a hug can make you… as happy as two someones can be”.

The artwork is simple and sweet, set against a plain ivory background. When the two characters hug, the joy on their faces is matched only by the swirls of color, stars, and flower petals surrounding them. It’s a sweet story that is perfect for storytime, perfect for cuddletime, wonderful for any time. I read this in a recent storytime and the kids and parents alike loved the leadup to the hug and the flip from one story to the next. A sweet story that reminds readers that there’s always someone out there to hug, no matter how prickly or how tough you may think you’re feeling.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

We all want a Little Small

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

My Little Small,by Ulf Stark/Illustrated by Linda Bondestam, Translated by Annie Prime, (March 2018, Enchanted Lion Books), $15.95, ISBN: 9781592702091

Recommended for readers 4-7

Originally published 2014 in Swedish as Min Egen Lilla Liten, this is a touching story about a lonely Creature that allows for some interpretation with readaloud audiences. A lonely gray Creature lives inside a mountain cave, living in darkness because the sun will hurt her; possibly kill her. She longs for something to love and care for: “someone small to sing to and care for”. She tries to share her affection with the moon, whose rays shatter when she attempts an embrace. But one ay, a stray spark from the sun finds its way into her cave, and her heart soars. The spark tells her stories about the sun, and the colors visible in the daylight: the blue ocean; the yellow deserts; the green forests; the animals and birds that live above. While the Creature is enchanted by the spark, calling it her Little Small, the spark must hurry back to the sun before dark.

The Creature in this story is gendered female in the text, but this is open to interpretation: The Creature can easily take on any preferred pronoun the reader wishes; it’s a gray, amorphous shape with large, expressive eyes, a bulbous, black nose, and sharp white teeth. It’s nowhere near scary; rather, it’s kind of cute. Creature’s story is the big thing here: the desire to love and care for a Little Small; the same desire that fuels parents and caregivers; the same desire that moves children to attach themselves to a Lovey. My Little Small is also a reminder that our time together is short, and to fill those moments with joy – a nice nod to us adults to stop sweating the small stuff. The artwork is bold, with textured grays giving life to Creature and her environs, and bold, bright colors populating the spark’s tales of life outside. The spark itself is tiny and bright, giving off rings of warm, yellow light.

Words Without Borders calls My Little Small a “sweetly eccentric book”, and that seems about perfect, so I’ll leave it at that. It may not appeal to every reader, but it does reach down and get to the heart of the desire to love and protect. Sunrise, 2013 comic by Heather L. Sheppard, from a few years ago, makes a good readalike with absolutely adorable artwork. If you can find it (it’s a digital comic, available through Comixology), give it a read.

 

 

Posted in Animal Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads

Dormouse is afraid to sleep alone… do you have space for him?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dormouse and His Seven Beds, by Susanna Isern/Illustrated by Marco Somà, (April 2018, NubeOcho), $16.95, ISBN: 978-84-946926-6-6

Recommended for readers 3-6

Green Forest is a pretty quiet, uneventful place until the morning that Rabbit wakes up to discover Dormouse is sleeping in his carrot box. Dormouse apologizes, and says he couldn’t sleep, so he decided to try a new bed. This quickly becomes a habit: Dormouse tries out Robin’s tie drawer, Deer’s antlers, Tortoise’s glasses case, Mouse’s cuckoo clock, and Squirrel’s music box! The animals have a talk with Dormouse: this has to stop; he’s giving everyone a fright! Dormouse disappears the next day, worrying his neighbors. When they start a search, they discover him in Gray Forest, in Wolf’s sock! After a quick rescue, they discover the reasoning behind Dormouse’s wandering: he doesn’t want to sleep alone.

This story is perfect for preschoolers who may have similar fears, and the parents and caregivers who wake up to discover an errant foot or arm lodged in a hip, the small of a back, or a neck. (Speaking from experience.) Dormouse’s desire for company overrides his sense of propriety, leading him to sneak into his neighbors’ homes to be near someone at night; understandably, it’s a little nerve-wracking to wake up with someone unexpected in one’s home, and the group confronts Dormouse, not giving him a chance to explain himself. Parents will understand the guilt the animal friends feel when Dormouse disappears, and both parents and caregivers will appreciate the arrangement everyone comes to for future sleepovers. A sweet addition at the tale’s end gives Dormouse a chance to pay it forward.

Marco Somà’s illustration is just beautiful, with small details that will keep readers noticing something new with every read; from the carrot wallpaper in Rabbit’s home, to the owl’s face built into Owl’s home, and beyond. The blue tinge throughout the artwork lends a peaceful vibe to the story, making this a loving bedtime read, perfect for snuggling with the kiddos before they fall asleep in their own beds (or at least, start out there).

Released in 2017 in Spanish (978-84-946926-5-9), Dormouse and His Seven Beds is part of nubeOCHO’s nubeclassics line, and reads like a classic fable should.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

So Many Cuddles: Reading time is cuddle time!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

So Many Cuddles, by Ruth Austin/Illustrated by Clare Owen, (June 2017, Compendium), $16.95, ISBN:  978-1-943200-49-8

Good for readers ages 3-6

So Many Cuddles is an adorable look at the many different types of cuddles: rise and shine cuddles, bear-sized cuddles for being extra brave, tickly, giggly, wriggly cuddles – one of my personal favorites – and more, all illustrated by a young girl, her cat, her dog, and her doll. Each spread is a new type of cuddle; one page for text, one for illustration, giving each picture space to breathe and for kids to explore details like the textured rug in the girl’s room, or her sneakers, kicked to the floor when the friends are cuddling on the couch. It’s a great bedtime story – the cuddling winds down with “feeling very tired cuddles/let’s be cozy in bed cuddles” – or a great anytime story. This went over fabulously with my toddler storytime! Parents cuddled their little ones, and I had soft toys out for the kids to cuddle. It’s a soothing, loving story that encourages affection – what’s more perfect than that? The kids also loved the textured cover – I passed it around for everyone to love!

So Many Cuddles is a sweet celebration of cuddling. I love it, the kiddos here at my library love it, and my 5 year-old and I loved reading it while cuddling on the couch. Clare Owen’s soft, sweet art immediately gets readers’ attention, and the different kinds of cuddles helps explain different moods and feelings – something toddlers are still working on verbalizing.