Felipe’s family are spiky, a bit abrupt and not at all into hugs. So Felipe waits and hopes, until one day he finds a friend to hug, or so he thinks.
After some setbacks, Felipe goes through a range of emotions including frustration, anger and loneliness, he then goes on to retreat in his own company. A cute little sign outside his home which reads ‘Trespassers will be spiked’ gives you an idea of how he’s feeling. Will Felipe ever find the comfort he yearns for?
The illustrations do a lot of the storytelling and convey emotion really well. The minimal colour palette and rough pencil sketch textures give the art a simple and modern feel. Like other Flying Eye Books I’ve read the design is gorgeous with high-quality cover and pages, well-balanced illustrations, text and use of white-space all wonderfully interwoven.
Overall, Hug Me is a lovely publication with a message about finding like-minded people and being yourself even when you don't fit in. A fun book to read aloud and explore illustrations with children.
Other books by Simona Ciraolo and reviewed by Kids’ Book Review include The Lines on Nana’s Face and Whatever Happened to My Sister?.
Title: Hug Me
Author/Illustrator: Simona Ciraolo
Publisher: Flying Eye Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 14 September 2014
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781909263499
For ages: 3 – 5
Type: Picture Book
