Jez Alborough’s Hug is a delight. S asked for it daily at 19-20 months old, and still enjoys reading it several months later.

Why Hug?

As with many of S’s favorites, Hug has bright, active illustrations; lovable animal characters; and invites engagement with the text. It also starts quickly, introducing you to the main character and problem right away.

The first spread immediately sets out the subject and tone of the book. Our monkey protagonist (who we later learn is named Bobo) notices two elephants hugging. Alborough does an incredible job conveying the warmth of the hug in the illustration. The page just FEELS cozy, which S picks up on.

Having set up our world, the second page moves quickly to reinforce it and introduce our problem. Bobo happily spots other animals hugging until…hmmm? Where’s Bobo’s hug?

S loves to look at all the different animals hugging, loves the warmth of their hugs, and loves saying “hug” along with Bobo. S is also interested in Bobo’s emotional journey, conveyed beautifully and simply through illustrations and the word “hug” — repeated 25 times in various intonations as Bobo gets increasingly distraught over his lack of hug.

Bobo’s distress culminates in S’s absolute favorite part of the story — Bobo is reunited with his mommy in a sweeping multi-page arc:

Their excitement to see each other is palpable, the illustrations are active, and Bobo’s problem is resolved with (you guessed it) a hug.

S loves to repeat the text on these pages: “Bobo!” “Mommy!”

It is the only time in the entire story that a word appears that is not “hug.”

S’s love of these two pages highlights the importance of naming picture book characters in ways I was not expecting. I distinctly recall having a conversation with the friend who got S the book about whether the book would be stronger if “hug” was the only word in the book. More artistic? Possibly. But after reading Hug to S over 50 times, I can confidently answer that question “no.”

Why is it so important that Bobo have a name?

First, having a name helps S identify with Bobo. He’s not just “the monkey.” He’s a monkey with a personality, a family, and problems.

Second, Bobo having a name gives us a way to talk about Bobo throughout the book. He’s not just “Bobo” in the one scene where his mommy calls out to him; he’s Bobo in every scene in all subsequent re-reads.

Third, the simplicity of Mommy and Bobo calling out each other’s names while running towards each other adds a joy to the book that S can understand and participate in. Their reunion would not be nearly as powerful if I narrated a wordless spread of them finding each other, running, and hugging.

Fourth, Bobo is a perfectly chosen name. It’s fun, easy for S to say, and thus easy for S to remember.

While S definitely has favorite books and characters without human names, I have found in reading Hug and other SEL books that S identifies better with the character when they are named. (See also: Milo the penguin — S identifying with “Milo” in particular as opposed to any old penguin goes a long way toward S’s caring about his dilemma).

Some quick stats on Hug:

Page count: 28 pages of what I would consider the “main” book

Word count: 27 (25 of which are “Hug”)

Average word count per illustration: 1.5