129

This book had such nice reviews that I was really excited about it. Unfortunately I could not understand the hype.
Maybe something was lost in translation.

I generally like children stories to teach valuable lessons and good principles and I did not feel this in this book.
Cleaning and respecting other people space is associated with the bad parents who don’t want to hug. It almost feels it was written by a kid who does not want to clean the room.
Felipe gets to know a balloon and it ends in an accident - for obvious reasons a cactus cannot hug a ballon. Everyone blames the cactus, the newspaper claims “cactus attacks balloon, balloon hospitalized, shame for the family”. Again, I miss the moral of this event.
After the accident Felipe runs away (I couldn’t think about any better solution to solving a problem), he searches for other families, gets rejected several times until he founds the perfect friend - a stone.

This book it’s not teaching that it’s ok to be different, does not explain that we should talk about our feelings, validates jumping into conclusions and, above all this, offers running away as a solution to our problems.

I understand this is written as a kid would view the world, and this is why I’ve adjusted to 2 stars. However, part of our role as a parent should be teaching our kids to deal with feelings and emotions. Stories are an amazing tool to do that but I just can’t see myself using this one. ( )

It is about a little cactus, and all he wants is a HUG! In the end, a rock comes and they hug without getting hurt. A great addition to my southwest story box.

Felipe the young cactus wants really big hug from someone, but his family is not the touchy-feely kind. One day, Felipe sets off on his own to find a friend, and just maybe, that long awaited hug.
6 books

Felipe's very proper cactus family didn't believe in invading other people's personal space, so the prickly young plant's desire for a hug went unfulfilled. His initial attempt at friendship with a delicate yellow balloon proved disastrous, and our cactus hero ended up leaving home and living very much alone. Until the day, that is, that he met someone else who also longed for a hug...

A sweet picture-book about wanting to make connections, and feeling a little awkward about it at first, Hug Me was author/artist Simona Ciraolo's debut. This is the second book, following upon the lovely The Lines on Nana's Face, that I have picked up by Ciraolo, and although I did find it charming, it wasn't quite the equal of that later title. Still, the ending is heartwarming, and the artwork quirky and appealing, so I would definitely attempt a third book from this artist. The publisher, London-based Flying Eye Books, seems to produce books that are quite interesting and engaging, from a design/graphic layout perspective. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books that address themes of loneliness, social interaction and friendship. ( )