THE CUDDLE BOOK
by Guido van Genechten & illustrated by Guido van Genechten
Who loves a cuddle? Everyone, that’s who. With simple text and scenes, a litany of animals demonstrate: monkeys hug gently, turtles slowly, ducks with their beaks, elephants with their trunks, kangaroos cuddle easily but crabs cuddle hard, cats playfully, porcupines carefully and a bear hug is special, but BEST—is Mommy’s cuddle. Though there’s no lack of picture books about hugs, it’s the large, expressive illustrations of the animals that make this so appealing for the very young and perfect for family sharing. The expansive shapes define the animals in heavy black lines against generous white backgrounds and capture the creature’s characteristics. The Belgian author/illustrator embraces just the right amount of sentiment; all the reader needs to supply is a lap and arms. (Picture book. 2-4)