HUGS AND KISSES

A puppy named Hugs sets out one morning to collect kisses, but after receiving tender, affectionate busses from a horse (on his head), a pig (on his nose), a rabbit (on his neck), ducks (on his cheeks), and even a butterfly (“Oh, so fine, a butterfly’s kiss! He’d never felt anything like it before. It tickled a bit, of course, but it was wonderful”), he concludes that Mother’s kisses are best. Who would argue? Younger children will be more responsive to Tharlet’s (Happy Easter, Davy, not reviewed, etc.) sweet, spacious, fuzzy lined watercolors than to Sendak’s naturalistic art in Minarik’s near-cousin classic, A Kiss For Little Bear (1968). Tharlet’s text has been translated into a lovely childlike voice, earnest and refreshingly sweet. Though Hugs certainly has a blissful time of it, the sentiment never crosses the line into glop. Rare is the child, parent, or older sibling who will be able to resist this invitation to mix reading with kissing. (Picture book. 2-5)