Hugsby

PreS-Gr 2–One day, a little girl named Shelly brings home a new friend from the monster adoption center: a smiley, pink axolotl-like monster named Hugsby. Hugsby may not be able to do lots of tricks like some monsters, but there’s one thing he does really well—gives excellent hugs! Shelly, who has pale skin and dark hair, loves spending time and playing games with Hugsby. They love each other “MONSTER-ously,” and that’s all that matters. But soon it’s time for Pet Monster Show-and-Tell Day at school. As Shelly watches the other children’s monsters do tricks and feats that Hugsby couldn’t learn, she grows anxious about what they’ll think of her monster. Hugsby and Shelly demonstrate valuable lessons about what really matters and how peer pressure can cause us to judge ourselves and those we care about unfairly. The perfect accompaniment to this gentle story, Phumiruk’s sweet, pastel-toned illustrations are full of fun details and adorable monsters that young readers will enjoy poring over, even down to the endpapers.