Punch! - by Michael Hall (Hardcover)

About the Book

"When Badger bullies his friends Frog, Moose, Elephant, and Bear, they teach him an unforgettable lesson about empathy, kindness, and forgiveness"--

Book Synopsis

In a world where it's easy to punch back, Badger's friends choose to patch things up. Perfect for kids navigating big emotions!

When Badger bullies his friends Frog, Moose, Elephant, and Bear, they teach him an unforgettable lesson about empathy, kindness, and forgiveness in this funny and thematically rich social and emotional read-aloud from the acclaimed creator of Red: A Crayon's Story.

Badger, Frog, Moose, Elephant, and Bear are best friends. But when Badger experiences a personal loss and his emotions are too big to contain, he goes looking for trouble and takes his sadness out on his friends. He trips Frog, shoves Moose, kicks Elephant, and pokes Bear with a shovel. So Bear gathers the others, and they come up with a plan to teach Badger a lesson. Only that lesson is not what Badger--or readers--expect. In fact, Badger's friends treat Badger with kindness, offering him what he needs the most to sooth his raw emotions--a surprising turn of events that Badger takes to heart when Bear needs a little comfort in return.

Illustrated in Michael Hall's signature cut-paper collages, Punch! sparkles with inventive wordplay, rhythm, repetition, homonyms, and plenty of suspense and action. Rich with social and emotional hooks, this picture book is a terrific choice for story time and family sharing.

Review Quotes

"In Hall's signature style of painted paper and digitally produced line art and shapes, an angry badger gets a lovingly delivered lesson on kindness from his friends. . . .This simple tale will resonate with young children, who often have big emotions for reasons they cannot verbalize. . . .Visually appealing for the intended audience, with a message centered on acceptance and repaying hurtful actions with kindness, this work is full of warmth and sensitivity toward its audience. Highly recommended." - School Library Journal
"Wordplay propels Hall's witty and compassionate story about kindness as one response to difficult behavior. . . . A winsome book about one way of caring for loved ones in distress." - Publishers Weekly
"Witty and offbeat, this moral tale offers an uncommonly complex lesson in practicing empathy." - Horn Book Magazine