While We Can't Hug - by Eoin McLaughlin (Hardcover)

About the Book

Hedgehog and Tortoise were the best of friends. They wanted to give each other a great, big hug. But they weren't allowed to touch. "Don't worry," said Owl. "There are lots of ways to show someone you love them." So the two friends wave to each other, blow kisses, sing songs, dance around, and write letters. And even though they can't hug and they can't touch and must social distance, both know that they are loved.

Book Synopsis

From the team behind the bestselling The Hug, a heart-warming picture book that shows us ways to be affectionate while social distancing.

Hedgehog and Tortoise were the best of friends.
They wanted to give each other a great, big hug.
But they weren't allowed to touch.

"Don't worry," said Owl. "There are lots of ways to show someone you love them."

So the two friends wave to each other, blow kisses, sing songs, dance around and write letters. And even though they can't hug and they can't touch, they both know that they are loved.

A gorgeous, uplifting, inspiring picture book that makes social distancing fun!

Review Quotes

"An important historical record of the time." -- Times

"Precious - but timely and comforting all the same" -- Kirkus

"A fitting, amazing book that we could do so much with at the moment. Brilliant for early years" -- The Teaching Booth

"A most timely and poignant read... will strike a chord with readers of all ages." -- Picture Books Blogger

"This is a perfect book for those with little who are having a hard time not being about to hug their friends/extended family. It shows all the many ways we can show our love while still social distancing." -- SlothReads

"A touching tale." -- Sunday Times

PRAISE FOR THE HUG "This book contains dual narratives, presented by flipping the book over, so that the stories intersect and come to a joyful conclusion in the middle. One story line follows Hedgehog, who is feeling sad and knows that only a hug will help. Hedgehog asks Fox, Squirrel, and Magpie for a hug, but each creature makes an excuse for why they cannot help out. Owl explains that Hedgehog is prickly, but says that there is 'someone for everyone.' Likewise, using the same repetitive text, Tortoise encounters Badger, Rabbit, and Frog. Owl explains that Tortoise's shell is very hard, but when Tortoise and Hedgehog meet, they discover that their hugs are perfect for one another. The illustrations are whimsical, depicting unique and expressive animal characters with humorous flourishes. The illustrations also convey that each of the animals has their own imperfections...These details help to underpin the message that while every hug is not for everyone, it takes all sorts to make a world. VERDICT A tender story that carries the message of embracing one's perceived shortcomings, best to be shared with early elementary students and the very young." -- Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD, School Library Journal

"Sometimes all you need is a little TLC, but that's easier said than done for a prickly-backed hedgehog and a hard-shelled tortoise. With adorable arms outstretched, the two embark from opposite sides of this innovative flip book...until Tortoise and Hedgehog meet in the middle, proving that there really is someone out there for everyone." -- Foreword Reviews

"Open this double-sided book one way and meet sad and very cute Tortoise, whose polite request for a restorative hug is met with equally polite but clearly cooked-up excuses from other animals...Flip the book over, and it's the same trajectory for sad and adorable Hedgehog, whose quills are the deal-breaker. Tortoise and Hedgehog retreat from the world into tight little spheres of shell and prickles, respectively, until they notice each other. In a vertically oriented spread that serves as a visual center between the two versions, they embrace without any qualms at all, "as happy as two someones can be."...Dunbar's animal portraits, drawn along a single, cream-colored plane with minimal background detailing, are funny and astute, suggesting that animals can be every bit as awkward and endearing as humans."-- Publishers Weekly

"Watching unlikely friends finally be as 'happy as two someones can be' feels like being enveloped in your very own hug." (Picture book. 3-5) -- Kirkus Reviews

"McLaughlin's text is fresh and simple, much like Dunbar's illustrations. One little element that adds to the fun is watching both Tortoise and Hedgehog get more and more grimy from the animals they meet, picking up bits of dirt and fuzz along their journeys. The hug though, the hug at the middle is pure bliss. Perfect for when you need a hug, even if you are a bit prickly or too hard." -- Waking Brain Cells

"A perfectly charming picture book... Dunbar's delicate watercolors leave plenty of clean space on the cream-colored pages to enable the well-drawn characters to shine... McLaughlin's thoughtful use of simple words and sentence structure creates a text that is accessible for young readers and the story would also be a delightful read-aloud selection." -- All About the Books with Janet Squires

"I love the story and the adorable artwork. An especially good read for anyone who has had trouble finding a friend but potentially eye-opening for those who easily reject others." -- Susan Uhlig, So Many Good Books

"The Hug is an adorable flipbook with short, easy-to-read sentences about the power of a hug...I read this in a recent storytime and the kids and parents alike loved the leadup to the hug and the flip from one story to the next." -- Rosemary Kidlatis, Queens Public Library librarian and reviewer at MomReadIt

The Hug is simple and sweet and deeply satisfying." --Tanya Turkek, Books4YourKids

"A beautiful quiet book, perfect bedtime, that children will want to read again and again."-- Rebecca Herzog, SlothReads