mdettmann's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful and simple way to explain a little of what’s going on in the world right now to young children.
pastelmoony's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gracegreenlaw's review against another edition
4.0
The Hug was fantastic but I think this might be better! Tortoise and Hedgehog work out a variety of ways to show how they love and care for each other without hugging. A great KS1 Covid resource or even just for talking about friendships and being kind during PSHE.
hlparis's review against another edition
5.0
A sweet picture book about social distancing and how to show each other love without hugging.
zoes_human's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a result of the pandemic, a nevertheless useful for book for any small reader who isn't allowed to be close to or touch someone that they love. Charming drawings and emotionally useful. Suitable for ages 3 to 5.
bbckprpl's review against another edition
5.0
Full Review here on CBR 13 .
Relevant part - The last pandemic-era picture book (and wow: who ever thought that would be a phrase we’d be saying) talks about all the ways we can show our love and care for each other while we are apart. In While We Can’t Hug by Eoin McLaughlin & Polly Dunbar, Hedgehog & Tortoise aren’t allowed to hug. The book doesn’t say why, but, after a year of living apart, I don’t think they have to – it’s stronger and more relatable for them to have not explained it, honestly – It makes the book more adaptable to personal situations – I was a Navy brat, my dad was away until I was about 10, and I think this would have been a great resource for little me, way back then, for example. But it still fits so perfectly with pandemic expectations of separation, and then flows smoothly into different ways we can show our care and love each other when we can’t be near each other.
Text: Hedgehog blew a kiss across the gap between them. Tortoise saw it & Caught it, & kept it.
Blowing kisses is quite effective.
From waving and singing and dancing, all the way through to sending kisses, painting pictures and writing letters, I don’t think there’s a small child in your life that you’ve been struggling to stay connected with this year who isn’t going to understand each loving page of this book. (Granted, there aren’t any “I let you explain your Roblox game to me for 45 minutes via Facebook Kids Messenger” examples, but that’s ok: I’m not sending it to the 8 year old, and there’s really no way to encapsulate exactly how much of a sacrifice that experience truly is.) The illustrations here are cheery & bright & simple, and I predict many dramatic acting out of pages when the three year old has her copy in her hands. (I’m also including this link to a BSL version of the story, read aloud, because sometimes we switch up the kinds of read alouds we do, and I’m just letting you know that if you want your kids to learn sign, reading their favorite stories in sign is a great way for both of you to learn.)
Relevant part - The last pandemic-era picture book (and wow: who ever thought that would be a phrase we’d be saying) talks about all the ways we can show our love and care for each other while we are apart. In While We Can’t Hug by Eoin McLaughlin & Polly Dunbar, Hedgehog & Tortoise aren’t allowed to hug. The book doesn’t say why, but, after a year of living apart, I don’t think they have to – it’s stronger and more relatable for them to have not explained it, honestly – It makes the book more adaptable to personal situations – I was a Navy brat, my dad was away until I was about 10, and I think this would have been a great resource for little me, way back then, for example. But it still fits so perfectly with pandemic expectations of separation, and then flows smoothly into different ways we can show our care and love each other when we can’t be near each other.
Text: Hedgehog blew a kiss across the gap between them. Tortoise saw it & Caught it, & kept it.
Blowing kisses is quite effective.
From waving and singing and dancing, all the way through to sending kisses, painting pictures and writing letters, I don’t think there’s a small child in your life that you’ve been struggling to stay connected with this year who isn’t going to understand each loving page of this book. (Granted, there aren’t any “I let you explain your Roblox game to me for 45 minutes via Facebook Kids Messenger” examples, but that’s ok: I’m not sending it to the 8 year old, and there’s really no way to encapsulate exactly how much of a sacrifice that experience truly is.) The illustrations here are cheery & bright & simple, and I predict many dramatic acting out of pages when the three year old has her copy in her hands. (I’m also including this link to a BSL version of the story, read aloud, because sometimes we switch up the kinds of read alouds we do, and I’m just letting you know that if you want your kids to learn sign, reading their favorite stories in sign is a great way for both of you to learn.)
left_unsupervised's review against another edition
Beautiful illustrations. Owls are so very wise and I am glad the owl provided advice. This does remind me of a book I was advised to read in college regarding love languages. I think this book is somewhat like a children's version of learning about love.