
Slug in Love
Rachel Bright and Nadia Shireen
Simon & Schuster
Meet Doug, a slug that’s feeling rather lonesome; he would really love a hug. (Wouldn’t we all?) But just imagine hugging a slug – not a very pleasurable prospect me thinks. So agree the various minibeasts he encounters. There’s earthworm, spider, ant, caterpillar each of which beats a hasty retreat; but not before uttering some thoroughly disheartening words.

Oh dear! Is poor Doug to remain forever sans hug? Hold on, what about Gail the stylish snail? She exhibits all the characteristics eschewed by the four previous creatures – now surely she must be THE one …

Once again though, our slug is given the thumbs – or rather antennae – down.
Feeling ever more dejected, Doug pauses to contemplate his lack of an embrace

and unexpectedly something comes flying along. Could she be his hugger at last? With its wealth of wordplay, Rachel’s punchy rhyming narrative, combined with Nadia’s delicious depictions of Doug, the naysayers and more, make for a book that’s a gigglesome delight. In addition, it’s great for developing sound/symbol awareness and, you’ll absolutely love the final twist.

How Big Is Love?
Emma Dodd
Templar Books
In Emma Dodd’s gorgeous story, a mother duck shows her five little ducklings just how boundless is her love for them. Such love as hers illuminates the entire world, is heart filling, unchanging in the face of life’s unsettling moments,

it’s uplifting and supportive, all day every day even in the darkest of difficult times. But these thoughts haven’t come to the mother of their

own accord, it’s through her day-to-day interactions with her little ones that these feelings have emerged so that she can express them through both her words and dealings.
Heartfelt sentiments, beautifully expressed and tenderly illustrated with gorgeous scenes of the natural world, (alternating ones embellished with gold) Emma’s new book is ideal for sharing with the very youngest,