The Perfect Hug &The Biggest Kiss

By Ariel

In which Ariel uses picture books to show Bean some physical affection. This post contains affiliate links. By using them you are helping to keep Busy Nest News busy! Thank you for your continued support!

The Perfect Hug & The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh & Judi Abbot

I don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day. Not because I feel it is too commercial. This isn’t a political stand. I just never quite saw the appeal. I know what you are thinking, she must not be madly in love with her husband then. I assure you; I am. The day of love simply is not a day I celebrate. But I do love children’s books that talk about what love is and how we can show it. Give me a book that encourages physical affection to drive the story home and I am sold! The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh and Judi Abbot fit the bill.

The Perfect Hug depicts the quest of one little panda to find - you guessed it - the perfect hug . A bug is too small. A giraffe is too tall. On his quest he researches just what goes in to the best embrace. How many arms is too many? On his quest he experiences hugs of all kinds. How do fish hug in the seas? How do aliens hug in space? But in the end, the formula is simple. “It’s one plus one. A hug takes two! If you hug me then I’ll hug you!”

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The Biggest Kiss tells of a similar journey. A little penguin wants to find just the right kiss. It turns out that there are lots of kisses. But what makes a smooch a smooch? There are kisses on noses, kisses on toes-es and sudden kisses when you least supposes. Who likes to kiss? Everyone it seems! Frogs, dogs, elephants… But what about worms? What about fish? There are other kinds of kisses too. Rain kisses our face when it falls from the sky. The little penguin discovers that the best kiss, now that’s a kiss from you. Aww!

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The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss are a celebration of affection from start to finish. Abbot’s vivacious illustrations compliment Walsh’s rhymes. A heads up, though, Walsh alternates between ending rhymes like “The tallest kiss is a tricky kind. The smallest kiss is hard to find” and internal rhymes like “The snow’s kiss on your face is ace.” This results in some awkwardness for the reader, so don’t be surprised if you stumble the first time through. Your little won’t even notice.

The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss are a sweet pair that will complement your Valentine’s day celebration. Or a fun way to steal more kisses and hugs from your child!

So do you use books as an excuses to steal kisses from your little one throughout the day?

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