Big hug, little mouse by Lisa Kerr
Walker Books Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760651107. 32pp.
(Age: 2-5) Lisa Kerr is a Melbourne-based author and illustrator,
best known for the Cheeky
Monkey series of books. Featuring the same warm and
richly-detailed illustrations, Big Hug, Little Mouse
features a new character named Millie the mouse who loves her life
and loves giving her friends big hugs. One day, however, Millie
doesn't wake up her normal cheerful self. Her tummy feels funny, she
feels sad and she thinks she has lost her hug. Will she be able to
find it again? Pretty soon all of her friends are giving her hugs:
big bear hugs, hello hugs, sleepy hugs, well done hugs and one-arm
hugs. And perhaps that was all Millie needed to find her cheerful
self again! 'Thank you hugs for everyone', she says.
This is a lovely story about how even the happiest of people feel
down sometimes and about how those around can help with extra love
and attention. It is also a nice reminder to children of the
importance of verbalising feelings so that others can help and a
reinforcement that sad moods don't last forever. Themes: Hugs,
Sadness.
Nicole Nelson