Hug Goes Around, A

by Laura Krauss Melmed, Melmed

As soon as the rosy sun rises, a hug starts going around a big, loving family The hug starts when Ma lifts the baby, then moves on to Tom, who spills the pancake syrup, then jumps over to Lizzie, who is frightened by a thunderstorm, and on through the day until ... From dawn till dusk, through adventures and mishaps, this family's there for one another-with arms open wide! A joyful, cozy read-aloud story for the whole family to embrace, by best-selling author Laura Krauss Melmed and Caldecoft Honor artist Betsy Lewin, this book is sure to start its own share of hugs going around.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[itselv]

so loving! goes for both the art and the story.

[Maddie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Where does a hug go?" "A hug goes around." I LOVE this book. How sweet and precious this little family is. It portrays all the little imperfections and how they can be solved with a hug that goes around. One of my favorite pages is the last one because of the sweet simple illustration of Ma and Pa giving a hug that goes around.

I would love to have this book in my classroom library one day! It has so many little important themes to it and it has such a good meaning! I think this is very appropriate!

[Lexi Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book about a very loving family. It tells of their everyday life and how they interact with each other. The illustrations do a very good job of telling the story along with the actual words. Overall, this is a very good, wholesome book that a very young child would enjoy.

[Alyssa Ricard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has great rhythm and awesome illustrations that bring the book to life. This is a family oriented book with lots of affection and love from the parents to the children.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and cute in both its messaging and art.

[Kathleen Lance]

This story is about the happenings of an ordinary family from sun up to sun down. Readers learn about four children and their parents living in the mountains. Each page of the story ends with a hug goes around because readers see mistakes the children make as they are growing and learning, but the mom and dad still hug them because they love them.

I really liked this book because I thought that the message it sends to readers about family bonds is something special. The illustrations in the story were good, but not my favorite. The colors were great, but the drawings felt sloppy.

I think this book would benefit a teacher in a classroom. I'm not sure that a class project/activity could be found to go along with this book, but I do think it would be good to use for a quick story time book. The age group would probably appeal more to younger students, but the message would be great for anyone to hear.

[Cassie Houck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a family who goes through out the day and has many mishaps that are all followed by a hug. The hug seems to say, everything is alright.

I did like this book for its short words, yet bringing in new vocabulary. I really think younger students would enjoy it, probably a kindergarten read aloud level.

I would use this in my classroom if I were teaching a kindergarten class. It's not too deep for them, but it does give off a good feeling of family and how a hug can be a good comforting skill, and most of the students will know that hugs help, they just wouldn't know how to say that.

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute book with great rhyming, but nothing spectacular. My son enjoyed doing the final rhyme of "a hug goes around" instead of me reading it, but there wasn't much about it that would make me want to buy it.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at After School Story Time on 2/9/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[D Nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family life

[Robin Gassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable family book. It tells the story of a family's day and how they can cause a mess but still love each other. It is a good book for teaching prepositional phrases as well.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute- gotta love a hug!

[Emily Tidwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the morning begins in this loving family, so does a hug, that gets passed around to everyone. It starts with Ma and the baby, then to tom who spills the syrup, next the hug goes to Lizzie, who does not like thunderstorms. The hug continues to go around all day long until night approaches, teeth are brushed, prayers said, and all children tucked in bed. I absolutely enjoyed this cute story. It has a rhythmic This story shows a great example of a family who is there for one another through the ups and the downs. This story is a simple but encouraging lesson that all young children should be read to. Children love the funny actions that the siblings do, like dropping a plate, letting the chicks out, climbing the oak tree and so much more. They all can relate because children do silly things and make mistakes. But in the end, no matter if the sun is shining or the Booms of a thunderstorm occur, “a hug goes around.”

[Carly Warren]

Summary:
This tells of the events experienced by a family throughout a day and how the world works. Each situation, fun or frightening, ends with a hug, and "a hug goes around".

Analysis:
This is a heartwarming tale, and it speaks to the human need for relationship. I love the way it contrasts stress and fear with the comfort of a hug. I love the way it feels chaotic until the line ends, and a hug goes around.

How I Will Use This:
This is a good book for teaching children about encouragement. It does mention prayer, so I'm not sure that I could use it in every class. I love and appreciate the peaceful feel of it.