Mr Huff

by Anna Walker

Award-winning and much-loved author and illustrator Anna Walker gives us a gentle, poignant, affirming and wise picture book sure to delight all ages. Mr. Huff is a story about the clouds and the sunshine in each of our lives. Bill is having a bad day. Mr Huff is following him around and making everything seem difficult. Bill tries to get rid of him, but Mr Huff just gets bigger and bigger! Then they both stop, and a surprising thing happens...

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2015

About the author

Anna Walker writes and illustrates children’s books, including six with author Jane Godwin as well as her own Florette. The illustrator’s imagery is inspired by tiny details in the world around her. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Reviews

[Shallowreader VaVeros · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kid wakes up w a cloud over him. It follows him all day. It was a sad and melancholy book. Gorgeous though.

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buna pt a le explica copiilor ce inseamna xomportamentul nostru de zi cu zi.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an anxious child, I wish this book had been around. So beautiful and heartfelt. A well deserved winner.

[Lygeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Τα παιδιά αντιλαμβάνονται πολλά από αυτά που εμείς νομίζουμε ότι δεν καταλαβαίνουν- τα μεταφράζουν όμως στο μυαλουδάκι τους με το δικό τους τρόπο, δίνοντας καμιά φορά δυσανάλογο μέγεθος και σημασία στα γεγονότα. Το αγόρασα παρατηρώντας σημάδια άγχους στα παιδιά γύρω μου, -πράγμα λογικό στις περίεργες μέρες που διανύουμε... Αν εμάς μας φαίνεται δύσκολο το σκηνικό που ζούμε, πως το βιώνουν άραγε οι μικρότεροι της παρέας;- Ήταν έκπληξη για μένα το πόσες ερωτήσεις και συζήτηση ενέπνευσε αυτό το βιβλίο στα πιτσιρίκια!

Να σημειώσω εδώ ότι το βιβλίο πραγματεύεται με απλά λόγια τη διαχείριση του άγχους και τη σημασία της θετικής αντιμετώπισης των πραγμάτων, άρα καλύπτει μια ευρύτατη γκάμα θεμάτων. Πολύεργαλείο στα χέρια γονιών κι εκπαιδευτικών!

"Αν τα βλέπεις όλα μαύρα μια μέρα λαμπερή
Τότε αυτή η ιστορία έχει κάτι να σου πει"..

H Anna Walker υπογράφει ένα παιδικό βιβλίο που μας αφορά όλους. Πόσες φορές έχετε νιώσει πως όλα γύρω σας είναι γρίζα, ακόμα κι αν ο ήλιος λάμπει στον ουρανό; Πόσο μάλλον αν είσαι ένα μικρό παιδί και δεν ξέρεις καθόλου πώς να το διαπραγματευτείς.
Αυτό ακριβώς συμβαίνει στη ζωή του μικρού Μπίλυ που αισθάνεται πως κάτι τον ακολουθεί παντού και τα κάνει όλα να φαίνονται τόσο δύσκολα. Ο κύριος Ουφ είναι εκεί. Σιωπηλός και πανταχού παρόν. Ακόμα και στις πιο ιδιαίτερες στιγμές…
Πώς όμως ο Μπίλυ θα καταφέρει να συμφιλιωθεί με τον ακόλουθό του και τελικά πώς θα ξεοεράσει το βάρος που αισθάνεται μέσα του; Η ιστορία δίνει τη λύση, όπως άλλωστε και η ίδια η ζωή.

[Brona's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melbourne based author/illustrator Anna Walker has been shortlisted for this years CBCA Early Childhood category with Mr Huff.

Mr Huff shows us what can happen when you let negative thoughts take over. We see how a bad day can get worse or better depending on how you think about it.

As negative thoughts take hold of our young, anxious protagonist, Bill, we see the Mr Huff shadow grow bigger, darker and more dominant.

Walker takes us through the various things Bill tries to do to get rid of Mr Huff - he waits, he ignores, he tries to be brave, but none of these things really work and Mr Huff keeps getting bigger.

Full review here -
http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...

[Dee-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am cheating a bit hear ... I did not actually read it, but it was read to us on television by Play School actors as part of Mental Health Week. What a fantastic graphical presentation of depression and other mental health conditions and even though it is a picture book, it is meant for children and adults.

[Brodie McGovern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Walker has done it again; rendered something so beautifully layered and emotive that after reading I was left volatile and wanting a Mr Huff toy. The details within her illustrations are so immediate, humourous and sweetly sad.

[Xanthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, gentle children's picture book about sadness and feeling down, in general.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy is grumpy. Boy just needs to lighten up. Meh.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the book begins with Bill looking out the window and seeing that it's 'Cloudy, with a chance of rain.' Soon Mr Huff appears and grows to an enormous size. However at the end of the book, when Bill looks out the window, it's '... cloudy, with a chance of sunshine' and here we see a small, smiling version of Mr Huff on the end of Bill's bed. It's a beautiful book that can be appreciated from a more simple perspective of waking up grumpy and having a bad day (which we can all relate to!) or from a deeper perspective, where darkness and light are intrinsically linked in our world. Either way, the book simply but eloquently illustrates that through a change in perception and through acceptance rather than denial, change can happen and life can be managed. A 'must-have' on every child's book shelf for those 'grey' days.

[Sonya Bright]

This excellent book to help children understand unhappiness and depression tackles the issues in an easy-to-understand way and delivers the message without being too heavy-handed.

I loved that as the book went on Mr Huff became a character in his own right, with his own emotions reflecting the boy's. The simple illustrations are almost childlike, but not quite, so almost like the boy drawing what he feels.

I also loved the repetition at the end. The last day starts the same as the first one - but this time the boy's outlook is different.

From Australian author-illustrator Anna Walker, this is an "issue book" that also manages to entertain.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Anna Walker's books are usually poignant and beautifully illustrated and this one is no exception. It starts with Bill, a young boy having a bad day, and shows how that can grow and grow until a huge cloud is hanging over your head. This is eventually anthropomorphised as Mr Huff. Bill tries various strategies for getting rid of Mr Huff, but none work. I didn't really understand how "befriending/accepting" Mr Huff helps when thinking about negative thoughts, depression, but regardless this is a book that can start good conversations and that I think anxious children will find helpful.

[Amy Hurrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Huff is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book that perfectly embodies of our feelings of anxiousness. Whether those feelings and their ilk are mild or overwhelming, Mr Huff shows us how to face our negative thoughts and associations and start to feel a little less overwhelmed, a little happier and more positive.

[Leanne Tempest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This absolutely beautiful book has a wonderful story about how it’s okay to feel sad and grumpy sometimes because those feelings pass. It’s told in a way that children love and although they may not fully understand the whole message of the story it makes a fantastic starting point for talking about emotions and how to deal with them.

[Anna Cokrlic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Huff by Anna Walker is a beautifully written story that helps children manage their emotions, as well as understand them. I like this book because it shows how your words and actions impact others; encouraging empathy. I think this is a good story for young children to read because it can cause them to reflect on their own behavior as well as ways they can spread positivity moving forward.

[Maybel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving story about feeling down and embracing that it is okay to feel this way. For adults, I feel it captures the relationship between a person and their mental health. On a separate note, Mr Huff is rather endearing.

[Lise Mayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved the illustrations, I felt the story was not captivating, for children or adults. It's a book with a "message." I don't believe books like that appeal to anyone. Maurice Sendak blows this one out of the water with Where the Wild Things Are.

[Lara Bate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Huff by Anna Walker is an excellent story about teaching children about feelings. The boy was feeling down and had "Mr. Huff" follow him around. He tried getting rid of Mr. Huff and even tried standing up to him. The went to bed and woke up and Mr. Huff wasn't there anymore.

[Marcela Zuluaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book to talk about feelings and how to understand sadness. With this book, we could create a discussion with children about how they feel and the importance to self regulate and face those feelings of anger and sadness.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful story about feeling gloomy shows that your outlook has such an effect on us. Cloudy with a chance of rain, or cloudy with a chance of sunshine? The decision is yours. Brilliant, subtle and beautiful.

[Penny Waring · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book to help youngsters to understand anxious feelings.

[Nikky Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wake up look out the window and see that its cloudy with a chance of sunshine. Love that.

[Shaima · Rating 5 out of 5]

الاعتراف بالحزن او القلق هو أفضل وسيلة لمواجهته. هذا ما سيتعلمه الصغار من هذه القصة البديعة.

[Stanlee Uy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for PSHE, talking about everyone having bad days sometimes and that it’s important to see the sunshine behind the clouds. Also, sweet illustrations!

[Mary Stergioti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Οκ θα μπορούσε να ήταν και καλύτερο

[Marianna Sharktooth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ένα βιβλιο που σίγουρα θα δώσει κίνητρο για συζήτηση με το κάθε παιδί. Πολλές φορές ένα "Ουφ" είναι αυτό που χρειάζεται για να ξαλαφρώσουμε...

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have a Mr, (or Mrs, Miss and Ms) Huff hanging around us.
How do you deal with them? What can you do to help them not grow so big?
Something here for kids and adults.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Mr Huff. Mr Huff is actually pretty funny. He's everywhere, reading on Bill's bed. Averting his eyes when Bill goes to the toilet. A great story.

[Paige Lesley 💐⭐️]

lesson: connecting the world of stories to real life situations - focus on feelings and emotions

[Katey Allwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book with beautiful illustrations. I love how this story can be read on so many levels. I was particularly moved by ... "Bill didn't want to talk about the thing that was following him. For some reason it made him feel sad. When he did try, no words came out." ... A simply stunning picture book