Daddy Hugs

by Karen Katz

Daddy loves to give Baby hugs to say "I love you!"

Now Baby and Daddy can cuddle and count along with this hug-and-read book perfect for Baby's teeny, tiny hands.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Counting, Fiction, Number, Kids

32 pages, Board book

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Karen Katz has written and illustrated many books for children, including The Colors of Us, Can You Say Peace, My First Ramadan, Counting Kisses and Where is Baby's Belly Button. Long inspired by folk art from around the world, she was inspired to write her first book, Over the Moon, when she and her husband adopted their daughter from Guatemala, and she wanted to tell the story of welcoming Lena into their lives. Katz loves to paint and experiment with texture, color, collage and pattern. Besides an author and illustrator, she has been a costume designer, quilt maker, fabric artist and graphic designer. Katz and her family divide their time between New York City and Saugerties, New York.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/karenkatz

Reviews

[Carolyn]

Bright, cheery illustrations depict a baby girl and her father. As the day unfolds, they share all sorts of affectionate, happy moments.

One “I’m so glad you’re my baby!” hug. Two teeny, tiny finger hugs. Three pat and burp the baby hugs.”

A great choice for infants and toddlers, Daddy Hugs 1 2 3 is all the more special because it shows a dad who takes responsibility for all aspects of his daughter’s care.

Highlighted in our Terrific Picture Books About Fathers and Fatherhood post

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025

2022

2021
A very sweet book for daddy to read to baby!

[Lagobond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daddy and his little daughter are counting to ten with various "types" of hugs, as they go through their day and finally get ready for bedtime. This is a friendly book with minimal text. Adorable patchwork-style illustrations with bright colors and cozy patterns. There's a happy little cat that pops up on some of the pages, so kids can play "find the kitty" as you read.

Looking at this I feel like I should love it, but I don't. I like it (especially the cheery illustrations), but it doesn't really grab me. It feels a little overly simple to me, and the counting theme seems pasted-on. I could definitely see some toddlers loving this book, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to be honest. I find that the best read-aloud books are the ones that are an absolute pleasure to read, for both adults and children -- see Bathtime for Chickies or Goodnight Moon. Because if your kid ends up loving a book, you have to read it a million times, you know? And the text here just isn't at that level.

This is a companion to Mommy Hugs.

[Yissel Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this is a good book because it shows a loving relationship between a father and his baby daughter. This book also teaches children how to count to ten and it teaches children how much their parents love them, in this case their father. This book has illustrations that are interesting and eye catching to children of all ages. This book is a great way for parent to interact with children when reading it. The book is easy to understand and its a fun way to teach little kids how to count.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of Kids books gonna be on this feed in the next few years since I'm Daddin' hard so be warned.

While I'm not a fan of the artwork here I do like the interactive nature and structure of the book, which is sort of a bedtime/countdown/multiple versions of hugging get-down. Surprisingly I didn't bawl like a weirdo after this one, so either I'm getting a little less sentimental or this one just didn't do as much for me. Still, I see plenty of re-readings of this one in baby's future.

[Eva_Amaré · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daddy hugs are the best, because they always turn into tickles and giggles. It's a counting book, but we weren't really into the numbers as the bright pics seemed to be more the focal point than the actual numbers. We're kind of over numbers right now anyway, so this was a good distraction.👨👶👶❤

[Mama Bearian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple board book story that incorporates counting 1-10 by going through the different types of “daddy hugs.” For example, “five ‘kiss it all better’ boo boo hugs.” It is a sweet book, but would be best for babies, as the text doesn’t stretch much past the early walking stage.

[Keshia Burchette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book for daddy to read to baby at bedtime.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!!!!! Love this one!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cat!"

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

ten differnt hugs from dad are cronicled in short burst of texts. Baby and up

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Katz baby series is so cute I can't help but want to read them over and over to my kids .... so they feel just as loved as the babies do in the author's books :D

[PQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great counting book with lots of opportunity for snuggles with daddy

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are better than the story (which is pretty sparse). But, this is good for baby time as we watch father and baby daughter interact throughout the day, giving hugs when appropriate.

[Stephanie Willing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet. My son liked getting all the hugs as we read this one.

[Allison Gregory-Graff · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweetest book for Ian to read to Leigh

[LizthePrude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A counting book with all the things you can do with Daddy (or Mommy). It's a sweet, cuddle time book.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a favorite. We read it many times a week when our daughter was a toddler and it is still popular with our youngest son.

[Rovona Clark]

We all really liked this one. :-)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet book for father-daughter bonding ☺️☺️

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Baby and Daddy can cuddle and count along with this hug-and-read book perfect for Baby's teeny, tiny hands.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet board book! It has counting up to ten, ten ways that papa hugs his baby. Lovely illustrations and ideas!

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, 12 month old picked this one out at the library. Cute.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found in L4L Volume 20

[Elias Hoffman]

Hugs & counting practice!

[TJE · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to speed read through-not very interested

[Elanur-Dilara Deneri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this for our first Father's Day

[Sophia Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daddy Hugs is a counting book written and illustrated by Karen Katz. This book, though, spans beyond just teaching how to count to ten. It portrays a father's involvement with his daughter. Karen Katz and her husband adopted a daughter from Guatemala, perhaps this is what influenced this book. Karen
Katz not only teaches counting but shows how not only mothers care your their children like the stereotypes will say, but fathers do as well ("One "I'm so glad you're my baby," -three "pat and burp the baby hugs," -five "kiss it all better boo-boo hugs," -ten "I love you, I love you!" good night hugs."). Daddy Hugs can be used, of course, to teach young children how to count to ten, but it can also show boys how they can be if they want to become a father one day. This book can also support students who may only have a father a home.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the clearest counting book in the world because it doesn't illustrate the numbers. For instance, there is no real way to illustrate four "first-step hugs." The numerals on every page aren't always prominent, either. For that reason I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a counting book. It is, however, a beautifully sweet story about a father's love for his baby. Even though we're well into the twenty-first century, books still seem to portray mothers as caregivers more often than fathers, so it's nice to see Daddy featured so prominently.

ETA 2020: F chose this from the library shortly before the Covid lockdown and she has been enjoying it, especially when Daddy reads it to her.