The Hugs & Kisses Contest

by Paul F. Kortepeter, Susan Wheeler (Illustrator)

When Oliver and Emily Boxwood can't agree on which child their mother, Victoria Rose, loves the most, they decide to hold a contest: whoever receives the most hugs and kisses before the sun goes down is their mother's favourite child. While Emily's kind deeds are rewarded with many hugs and kisses, Oliver's attempts to win his mother's affections keep ending in disaster. In the end, however, Oliver and Emily learn that when it comes to their mother's love, there's no contest.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books

28 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2001

About the author

Paul F. Kortepeter grew up in the tea-drinking countries of Turkey and England. In the early 2000's, he collaborated with illustrator Susan Wheeler to create the Holly Pond Hill line of books and greeting cards to which he served as writer. He is now a teacher residing in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife Jenny and children.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A staple in any child's literary collection.

[Shadymist · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was one of the biggest books from my childhood. I still have it. It means so much to me. My mom hates reading but this was the only book she would read to me willingly. It was always my bedtime story, and even nowadays I can still memorise it but it's a joy to bring back some childhood and light 📚 The illustrations are beautiful and so much better compared to the computer animations now. Makes me appreciate the older aged books so much more.


Two siblings are in contest over their mother's love and favouritism. Emily is the rabbit who is portrayed as a well-behaved rabbit already. She seems to help her mother generally.

Oliver is a mischievous rabbit who is misunderstood. He tries to help but often unbeknownst to him make things worse. He tries to be a good bunny. Until his injury.

Who will the mother pick? Read it and find out! It's beautiful and underrated.

[LOVEROFBOOKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book that I ended up buying after checking it out from the library. It's
pages are embellished beautifully, and the story was a good lesson without it being
preachy.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novelist: Pre-Kindergarten - Kindergarten
Amazon: 4 and up
Too long for story time, but beautifully done. Pages have raised details that add a nice touch.

[Elif Erkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

harika muhteşem

[Jeanette DeHaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book!

[Chris Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turned out much better than I expected from the first two pages. The story is cute, the ending great, and I liked the raised/embossed lines in the illustrations. Worth checking out.