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Jez Alborough
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Hug Hardcover – January 1, 2001

by Jez Alborough (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,044 ratings
Editors' pick Best Books Baby-Age 2
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Alborough's simplicity results in another gem. —School Library JournalBobo needs a hug. But his friends don't seem to understand. "Hug," he implores, time and again. Time and again his puzzled pals—from the smallest chameleon to the tallest giraffe—shrug and cuddle with their jungle mothers. As the lonely chimp's plea escalates, his friends grow concerned. Can the elephants lead Bobo to his heart's desire? Jez Alborough, the acclaimed author-illustrator of WHERE'S MY TEDDY?, IT'S THE BEAR!, and MY FRIEND BEAR transforms a total of three words—and some of the most tenderly expressive animals ever created—into an endearing tribute to love and belonging.
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  1. Reading age
    1 - 3 years, from customers
  2. Part of series
    Bobo and Friends
  3. Print length
    32 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Dimensions
    5.14 x 5.92 x 0.63 inches
  6. Publisher
    Candlewick Pr
  7. Publication date
    January 1, 2001
  8. ISBN-10
    0763615765
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0763615765
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0074F6350
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick Pr; BRDBK edition (January 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0763615765
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763615765
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 - 3 years, from customers
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.14 x 5.92 x 0.63 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,044 ratings

About the author

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Jez Alborough

Jez Alborough

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jez is the author and illustrator of 48 books for children. In 2018 he published The Story of 'You' his first book for adults, the first in a series called Life Beyond Personality. He says: "We enter this world as pure Oneness, (what I call our ‘original state of Being’) but we lose this as we become identified with our Personality. In that identification, the Stillness and Love of our Original State is overshadowed by the suffering of the Personality.

"Our Personality creates its own dream from the deep-seated beliefs and emotions it harbours; a dream that can be full of emotional distress, over-thinking and the constant investment in a future which never quite delivers on the belief: ‘When I get this I’ll be happy.’ The Story of ‘You’ suggests it’s possible to wake up out of that dream. When that happens, a whole new adventure begins in a life beyond the Personality."

The Infinite Journey, the second Book in the series, is published in early 2019.

Children's Books

His Eddy and the Bear trilogy (which began with the much-loved Where's My Teddy in 1992) has sold nearly four and a half million copies and was made into an BAFTA award-winning animated television series.

Duck in the Truck (published in 1999) heralded the start of another bestselling series, this time featuring the irrepressible Duck and his three friends - Frog, Goat and Sheep. There are currently nine books in the Duck series and almost than 1.5 million copies have been sold.

In 2000 Jez created Hug - a powerful and touching book of only three words about a baby chimpanzee called Bobo who loses his Mom. Oprah Winfrey raved about it on her show when she chose it for her recommended reading list while Richard Curtis (the writer and director of Four Weddings and a Funeral) selected it as one of his ‘Best Books’, calling it ‘classic family drama which holds up well next to Jez’s other masterpieces.’ Bobo went on to star in thee more classics; Tall ( which along with Hug won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award) Yes and Play. The series has sold almost 3 million copies.

Jez lives in West London. You can read more about his books for children in the JezAlborough.com library and about The Story of 'You' at LifeBeyondPersonality.com.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jezalborough

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jezalborough

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
1,044 global ratings
Needs a "Daddy" version
4 Stars
Needs a "Daddy" version
This book was given as a gift. I liked the simple repetition and the abundance of hidden story that I can story tell with my daughter. The problem for me is that I am a divorced father who travels every two weeks to share time with my daughter and the book ends with "Mommy" being found. The first time I read it to my daughter - she looked around for Mommy - who was not there.Since, I have PhotoShopped and printed durable decals to correct this oversight. I look forward to reading it to my daughter this weekend - with the "new" ending.In this day and age (and many family structures) there should be two versions of this book. This book loses one star for that.
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Top reviews from the United States

KFellars
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect baby book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a favorite book for all of my kids because the main character says “hug” over and over as he looks for his mom. The pictures are delightful and the story of the lost baby monkey finding his mother with the help of helpful jungle friends is so sweet.
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SaraJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Love
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
We didn't think my 9 month old daughter would understand what was happening in this book because it didn't have words and the pictures showed emotions we thought she wouldn't quite grasp. Not true at all. After a few readings she had very strong reactions -- she would start crying or getting upset during the 2 pages when Bobo is upset because he has no one to hug. She completely understood why he was upset and deeply felt his emotion. We became more careful reading those pages and quickly turned to the next page when mom arrives. Once she got over this initial reaction after a week or two, she loved this book. She loved the build-up of emotion, and she loved when Bobo's mom came running to the rescue. But the reason I really love this book is that a few weeks ago, because of this book, my daughter started saying "hug!" and demonstrates it all the time by hugging two toy animals together, or two books, or two anything. When we pick her up and hold her close she says "hug!" When my husband hugs me, she says "hug!" It is such a joyful word to hear from her, and such a great concept for a now-1 year old to understand, both the emotion of hugging and the idea of two separate things coming together for a purpose and then separating again. It has also given us great insight into how much she understands about the objects around her -- e.g. we have seen her hug a toy polar bear to a book about a brown bear -- she understood that they were the same ("bear") and so hugged them. So wonderful.
14 people found this helpful
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Vjs
5.0 out of 5 stars Hug
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
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I bought this book for my new grandson and it is the same book my other grandchildren loved. I like that this book is bigger.
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S. Bola
5.0 out of 5 stars A great choice for young learners!
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2014
Verified Purchase
What a touching book. Featuring only three words, this book still manages to carry a lot of emotion! This was the perfect choice for reading to my children in their early developmental stage. I also teach volunteer English classes for pre-k kids here in Japan, and often read this book to them. They follow along very well, and seem genuinely interested in whats going on. For this purpose, I had to copy the pages into a larger format. I really wish this came out with an oversized edition, because it is an important book for young kids to see and understand, and a sure bet for the classroom.

Although the book only has three words, there is still a lot of teaching that can be done with this book. Showing how inflection can reflect our emotions. Teaching the names of different animals. Teaching colors. Simple reading skills. This book is a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn with a book that is wholesome, and not needlessly zany. A great choice.
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case
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for bonding
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
When my daughter was a toddler I read this book to her all the time. Hug was one of her first words because of this book. It is a board book with great pictures and very few words. Hug shows the love between mother and child, I highly recommend it! I just bought it for my niece because she is having a baby.
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Krista Glenn
4.0 out of 5 stars Sweetest story - with very few words.
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2021
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I wish this was available with the mini plush Bobo toy. Would love to see it back in stock so I can purchase for my soon-to-be-born nephew.
One person found this helpful
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J Anders
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books for teaching
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
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I was an early childhood educator for 25 years. Teaching children to notice unwritten as well as written words and emotions was something we incorporated into our curriculum. This book covers it all. With very few words you can capture so much more by looking and responding to the emotions shown throughout the book. Perfect for ages 1-5
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Much-Loved Classic
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2023
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One of my kids’ very favorite books when they were little guys. A great item to tuck in with a new baby gift
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Top reviews from other countries

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hertsengland
5.0 out of 5 stars its a wonderful book for the very young, even babies
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love this book, and always buy it for new parents, it has one word though out and one other word. Its so simple you could teach a 6 to 9 month old to read the main word H U G, the other word is Mummy
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SIndhu
5.0 out of 5 stars Picture speaks thousand words!
Reviewed in India on July 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a beautiful book which doesn't have any write ups.As picture speaks thousand words , this book definitely does speak to us!My 2 year loves this to read before bed.(Mandatorily)
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Shyarline
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story for kids
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2018
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My 2 year old loved this story, she could listen to it again and again. The simplicity of the drawing, the lack of actually narration that leaves the adult to make up the story, and the joyous finale of hugs is just adorable.
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maresa berliri
5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro da leggere
Reviewed in Italy on October 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
E' un libro in inglese, pieno di immagini di animali, sulle emozioni. Una sola parola "Hug". Questa parola accompagna la passeggiata di una piccola scimmia, dove incontra altri animali, la sua mamma e dove trova amicizia e abbracci. Puntualissimo Amazon.
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars Cuento muy bonito
Reviewed in Spain on May 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
No tiene texto pero es muy bonito. A mi niña de 2 años le encanta!
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