Don't Hug the Pug!

Long-listed for the BookTrust Storytime Prize 2020. A great book to read aloud, children will love joining in with 'Don't hug the pug!' and be highly amused by the rather smelly outcome! -- Book Activist A sweet story with an unexpected twist at the end. -- Parent's In Touch A simple story told in comic-book form about a baby that does a lot of hugging.... with one caveat! Baby likes to cuddle. Grown-Up lets him cuddle the rug, the jug, the bug and the slug. But DON'T HUG THE PUG! Why not? What's wrong with the pug....? A hilarious and deceptively simple story that will have little ones shrieking with laughter. The combination of speech bubbles, rhymes, very short sentences and a stinky twist makes this a perfect book for both the pre-school audience and early readers.

'A very simple story with lots of rhyme and silliness that's sure to get little ones shrieking and squealing (and wanting to give that cute pug a hug). Matthew Hodson - aka the popular and quirky poet/illustrator Matthew the Horse - really brings this picture book alive. It's drawn in comic-book style with giant speech bubbles, easy-to-read lettering, lighthearted pastels and the big, googly eyes of the somewhat puzzled pug. The twist to the tale (or should we say "tail") is icky and yucky enough to appeal to all tiny tots for whom toilet humour is just about the bestest thing in the whole wide world. ' - BookTrust

Matthew Hodson is a Leeds-based illustrator operating under the moniker Matthew the Horse. His editorial work has featured in The Guardian, New York Times, The Economist and countless other publications. He is a winner of an AOI award, 2016, and the author of a book of poems, Forwards Always. Robin Jacobs is an advertising creative living and working in Lon- don. Having trained originally in illustration, she runs screenprinting workshops around the UK and has curated a childrens' print fair in Bristol. She is the author of You Are Here (Cicada 2015).