The really cute cover caught my eye. I thought the characters were creative and the illustrations were great on the inside too. However, it was quite puzzling why Dewdrop continuously refuses to give Sloppy a hug making her look mean. I thought the story was cute and has quite a way of making sure you read through till the end.

Sloppy Wants a Hug is a picturebook by Sean Julian.  Find out why you should never hug a tree dragon—especially a sloppy one. Sloppy the tree dragon wants a hug, but Dewdrop the sprite isn’t going to give him one, for a very good reason.

Sloppy Wants a Hug is a book seems sweet and with a message about kindness. However, the more I thought about it the more it bothered me. Dewdrop says she will not give Sloppy a hug, and that he knows why. However when Sloppy asks and does not understand, Dewdrop refuses to explain. Then- Sloppy goes for some emotional manipulation to try to get the hug she wants from her 'friend', but Dewdrop is not giving in and instead goes around giving hugs to others- and telling them that they are worthy. It is only when Dewdrop sees Sloppy do a good deed that she deems him worthy of her affection. Then we discover that Sloppy licks when he hugs. Couldn't Dewdrop have just given him a hug and asked him to refrain from the licking? 

I know I am over thinking a picturebook. But, honestly, the emotional black mail and whatnot here is not something I want to encourage. Could we have gone with the message that it is okay not to want to hug, BUT  friends accept each other's faults and find other ways to show they care. The only thing that garnered the book two stars rather than one is the charming artwork.

I really wanted to love this because the artwork is so cute. Unfortunately, I think it misses the mark  - Dewdrop won't give Sloppy a hug (and she has her reasons), but she appears to be more of a bully than someone expressing boundaries. I don't like the message being given here.

We liked this story and thought it had a cute message and nice pictures.  It kept my 2 year old attention which is crucial :)

Sloppy is a tree dragon who wants nothing more than he wants a hug from Dewdrops the sprite. The two go back and forth, with Sloppy trying time convince Dewdrops to hug him, and Dewdrops going to great lengths to show him that she will not be giving him a hug today. Ultimately, Dewdrops breaks down and the two hug.....and readers learn why Sloppy has his name!
Children will enjoy the story and it's lovely illustrations. This would be a great book for storytime and the ending is sure to bring laughter from your audience.

At first we couldn't understand why Dewdrop was so mean to Sloppy, not giving him a hug when she hugged everybody else, but in the end we understood her reservations and liked her for hugging Sloppy all the same same. A really nice read for young children! We also liked the illustrations a lot!

Review

At surface level, “Sloppy Wants a Hug” is a beautifully and whimsically illustrated story with a fun cast of characters. It’s cute. Read deeper, and it becomes clear that there are some real problems with the characterization of Dewdrop that, without a parent’s guidance, might lead children, especially those who are having trouble grasping the social complexities of friendship, to mirror inappropriate behaviors.

Sloppy wants a hug, but Dewdrop lets him know that she absolutely will not give him one, leaving him with an admonishing, “You know why” as her reason. Unfortunately, Sloppy doesn’t actually seem to know why Dewdrop won’t hug him. He becomes increasingly more upset with each page turn as he tries his hardest to get in her good graces, only to be rewarded with criticism while she gives every other forest creature a hug in front of him. Finally, he performs an act of kindness she deems worthy and the true reason for her reluctance comes out, Sloppy lives up to his name and gives rather sloppy hugs.

This story made me uneasy in ways that are difficult to articulate, but to put it in the simplest terms, Dewdrop is a bully. I have seen plenty of real-life examples of Dewdrop both growing up and as a mother. She may have a good reason to withhold her affection (I mean, I wouldn’t want to hug him either), and she has a right to do so, but she crosses the line into bullying when she flaunts her willingness to hug the other creatures and not him without giving him a solid reason for her denial. The intended message of the story might be that exceptional kindness should be rewarded, but it overshadowed by Dewdrop’s intentional or unintentional bullying behaviors.

3 Stars

Social and Emotional Concepts

* Bullying
* Friendship
* Showing Affection
* Body Autonomy
* Sadness
* Frustration
* Disgust

Despite its problems, “Sloppy Wants a Hug” has definite value in the social and emotional department. Some children display behaviors that disgust, frighten, annoy, or otherwise trouble other young children. The youngest don’t yet have the emotional awareness of what it is about the other child that bothers them. Older children might be able to explain to an adult why they don’t want to play with (or show affection to) another child, but they are also aware that words can hurt and may not know how to politely address the issue. These situation can easily lead to the type of indirect bullying Dewdrop displays. While there is no clear social story in the text, it can be a jumping point for a conversation on what to do when these situations arise. If you can drum up empathy for both Sloppy and Dewdrop, you can use that empathy to explain and mirror the appropriate ways for both characters to handle the situation.

Some questions you can ask to get started (modify to meet the developmental level of the child):

* What is Dewdrop’s true reason for refusing to hug Sloppy?
* Do you think Sloppy actually knew why she didn’t want to hug him?
* If he wasn’t sure, how could he have found out?
* How do you think it made Sloppy feel to watch Dewdrop hug all the other animals?
* Has anyone ever told you no and then given what you wanted to someone else? How did it make you feel?
* What could Dewdrop have done differently?

Aside from the obvious conversation about identifying feelings of sadness, frustration, and the reasons and effects of bullying, “Sloppy Wants a Hug” can also be used as a stepping stone for conversations about body autonomy, as it is Dewdrop’s right to refuse to hug someone for any reason. In the same vein, it can be used to reiterate the correct ways to show affection for friends and explain why certain things, like sloppy hugs, might not be welcome.

Parent Considerations

This story is appropriate for both pre-primary and young primary readers, but can certainly be enjoyed by picture book lovers who are at a more advanced reading level.

This story is fabulous! I would give it six stars if I could. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is quirky with a message about how confusing friends' actions can be to a child (the dragon) sometimes. There is a humorous and sweet twist at the end that even as an adult I didn't see coming. I am still smiling and chuckling to myself.

'Sloppy Wants a Hug' by Sean Julian is the cutest picture book I've read in a while.  It made me smile and laugh out loud.

Sloppy, the tree dragon, wants a hug, but Dewdrop, the sprite, isn't about to give him one for good reason.  Sloppy tries to get Dewdrop to hug him by acting sad, or bringing her gifts like sticks, rocks, and small woodland creatures.  Dewdrop won't relent, but she will hug the woodland creatures.  Will Sloppy find a way to get a hug and will Dewdrop forget the reason why she doesn't want to hug Sloppy?

This story is just adorable.  The punchline is hilarious and the illustrations are just so cute.  I think little readers will love this story of friendship and laugh like I did.

I received a review copy of this ebook from North South Books Inc. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

There are some great things about this book, but there is also one thing I do not like which is why I did not hive it 5 stars. Sloppy is a tree dragon who really wants a hug from his friend Dewdrop the sprite. Dewdrop however does not want to give him a hug and tells Sloppy that he knows why.  Sloppy tries various things to get a hug but nothing works.He gets very sad and upset when Dewdrop starts giving everyone else a hug except him. When Sloppy sees that a baby bird has fallen out of his nest, he helps the little bird and Dewdrop sees him do this. She tells Sloppy that she realizes he deserves a hug too and gives him a big one. In return, Sloppy gives her a big sloppy, yucky lick which was why she did not want to give him a hug in the first place.  

What I loved about this book were the illustrations. They were amazing, full of detail and the expressions on the characters were wonderful. It is also nice to see that even though Sloppy was upset, he helped the bird who was in trouble. What I did not like was the fact that Dewdrop taunted Sloppy by giving all the other animals hugs but now him. When she saw him doing something good, she decided that he deserved a hug. He deserved a hug the same as all the other animals regardless. 
I think the message is that kindness is rewarded but you would need to make sure that is stressed as well as teaching that Sloppy deserved a hug because they were friends and friends accept each other's faults even if it is sloppy, yucky kisses.

As told in the title, Sloppy the Tree Dragon wants a hug, but Dewdrop the Sprite isn’t about to give him one.
It takes a while to find out why not, which hurts the story a little because Dewdrop comes off as mean; she reminded me of Lucy from Peanuts. In the end we finally find out her “very good reason,” but hey, you’re supposed to put up with your friends’ idiosyncrasies.

A silly story about a tree dragon who is denied a wished-for hug by Dewdrop the sprite. No amount of sulking or presents will change her mind. However, in the end, Sloppy gets his hug after Dewdrop witnesses an act of kindness on his part. And Dewdrop gets a wet, sloppy lick (reminding her never to hug a tree dragon). Cute with whimsical illustrations.

Little readers will learn why they should never hug a tree dragon, especially a sloppy one.

Sloppy Wants a Hug by Sean Julian

This is a very sweet book with a lovable tree dragon named Sloppy, who wants a hug from the little fairy Dewdrop. Dewdrop refuses to give Sloppy a hug - she knows why and Sloppy knows why but the reader does not - and is left curious throughout the book. Sloppy tries many different approaches, all shot down by Dewdrop. Why doesn't Dewdrop want to hug Sloppy? Will Sloppy ever get a hug from Dewdrop? You will want to read the book to find out.
I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book - very cute woodland forest setting with Sloppy the tree dragon having scales that looks like leaves.  
Overall, my 7 year old son and I both thought that this was a cute book with a silly ending and will definitely want this in our library. 

*will post review on Amazon once published

Very sweet book about the value of hugs, and when hugs are wanted, or not. Outstanding illustrations accompany this delightful book for children of all ages. Reading it and looking at the pictures, I felt hugged right in that moment.

This is a great book for young children that don't sit still for very long, the pictures are detailed enough to hold their attention and there aren't too many words per page to ensure it's a quick read. Would definitely recommend!

I loved it and my kids loved it. I hope they make more Sloopy books, he's adorable!

Sloppy wants a hug, but Dewdrop won't budge. Humorous and sweet, with whimsically beautiful illustrations, Sloppy's helpfulness finally earns him a hug.

I think Sloppy and my dog are kindred spirits.  Dewdrop does not want to give Sloppy a hug.  She will give anyone else but Sloppy a hug.  After showing how helpful he can be Sloppy gets his hug, and Dewdrop remembers why she didn’t want to hug him in the first place.  I want more of these books.  Lots more of these books.  I love this dragon.  His expression, his heart, his illustration.  He would be cute as a stuffie to carry around.  And Dew Drop is no slouch either.  Add This book to your collection, and please make more.!

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