What first intrigued me was the beautiful cover. And then I spend most of my time while reading the book just looking at the amazing pictures. There are so many details to look at and animals to discover. The facial and body expressions of the two main characters, Sloppy the tree dragon and Dewtrop, the sprite, are spot on and very good to read.

The story itself is sweet, the language appropriate and the ending was funny. However, I was a little unhappy with the general premise of the sprite only saying “you know why I don’t hug you” but never explaining to Sloppy. Of course, the ending wouldn’t have been that funny but in general, I don’t think “you know why” without an actual explanation is a way to argue. If you don’t like something then say what you don’t like without the other person having to guess. That being said, I liked the little hints that you should not rip out flowers and not give (woodland) animals as pets.

Overall, I would recommend this book – the drawings are just so beautiful and the story is fun.

This story is a little bit silly. Dewdrop is not going to give Sloppy a hug. Sloppy knows why but the reader does not. Sloppy tries everything he can think of to get a hug but still Dewdrop says no.

Dewdrop is a friendly sprite who sometimes gives hugs to the woodland creatures. Sloppy is a tree dragon who is both childlike and hopeful throughout.

The illustration is cute and youthful which lends itself to the story being told.

The conclusion is a bit expected but still amusing.

Come Here Sloppy. I'll Hug You

Every character in this book is huggable. Heck, I'm ready to hug the flowers. As I read this I thought about having my littlest kid sitting in my lap, and exactly when I'd give him my big, juicy zerrberrt raspberry hug-kiss at the book's socko finish. Some books are giggly, some are silly-laughers, and some are funny-huggers. This one is definitely a hugger/kisser.

There are lots of picture books out there, but I've gotten a bit choosey - I want appealing characters, an inviting line/penciling/coloring style, and a well told story that makes sense and has a consistent tone. (It's sort of surprising how, in even very short picture books, authors can go off on odd digressions that upset the tone of a book.) This book scores high marks across the board. Dewdrop is a nice combination of firm and kind, and Sloppy is childishly endearing. The short punchy sentences are just a little bit tart.

As a consequence the book is both comfy and crisp, with a nice finish. That's fine by me. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)