For those looking for a book to add to their collection that addresses body autonomy, consent, and personal boundaries for young children, I recommend “Please Don’t Give Me A Hug” by Judy Moreillon. This book was released in April and is perfect for clinical use! The pictures are descriptive and the words are simple and straightforward. The narrator gives suggestions of things adults CAN do, such as fist bumps and high fives while repeating “Please don’t give me a hug!” The last page depicts the child hugging his mother from behind and reads “Please wait for me to hug you!”

I adore this book! I love that it doesn’t focus on difficult feelings or scary possibilities. The book is short and lends PERFECTLY to clinical use and skill rehearsal. A fun intervention extension would be to continue brainstorming other ways people can show affection or engagement other than those mentioned in the book. Acting out the story would be a fantastic way for your client to practice setting boundaries around their body. Additionally, this would be a great book to share with grandparents or other loving family members to help them identify a role or script that reinforces the body autonomy lessons.

As always, I’m grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. The words and opinions are all my own.

This was a nice idea, I thought it would either revolve around consent or show an understanding of autistic children not always preferring physical contact. It touched on consent at the end but wasn't as long as I expected.

Please Don't Give Me a Hug! is a childrens book geared towards kids who do not enjoy receiving bear hugs. The book presents an age appropriate way for children to say they do not want to be hugged, and offers many suggestions for alternative greetings.

As the mother of a young daughter, I really appreciate the premise of this book. Please Don't Give Me a Hug! shows that it is okay if children do not want to be hugged, whether it be from a familiar family member or a stranger. The content is presented in a lighthearted way so the child does not have to feel discomfort for not wanting to be hugged. The only thing I would add is that it could even go a step further, with saying how a child's body is their own and they also have the right to not want any of the contact greetings mentioned in the book, especially if it is coming from strangers. A great book, an important message, and well written and presented, I will look forward to getting this book for my daughter.

Thanks to Netgalley and Star Bright Books for this ARC; this is my honest and voluntary review.

This book is very simple in a perfect way., showing various children consenting to and enjoying some physical touch and affection, but asking not to be given a "bear hug". This is an excellent read-a-loud tool for helping children request and maintain boundaries for physical touch. This may come up particularly for autistic children or children with touch-sensitivity and could be a helpful tool with any child to discuss consent, body autonomy, and how we can show love and affection in ways that feel good for everyone involved.

My Review: I was definitely curious about this book when I saw it and wanted to check it out, I was one of those parents who never forced her son to give some one a hug if he didn't want to give one. This took not only the idea of not forcing and allowing young kids the option to consent to a hug or not but also highlighted that some kids aren't comfortable with contact for other reasons. It gave some other great ways that adults and friends can show love to a child who prefers not to hug and ways the child will show love back. I loved how it shows that a high five, a fist bump or even a smile and a wave can convey love just as much, if not more, than a hug for someone who doesn't enjoy them or doesn't want one at that time.

My Rating: I really loved the concept behind this book, we really need to make it common place for the child to choose how they want to interact with others. I also loved that it gives other options for those who may be unsure in a situation where a kid doesn't want a hug or can't handle the sensation of a hug. I give it a rating of Four Paws and recommend it for all ages!

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Star Bright Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

"Please Don't Give Me a Hug!" is a simple yet effective picture book about alternative ways to greet and show affection to a child who does not like bear hugs. I love that adults are gradually becoming more accepting of a child's rights to bodily autonomy, since previous generations of children often didn't have those rights acknowledged, let alone respected. Plenty of different greetings were suggested, the narration was to the point, and the illustrations were pleasant to look at.
Funnily enough, my biggest criticism of this book is the inconsitency of the title with its catchphrase. It should have been called "Please Don't Give Me a Bear Hug!" since this is used all the way through the book. Kids are remarkably sharp at noticing inconsistencies (look at Christopher Tolkien and the hilarious "Damn the boy!" incident), so I wouldn't be surprised if, somewhere out there, a child reading this book is currently interrogating their parent as to why the lines don't match. Otherwise, I think that this story was handled really well, and would be an especially useful resource for children who finds themselves wanting more personal space.


Summary
Recommended age range: 3-5
Pros: useful for both parents and children alike; nice illustrations
Cons: mismatching title and catchphrase

I loved the idea of this book. Many children and adults (myself included) do not like hugs, particularly from strangers or acquaintances or random uncles who think they deserve them. I do feel like this book missed the opportunity to teach children how to say no, thank you or to ask for a hug when they want them. Because the audience of this book is children, the adults who should not hug the children will likely never read and or hear the message to please not hug them.

This text doesn’t have a particularly strong narrative, but what it lacks in narrative it makes up for in message. The story gives kids permission to request not to be hugged, instead expressing affection through smiles, winks, waves, fist bumps. It is a great book to open important conversations on body autonomy and consent for even the youngest kiddos.

A sweet, simple book, great for teaching kids about bodily autonomy in a subtle way, and encouraging hug-averse children to communicate affection differently.

This is basically an illustrated list of ways to say hello and express affection, often without touching. Though there is no story here, seeing another child decline unwanted touching may empower children who want to know how to say no to being hugged or touched when they would prefer not to be.

More books like this are needed. Books that say it’s okay to not like something. This book says don’t hug me, wait for me to hug you, and for some kids this is really needed.

A short and sweet read, but the message was clear: you can always show affection and be friendly, but it's important to respect that different people have different personal boundaries. This is the best book I have seen on this particular subject because it illustrates this concept in a concise way, yet provides an abundance of examples to help both huggers and non-huggers feel connected.

I didn't really enjoy this book. I do believe that it has a great point to get across, but I do not like the way it was executed.
Would I recommend this to a friend?
Probably not.

Children’s book about letting children decide to hug and not forcing them. I like this book because it shows children that they have a choice and can consent to who touches their body and how.

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher, who sent me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very sweet childrens book introducing the idea of bodily consent to very young readers.

Moreillon shows different ways for adults to greet kids, from waves to sign language, with the various characters thinking “please don’t give me a bear hug!” You can see how uncomfortable they are.

Corke’s illustrations are full of colour and detail, and a great contrast to the simple text.

This is a short book – it’ll be a board book when released, I imagine. Much like Rissy No Kissies, this is a great gentle conversation starter for parents.

Judi Moreillon wrote a great book about body autonomy. As adults we often forget that a child has the right to speak up if they don’t want to be touched or hugged. Children not always know they are entitled to make decisions about their bodies. This book is simple enough for children to understand and clear enough for some adults to get the hint! I highly recommend this to educators, children and adults in general!

I love Estelle Corke’s illustration as well. It is very consistent with the story’s message and inclusive.

Thank you, Judi Moreillon, Star Bright Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Please Don’t Give Me a Hug! In exchange for an honest review!

#PleaseDontGiveMeaHug #NetGalley

One of the approaches we take in my creative writing class about writing for children is to look at the books we needed to read when we were little. This is absolutely one of them. For many of us raised that it was not "polite" to tell an adult that we didn't want to be hugged or kissed, there was a real need for a book to tell us that our feelings weren't "impolite," but valid expressions of body autonomy. <i>Please Don't Give Me a Hug</i>is fairly understated, but it absolutely makes its point, and the lack of over-writing means that parents and children (or teachers and students) can discuss what it means for specific kids. It's a good jumping-off point for children to say what they do and don't feel comfortable with.

The illustrations are bright and clear, with no obviously gendered children. Another nice touch is the way that we see children's families respecting what they are and are not comfortable with; it's only non-family adults who seem to be overstepping boundaries. Again, this is a good conversation starter, as parents can ask direct questions or children can say, "I don't like it when Ms.____ hugs me."

While the fact that it does rely on adults and children reading together won't work for all readers or situations, this is an important step in banishing antiquated notions of politeness that don't allow for children to express emotional discomfort.

Short simple and to the point. A great way to help children express their comfort levels Would be a great addiction to an eve classroom and had an anti bias theme

This book is short, simple, and sweet. Kiddos who aren't huggers will appreciate seeing others like them. This book could be used by parents, teachers, and librarians to introduce the concept of affection and that some people don't like hugs and the different types of affection one can try instead.

Nitpicky comment: the title is "Please Don't Give Me a Hug" but the character says "please don't give me a bear hug." I was not a fan of the inconsistency between the title and this repeated phrase.

This board book has beautiful illustrations, and normalizes the experience of children not wanting hugs. This can be very helpful for parents who have touch-sensitive children, or who want to make their kids aware of other people's boundaries. Also, because the book never explains why this child doesn't want a hug, it applies to anyone's situation, and validates that someone can set boundaries without having to tell everyone why.

Throughout this short book, the author does a great job of showing different ways that people can show affection and greet each other without embracing, and even though I wish that the text flowed a little bit better, I would definitely recommend this.