Lesley Simpson

Yuvi's Candy Tree is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a young girl and her family's escape from Ethiopia to Israel. Its a book about hope and dreams of a better life. On the journey, the family encounters hard conditions and even robbers. Her grandmother's faith keeps Yuvi looking forward. When she arrives at the refugee camp, Yuvi encounters kind people that she doesn't have to fear. Although they look different than anyone she has ever seen, they feed her and give her medicine and Yuvi decides they must be angels. At the end, in Jerusalem, Yuvi finds an orange tree that embodies everything she hoped she would find there. The oranges are sweet as candy and plentiful. When you pick one another grows in its place and everyone can eat as many as they want. Yuvi had dreamt of candy along the way to Israel and she finally finds her "candy tree."… (meer)

The Hug is one of those retro books that hold great appeal for parents of my generation. Simply looking at the cover is enough to bring to mind warm fuzzy, whimsical feelings of early elementary school (the original released in 1985). The Hug has now been re-released as a board book with revised text and illustrations for 2010.

The Hug is a being that has gone through the trials of identity crisis. He hasn’t always wanted to be a hug. He’s tried being a soother (but didn’t like the slobber), a tire swing (but got dizzy), and a toilet seat (but was afraid of the flush). However, when he finds a friend (a dog in this version) who is feeling glum, he administers a hug and realizes the fulfillment in his calling of spreading warm, fuzzy love! He then proceeds to hug everything in order to get back in practice, since his first attempt was a bit wobbly from lack of use.

Parents like me will be hard-pressed to resist checking out this new, revised version. The illustrations are softer and more colorful, but they are still very friendly and whimsical. This is a cute book for young children about the value of sharing hugs presented in a playful way. Oh, the memories.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com… (meer)