The Hug

October 7, 2013
For a boy named Ben, the idea that he’s “unique and special” is far from reassuring—if there’s no one else on Earth exactly like him, “Then I’m all alone!” What’s worse, so is everyone else on the planet. “Everyone is a little alone, but also together,” says Ben’s mother, trying to explain, but some explanations require a hug to truly be understood. Rovner’s chilly, gestural pencil drawings picture Ben and his mother as tiny silhouettes on small patches of land; occasional trees, animals, and people appear, but the focus is on the two of them, underpinning the idea that solitude and togetherness aren’t mutually exclusive. Ages 3–up.

September 15, 2014
In this gentle Israeli import, a little boy worries that because there is no one else exactly like him, he will be lonely. A mother tenderly tells her child: "You are so sweet, there's nobody else like you in the whole wide world!" But these loving words are not as reassuring as she intends. In fact, they are worrisome to tiny Ben. "But then I'm all alone!" he exclaims. With quintessential child logic, Ben believes if he is unique and there is no one else who matches him, then he will be lonely, even with his mother right by his side. "Everyone is a little alone, but also together," she explains. That doesn't help to clarify anything to Ben. Luckily, the power of a hug is all he needs to know. Vast white space surrounds Rovner's fuzzy, pencil drawings. Mother and child are often at the center, with few details around them. The contemplative and repetitive nature of Ben's questioning echoes in the simple lines. Small hints of color suggest sprouts of understanding. A valuable reminder that individuality, while often celebrated, can be confusing to comprehend and even scarier to preserve-for all ages. (Picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2014
While taking a walk, Ben's mother tells him, "There's nobody else like you in the whole wide world!" For him, this is a revelation, and he worries, "But then I'm all alone!" So begins a book-length dialogue about existence that strains for profundity. Tiny sketchlike drawings set against white space are lovely but reinforce the characters' anonymity.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)