Cuddle Monkey

by Blake Liliane Hellman, Chad Otis (Illustrator)

Overview

A little monkey looks for the perfect cuddle while his parents are busy with his new baby brother in this insanely adorable picture book about learning to be an older sibling.

Lewis loves to cuddle. But ever since his baby brother Owen was born, cuddle time with his mom and dad has been in short supply. Lewis, however, remains undaunted! He wants his cuddles! So:

He cuddles his favorite book.
He cuddles his stuffed animals, Hedwig, Lamby, and Monster Dude.
He even cuddles a puddle, just because it rhymes!

But cuddling the bus driver turns out to be a little dangerous. Cuddling at dinner is too messy. And cuddling Owen is wiggly and squiggly. Then Lewis finds that a cuddle doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be just the cuddle you need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534431171
Publisher:	Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Blake Liliane Hellman has degrees in journalism and English from the University of Colorado and a master’s in film production from American University/FAMU, Czech Republic. She is the author of Something Smells! and Cuddle Monkey. She lives with her family and cat in Seattle, Washington.

Chad Otis has a BFA in design from the University of Washington School of Art. He’s been working with the likes of Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Online for over twenty-five years as an animator, illustrator, and creative director. Chad lives in Boise, Idaho, and is also the illustrator of Cuddle Monkey and author-illustrator of A Little Ferry Tale.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

Lewis, a young monkey, can’t get enough cuddles. In grainy mixed-media artwork, newcomer Otis draws Lewis as a toylike simian with a swooping tale, a curlicue on his head, and long arms just right for big hugs. Lewis stays flexible as his harassed parents care for the house and deal with a younger sibling: “So, Lewis snuggled all his stuffed animals,” but they don’t snuggle back. Lewis has to wait through school, a non-cuddle-friendly space (“cuddling the school bus driver was too dangerous”), and through dinner, too, until bedtime brings the monkey what he needs. The realistic portrayal of frustrated waiting (“This time, Lewis waited six whole minutes”) becomes all too vivid for the reader as Lewis is briefly denied the affection he craves. Hellman (Something Smells!) writes with energy and humor (“Owen was wiggly and squiggly and definitely not a good cuddler”), delivering the message that being in a family means sometimes having to wait for what you want—but not forever. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-09-15
Lewis, an anthropomorphic monkey, can't get a cuddle.

Little Lewis longs for a cuddle from his parents, but they're busy with baby brother Owen. He improvises by trying to cuddle books, toys, and then others at school. "He even tried to cuddle a puddle (just because it rhymed)." Back at home, his mother urges him to teach Owen to cuddle, but the results are "wiggly and squiggly" rather than cozy. Otis' art shows great energy and a strong design sensibility, but the characters themselves, all anthropomorphic monkeys, may give readers pause in the wake of librarian Edi Campbell's public scholarship on the racist history of illustrated apes or Henry Louis Gates' coverage of the same content in Stony the Road (2019). Author Hellman's bio claims "cuddle monkey" as a self-identifier, and illustrator Otis dedicates the book to his "two cuddle monkeys," demonstrating both innocent intentions and, perhaps, the lack of awareness that undergirds them. By the time Lewis finally gets a bedtime cuddle from his parents, storytelling rather than ideology may trip up readers: Why was a quick hug so hard to come by earlier in the day? Poor Lewis!

Not a sure pick to cuddle up with. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews