Hug Me - Softcover

Simona Ciraolo is a Sardinian born author and illustrator whose witty and endearing tales recently won her the Sebastian Walker Award. Ciraolo studied animation at the National Film School in Turin, Italy, before undertaking an MA in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She has also worked as a freelance 2D animator for children's TV shows and illustrated five picture books for an independent Italian publisher. She currently lives in London.

"Ciraola tells her story with wry understatement, allowing her expressive illustrations to carry the narrative. ... Though Felipe's not the first prickly children's-book character ever to want a hug, he certainly is a charmer." - Kirkus Reviews;;"There is, of course, a deeper allegorical undertone to the tale, beyond the surface interpretation of celebrating one's inner softness in a culture that encourages a prickly exterior. A subtle undercurrent celebrates the spiritual homecoming of finding one's tribe, the expansive embrace found in a kinship of souls. The story is also a celebration of free will, reminding us ever so gently that whatever our circumstances, we always have choices -- and that our inability to see this is perhaps our gravest self-imposed limitation." - Brain Pickings;;"Ciraola tells her story with wry understatement, allowing her expressive illustrations to carry the narrative. ... Though Felipe's not the first prickly children's-book character ever to want a hug, he certainly is a charmer." - Kirkus Reviews;;"One of the things I like about this picture book--aside from its adorableness!--is that it's honest. [...] Hug Me is a book about being yourself, getting your needs met, and finding a kindred soul. All in a super cute package. Well done!" - This Picture Book Life;;"Unlikely friends come together in "Hug Me," by the Italian author Simona Ciraolo. She uses whimsical, jagged colored-pencil drawings to portray Felipe, a young cactus who just wants someone to wrap his arms around."--New York Times;;"There is, of course, a deeper allegorical undertone to the tale, beyond the surface interpretation of celebrating one's inner softness in a culture that encourages a prickly exterior. A subtle undercurrent celebrates the spiritual homecoming of finding one's tribe, the expansive embrace found in a kinship of souls. The story is also a celebration of free will, reminding us ever so gently that whatever our circumstances, we always have choices -- and that our inability to see this is perhaps our gravest self-imposed limitation." - Brain Pickings;;"Ciraola tells her story with wry understatement, allowing her expressive illustrations to carry the narrative. ... Though Felipe's not the first prickly children's-book character ever to want a hug, he certainly is a charmer." - Kirkus Reviews;;"One of the things I like about this picture book--aside from its adorableness!--is that it's honest. [...] Hug Me is a book about being yourself, getting your needs met, and finding a kindred soul. All in a super cute package. Well done!" - This Picture Book Life