The days leading up to Valentine’s Day is a great time to explore these picture books, but you can read them any time of the year. This post shares popular books about hugs for kids that elementary teachers often use as read alouds. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these books about hugs!
4 Books about Hugs
Below is a list of some of our favorite books about hugs for kids at the elementary level. Check them out below!
1. Hug It Out by Louis Thomas
In Hug It Out by Louis Thomas, Woody and Annie are siblings who keep arguing! Their mother has finally had it and tells them that from now on whenever they argue, they have to hug it out. Woody and Annie are not thrilled with this new punishment. Whenever they start to fight and shout, their mother reminds them to hug it out.
Eventually, the two get tired of hugging. They decide to take some space from one another. As they play with their toys separately, something happens. Woody and Annie actually start to miss each other, and hugging! After talking, they decide to call for their mother who tells them to hug it out.
Check out these Hug It Out lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
2. Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich
In Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich, Hank the Cactus sat on a windowsill in a hot desert. Hank seemed to be just as prickly on the inside as he was on the outside. Hank would yell at his neighbors, like Rosie and Lizard, to get off his yard. He enjoyed being alone, soaking up the sun.
Until one night, he realized how lonely his life is. A cup hit him in the face, but his arms were too short to get it off. Rosie came to help him, and he reflected on how he wanted to change. He grew a flower just for her, but when he gave it to her, she got stuck! Although they were stuck, it was better to have a friend than no friend at all.
Check out these Nobody Hugs a Cactus lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
3. I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey
I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey follows the story of a lonely porcupine that just wants a hug. The porcupine asks each animal that comes along if they will hug him, and each time the animals say no, appalled, and run off. The porcupine waits patiently until it sees all of the animals running back towards it. Porcupine thinks this is finally his chance for a hug but then realizes the animals were just running away from a snake that wanted a kiss. The two misunderstood animals, the porcupine and snake, find comfort in each other and share a loving cuddle.
Check out these I Need a Hug lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
4. Bird Hugs by Ged Adamson
In Bird Hugs by Ged Adamson, Bernard the bird was different than his friends that were birds. He had very long wings. When all of his friends started learning to fly, Bernard had a hard time. He couldn’t seem to figure it out like the other birds. Soon, all of his friends had left in search of new places and Bernard still could not fly.
Not ready to give up, Bernard tried to solve his problem. He tried changing his wings, making them smaller, and even asked another animal for help. Unfortunately, nothing worked and Bernard felt useless. He was so upset he went off into a lonely tree for a long time. Then one day Bernard heard someone else crying. He left his tree to find a very upset orangutan. Bernard walked over and gave the orangutan a hug. Soon enough, the orangutan felt better and Bernard was hopeful. The next morning, there was a line of animals at the bottom of Bernard’s tree. They all wanted hugs from him! The animals started sharing their problems with Bernard and he listened to them and gave hugs. It made Bernard feel good to help the animals and he made many new friends.
Bernard learned that although he could not fly, he still had a purpose. By helping others he could make friends, and when he had friends, he could do anything.
Check out these Bird Hugs lessons and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of books about hugs for kids helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
