Sloppy Wants a Hug by Sean Julian (review)

Dewdrop the sprite refuses to give Sloppy the dragon a hug, and even though Sloppy tries emotional manipulation (pretending to be sad) and bribery (offering appropriate and not-so-appropriate gifts), Dewdrop holds her ground. When Sloppy helps a baby bird who has fallen from the nest, though, Dewdrop relents and Sloppy gets his hug, while Dewdrop gets what she was dreading all along—a slobbery, coiffure-destroying lick. Pacing is everything here as audiences are lulled into sympathy with the hugless dragon until the very last page. Mournful Sloppy, with his eggplant-shaped snout, barely-there mouth, and scales that look like tidy, distinct green leaves, initially doesn’t seem to have earned his name, looking more floppy than sloppy as his sadness deepens. Dewdrop is an effective and expressive targeted snubber, turning up her pert little nose and angling her eyebrows at Sloppy as he tries to get a hug and smiling sweetly at the other critters. The lack of context clues along the way makes the mystery of Dewdrop’s refusal more of a wait-and-see exercise than one of informed prediction, heightening the effectiveness of the surprise at the end; audiences who have experience, real or imagined, with slobbery dogs (or relatives) will find the reveal especially funny.