Illustrations and brief text show many different ways to hug.

"Watch out, here comes The Hug Machine! Whether you are big, or small, or square, or long, or spikey, or soft, no one can resist his unbelievable hugs!"--Back cover.

"In The Hug, internationally renowned author David Grossman tells the moving story of the moment when Ben realizes that no two living creatures are alike--not his mother and father, their beautiful dog Miracle or the ants who march side by side at his feet and appear identical--and the loneliness he feels knowing that there is no one else quite like him in the whole world. But just as he is feeling the most alone he has ever felt, he is soothed by...

"This board book features a girl who hugs a monster she's not afraid of"--

A parent tells a child all of the reasons for the well-deserved hugs they share.

When a little penguin is unable to get warm by himself, he turns to a friend for help.

The mayor of Hugville conducts a tour of the town where all kinds of hugs are practiced and celebrated, including the monkey hug, tornado hug, and phone hug.

Slug worries that the reason his mother never hugs him is that he is ugly, so he follows his friends' advice to be furry, with a beak, horns, and more, until his mother can no longer recognize him, but then he learns that she loves him, no matter what.

A friendly porcupine figures out how to give hugs without hurting others with her sharp quills.

The reader is invited to consider some things about when, who, and how to hug and also advised to be prepared to receive one in return.