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This week’s children’s book review is all about Hugo by Atinuke. The book was published by Walker Books and it can be purchased on Amazon*.
A Parisian pigeon passionate about people makes a new friend – with gentle themes of community and inclusivity.
Hugo the pigeon has an important job. He looks after the park and everyone who lives there. Everyone except for the Somebody whose curtains are never open. But one day, Hugo is so busy doing his showing-off dance that he doesn’t see the dog approaching … and Somebody has to fly to the rescue!
A charming story about community and the value of friendship, beautifully brought to life by Birgitta Sif’s energetic illustrations.
We read a lot of children’s books but we always like to find something a bit different and we really like books by Atinuke. I also have a bit of an interest in Paris and love any stories set there so I couldn’t wait to see what Hugo was going to be all about.
Main character Hugo is a pigeon living in Paris and he has the important job of looking after the park and the people in and around it. He takes his time to visit different people, to make sure they are okay and to see what is going on every day. He takes his job very seriously.
Hugo is a book all about friendship and that’s such an important thing for children to read about. Throughout the book Hugo talks to and plays with a real range of people in the park from children and dogs to a man sitting and reading on the bench. Hugo sees one window close by though and the curtains never open but that doesn’t stop him quietly knocking anyway, just to see if everything is okay.
Hugo is such a wonderful story, with equally beautiful illustrations, showing children that friends can be found all over and with all kinds of people. It shows that it’s good to reach out to the people around you and the importance of community. I think now more than ever that’s a really strong message.
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