Where's My Hug?

Sam Books

by Amy Hest

In the little white house, Mrs. Bear is putting Sam to bed, when suddenly -- HCK HCK! coughs Sam. Mrs. Bear gets some syrup. But the syrup tastes bad, and there's too much of it on a too-big spoon, and it's too hard to swallow. What will make Sam feel better?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Health, Family, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Amy Hest is a three-time winner of the Christopher Medal and winner of the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[J9]

A cute story about a little bear with a cough, who doesn't want to take his medicine. Mama bears tries everything she can to get him to take it, finally promising him the chance to go sit downstairs with Mama and wait for the snow to come. Snow always warms my heart, so I enjoyed it, and my kid's liked finding the mice that lived in the house and showed up in fun places throughout the book. No big educational benefit, but a solid level 1 reading book.

[Shaumbra Papritz]

Not a great book. I am confused why the title was changed to "Where is My Hug?" when it had nothing to do with the content of the book. Cute pics but otherwise not a great story overall... kind of pointless.

[Katie Murray]

This “book” is disturbing and disgusting. I hate the title. It’s trickery to the baby bear. Both titles. The old one, “where’s my hug?” And the new one “don’t you feel well, Sam?” … they’re both extremely harmful to children because they imply that the child is in the wrong. For what though???? Being sick or not wanting to hug someone? That’s their right! Being sick is not something we can control and giving hugs is any human being’s choice (personified bear in this case) . It’s teaching children their bodily autonomy doesn’t matter … it’s not ok. Also, why is the bear reluctant to take the medicine from the mom bear? There’s clearly a relationship of distrust there and it’s concerning. The baby bear says the spoon is too large and is forced to take it down anyways … I hate this book.

[Anna]

This book was alright. I expected to love this book, but the expectations weren't met. There wasn't a nice flow and things could have been worded better. I felt like the story could have been stronger.

The illustrations though are phenomenal. They are adorable and full of color. They're full size page illustrations too! I love that and I love the little mice throughout the book. So cute and fun to find, especially at the end. Adorable.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

The book is about a small bear who got a cough and his mom is trying to get the bear to be brave and take the medicine. Then they go downstairs and wait for it to snow while looking out the window. That's pretty much it.

[April]

I read this cute little book about a bear who has a cough and is cared for by his mom with some kindergarten friends yesterday. We loved the adorable and relatable plot about the little bear not wanting to take his medicine. We also loved the genuine love between mom and baby bear. The illustrations were beautifully rendered. They almost looked like paintings. Overall, this is is a lovely book for parents and children to read together, for beginning readers, and for classroom libraries and read alouds.

[Emma Martz]

k-2
modern fantasy
Don't you feel well Sam is a fun and easy read for the kids. Amy Best takes tells of a baby bear and his mother and the struggles she has to have him take medicine since he feels under the weather. The kids will be able to relate the the bear because most kids do not want to do something unless there is something in it for them. You will see that in this story.

[Callie Manias]

Very simple. Good chronological story. Good for winter time.

[Lauren]

I adored the first book in the series; it was a comfortable read-aloud. The next two books (including this one) just don't quite have the same feel.

[Briana]

Alright, but kind of an odd narrative unless I were looking for a book to read to a kid who, like the bear in the story, didn't want to take their cough medicine.

[Andrea]

It is very simple story, but so cute.

[Marissa Dunlow]

Absolutely adorable!

[Kayla]

el osito es tan lindo!!

[Spencer]

Gift from Harper's grandmother

[Danielle Harriger]

PB 50: I thought that this book had some positive features that would make young children feel comforted when they are unable to sleep or sick. I think many children can relate to Sam's discomfort when being sick, and this could be a good book to read to them in these situations. I liked that the book labeled items in the book with helpful adjectives to teach children such as the “blue slippers” or the “fire which was warm.” This allows children to be exposed to descriptor words, and children can point out the items that they read on the page. Thus, this can be a great interactive book to use with young children. However, the plot was kind of dry, as the book’s conclusion of having it snow had nothing to do with Sam’s illness or inability to sleep. Thus, I thought that the plot could have been altered towards the end to encompass what happened in the earlier parts of the book to have a more cohesive ending. Overall, I liked the descriptions used in this simple tale, but I would not necessarily recommend it with high importance to others.

[Em Mirra]

The story follows Sam, a young bear cub, and his reluctance to take medicine for his oncoming cold. Eventually, his mother convinces Sam to take the medicine by telling him they can watch the falling snow outside if he does. At the end of the story, they are seen building a snowman, indicating that Sam's cold has gone away.

Ages: Early readers (Daycare/Pre-K to 1st Grade)
Rated 2 out of 5 stars for:

- Very interesting, fine-art illustrations (paint on canvas) and good typography
- Simple story, but seems to have a few gaps in it
- Cute characters (little Sam who is "proud/brave" for taking medicine and patient Mama Bear)
- Encourages kids to take medicine to feel better and not be afraid of the "icky" taste

Recommended for little ones who don't like to take medicine when they are feeling under the weather.

[Amy Pavlov]

I bought this book after my daughter enjoyed Kiss Good Night so much. It is the story of Mrs. Bear discovering at bedtime that her baby, Sam Bear, is sick. She has to help him be brave to take the medicine for his cough. Because taking medicine was something my daughter knew well at a young age and because she dreaded it so much, I thought it would be a story she could relate to. As it turns out, she could, and it turned into a book she would reach for when she was starting to feel sick but didn't know how to tell anyone. For this reason, even though it is not as well written as Kiss Good Night, I give it 4 stars. It has a special place in our home.

[Ana LibrariAna]

This follow-up to "Kiss Good Night Sam" is another adorable story about Sam and his Mom that would make a great winter read-aloud or bedtime story for the little ones.

In this little white house on Plum street, Mrs. bear is putting Sam to bed. Suddenly Sam starts to cough. What will make Sam feel better? Is it the syrup, a cup of tea, a story, or cuddles with mama?

This follow up to Kiss Goodnight Sam is another warm story about Sam and his Mama. Through beautiful illustrations and their kind interactions, you can practically feel their love. Their closeness and Mama's affection is so strong and palpable that can help cure any cold, and warm up the coldest winter nights.

[Becky B]

Mama bear is tucking Sam into bed when he starts coughing. He doesn't feel good, so Mama goes to get cough medicine. Sam comes up with several reasons not to take the icky medicine, but Mama cuts him a deal - take the medicine and he can stay up to wait for the snow to fall.

A sweet story about a mother taking care of a sick child and the sometimes humorous ways that kids try to avoid taking medicine. I love the bold and bright illustrations.

[Melanie Hetrick]

Sam the bear has a cold and Mama has to find some way to get cough syrup down him. It takes some doing, but finally she promises that they will watch the snow fall together if he takes his medicine.

Originally titled "Don't You Feel Well, Sam?" which makes so much more sense than "Where's My Hug?" as there is nothing about hugging in this book.

[Aine]

Sam doesn't feel well. "Hck, Hck!" Mrs. Bear tries to give him his medicine. After a few attempts, he gets it down and Mrs. Bear rocks him watching for snow.... and he falls asleep. The pictures are charming, and you just have a warm, yummy... snuggly time with your little one. One of our favorites that gets pulled when the kiddos are feeling poorly.

[Deb]

Read years ago with K. now again for story time. Good winter time story, even if we don't have snow to look forward to at end of sickness. We've been sick a lot this winter so very familiar conversations and attempts at comfort. I liked being able to "act" the story with the coughing.

[Yesi]

This is another winter book. It's about a bear that gets sick and is cared for by his mom. I love this book, but it's definitely a read at home kind of book. I would probably not use it with students.

[C.]

A cute book about a little bear with a cough who doesn't really want to take his cough medicine. Then he and Momma Bear sit and wait for it to snow.

I'm a bit confused at the new title: Where's My Hug. Hugs aren't even mentioned in the book.

[Barbara]

nice theme for little ones who like to milk their boo-boos and sympathize with those who have them.

[sabrina]

a cute book

[Amber]

1 copy available

[Kim]

Sam starts coughing just as he is tucked into bed and his mom takes care of him and promises that if he takes his medicine, they can wait up for the snow.

[Edna]

Mrs. Bear finds out there's more than one to get baby bear to swallow his medicine.

[Julene]

Cute pictures. I liked the writing in this kids book. Of all the "Sam" books we've read so far, this is my favorite. What a good mother is Mrs. Bear.

[Mary Trujillo]

No te sientes bien Sam?