Tugg and Teeny

Tugg and Teeny #1

by J. Patrick Lewis, Christopher Denise (Illustrator)

Meet Tugg and Teeny. Best friends since -- well, forever! Tugg (a gorilla) and Teeny (a monkey) live together in their jungle neighborhood, Sidekick Thicket. As opposite as night and day, the two friends work and play together, each helping the other face life's challenges. Lively, impulsive Teeny always wants to try new things. Sure and steady Tugg is always there to lend a hand or give a word of encouragement. In this beginning chapter book series, Book One's trio of stories has Teeny learning to become a musician, developing her talents as an artist, and fine-tuning her skills as a poet. Book Two has her pondering strange and quirky situations in the jungle. All with the help of her best friend Tugg. J. Patrick (Pat) Lewis lives in Westerville, Ohio, and is the author of more than 60 books for children. He writes full-time, visits elementary schools, and speaks at literature conferences. His other books with Sleeping Bear are First Dog and First Dog's White House Christmas. Christopher Denise is an award-winning illustrator whose books have appeared on The New York Times bestsellers list. Known for his work on the Redwall picture book series, he also works as a visual development artist and character designer for feature film animation. Christopher lives in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Friendship, Childrens, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2011

About the author

J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. He has written more than seventy children's books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.

Reviews

[Louise Bélanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently discovered illustrator Christopher Denise, I borrowed a few of his books from my local library. Tug and Teeny is one of them. I am sure that children will enjoy these 3 funny and cute stories, I know I did. True to his talent, the illustrations are beautiful with lots of details and the facial expressions are endearing. I really liked it.

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. It's a little unclear which one is Tugg. But they do clear it up not to far into the story. (That was a concern for the young reader. Maybe it was clear in an earlier book?) Friendship and animal identification is covered in this book. And trying new things when you see them

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tugg the gorilla and Teeny the monkey in three short stories featuring Tugg helping his friend Teeny in her quest to become a musician, an artist, and a poet.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is pretty beautiful, but the writing is ho-hum. The stories are ho-hum. There are perhaps too many characters in the stories for this level of early reader--it gets a little confusing. And not really any laugh-out-loud moments, but I think kids will be engaged by the saturated artwork and the friendship between Tugg and Teeny (if they can figure out which one is which? I still don't know.) The stories are along the lines of very simplified Rudyard Kipling (Just So Stories). I adore J. Patrick Lewis' poetry so I'm sad to give a so-so review of his first attempt at early reader, but, there you have it.

[Bdalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains three charming stories about two friends Tugg, a large gorilla and Teeny, a small monkey. These stories all deal with an art - the first one being about music, the second about painting, and the third about writing poetry. These stories are designed to be read by newly independent readers - kids looking for their first chapter books. The illustrations are fantastic. The stories are not too long or simplistic. This book and the rest of the books in the series should appeal to kids who like warm, stories about animals and relationships.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just reread book one in honor of then going on to read the second and third books in this series by J.Patrick Lewis, illustrations by Christopher Denise. First, I love the series! Great new early reader series from Sleeping Bear Press. Love the characters--Tugg a gorilla, and Teeny, a monkey, and the friendship they share. The first book featured music, art and poetry. Loved the connection to the arts!

[Lynda Shoup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one you feel in your heart. A rare thing in an easy reader. I was immediately brought back to my first reading of Frog and Toad are friends. A simple story with much warmth and humor thrown in. I was also reminded of the gentle love of Little Bear.

[Dawnbutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

My six year loves this book.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 1 out of 5]

A beginning reader about two friends, a monkey and a gorilla.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I like to be friends. I also enjoyed this book because Tugg and Teeny were best friends.