View source for Where's My Cuddle? by James Mayhew

{{infobox2
|title=Where's My Cuddle?
|author=James Mayhew
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=This simple and heart-warming story with a bit of adventure thrown in will in turn delight, excite and reassure children. The dynamic and rich illustrations make a good tale a bit more special. Recommended.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
|date=January 2008
|isbn=978-0747587590
|aznuk=0747587590
|aznus=0747587590
|cover=0747587590
|website=http://james-mayhew-author-illustrator.blogspot.com/
}}
Jake runs away from his mum trying to give him a cuddle at the school gate - he's not a baby after all! But later on Jake actually changes his mind and wants his cuddle back. Mum doesn't have it any more, though - she gave it to dad. And thus Jake is off on the quest in search of his cuddle, which gets passed forward from the familiar to the fantastic. Witches, princesses and knights feature, all in need of reassurance, support and comfort. Where will Jake's cuddle end up? 

''Where's My Cuddle?'' is a simple story, written in the repetitive-quest-like formula beloved of the children's authors and of children themselves. The text is simple but very natural, while the illustrations are rather wonderful, rich and dynamic, full of detail and movement, with vividly rendered facial expressions and an overall dreaminess enhanced by the watercolour medium.


The sentimental angle is not overdone at all and the jealousy of young children is lightly touched on, while purposes of cuddle-giving and different emotions can be explored. The adventures are exciting (magnificent dragon!) and the concluding wind-down is ideal for a bedtime story.

I liked ''Where's My Cuddle?'' a lot and I think it has the potential to be read and re-read repeatedly. Not perhaps an instant classic, but a good picture book nevertheless and recommended by the Bookbag for all preschoolers, and possibly more for boys than girls.

Thanks to the publishers for sending this volume to the Bookbag.

A book for even younger children with a delightful conclusion is [[Dear Zoo]], while [[Where the Wild Things Are]] still remains THE classic bedtime story for older toddlers and preschoolers.

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