View source for Uugghh! by Claudia Boldt

{{infobox2
|title=Uugghh!
|author=Claudia Boldt
|reviewer=Rachael Spencer
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=UUGGHH! is the tale of a slug; fed up of being seen as revolting by the world, he has finally had enough and, after a mission to discover what beauty is, he becomes incredibly sad. Then he meets Spider. I would say this book is suitable for an older audience, but certainly has a very profound message to impart.
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Child's Play
|date=February 2011
|isbn=978-1846433726
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=184643372X
|aznus=184643372X
|cover=184643372X
}}

I like it when I find a completely different style in this genre of book as it reminds me that picture books are not just for the under fives, they can reach a much wider audience as well as giving out strong and important messages. This book is an interesting one; it is obviously giving a very clear message about self perception and image, which implies that everybody is special to somebody and you can always find beauty in the world, even if not everybody find beauty in you.

While the colour palette of the illustrations is limited and the actual drawings themselves are very harsh, it does still somehow manage to be bright and engaging. You find yourself drawn in to the world of Slug, who is incredibly upset about people always looking at him and announcing “UUGGHH!” I must admit to being guilty of this myself, but I was still happy when he found a friend in Spider, who teaches him that things are beautiful even if you are a slug. 

This book would work well in a number of different settings, but certainly with a group of older children it would raise a lot to talk about and there is much to be found in the details of the illustrations and different pieces of dialogue. I could see this forming the basis for some very interesting discussions and being a helpful tool with regards issues such as bullying and self esteem. 

I wouldn't tell everyone to rush out and buy it straight away because, good as the moral is, some children may find the illustrations quite scary (especially the red hedgehog!) I think you should do your research first so that you know what it is you're buying. Having said all that; I am thrilled to have read this book in the end because though initially I felt I wasn't going to enjoy it, it has left me realising that maybe there should be more stories like this in the world. 

This book mimics its own premise wonderfully; though it is not the most beautiful book in the world, it has a rather special heart.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Reading Suggestions : If you wanted to touch on a similar message for a younger audience, you could try The Ugly Duckling, which can be found in [[The Orchard Book Of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales by Martin Waddell and Emma Chichester Clark]].

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