Hello, friends! Our book today is The Snuggly, written by Glen Huser and illustrated by Milan Pavlović, a silly tale of a baby carrier and the kids who push t to its limits.

When Todd’s baby sister comes home from the hospital, he can’t help but notice the fascinating contraption hanging from his dad’s chest. Dad explains that it’s a “snuggly” – a carrier to keep baby Ada safe and close. Todd loves the snuggly, and every once in a while his parents let him wear it to carry his trusty Banjo Bear. One day he decides to wear it to school (TECHNICALLY without permission), and finds that it’s the perfect place to stash his and his friends’ treasures along the way: a library book, a banana, even a stray kitten. But as more friends add more items to the snuggly, it’s beginning to feel a bit, well, snug – how much more can it hold?

This was definitely a fun premise, and a hilarious way to introduce the concept of carriers to older siblings when a new baby arrives. The story has both wackiness for little readers and sly humor for older ones that make for a fun read. But there’s a scene that was a surprising downer for such a lighthearted story: the snuggly does eventually burst open, and Todd’s classmates laugh at him, causing him to be embarrassed almost to tears. The teacher steps in to soothe the situation, and it ends on a happier note, but that scene shifts to tone so drastically that it never quite recovers. The style of the art was another sticking point for me – a brown-tinged palette made even the brightest colors look muddy, and the people of Todd’s town seemed to lack a great deal of diversity. The length was good, but with the unfocused and hazy-colored art, JJ was less engaged than she typically is. I would say that this one was fairly average – some nice moments, but a fair amount of disappointment too. Still, it’s enjoyable enough to merit being Baby Bookworm approved.