I'm Not as Enamored With Wilson as Usual in Bear Hugs

I got my hands on Bear Hugs: Romantically Ridiculous Animal Rhymes, a collection of humorous poetry by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Suzanne Watts, about a month and a half too late. From the pink cover to the sappy sentiments stored inside, this book seems designed especially for Valentine's Day. Included in the book are 20 short poems, some written in the first person and some from a more detached viewpoint. Most are corny enough to be featured on Valentines distributed to classmates via those prettily decorated shoeboxes that always sit atop desks on that holiday.

Since first reading Wilson's Bear Snores On, I have been hooked on her books, which generally feature adorable illustrations and narration that cleverly uses rhyme, repetition and wordplay to create an irresistible story. Bear Hugs is not a story. Moreover, while children will probably find at least some of the rhymes silly, the pun-tastic jokes seem designed to attract adults as well. Most poems have a punch line playing off of the specific animal involved. For instance, a rooster wants to ask a pretty young hen out but is too chicken, while a frog overdramatically states, "If you love me, / I'll croak with delight. / If you don't - / I'll simply croak."

Watts' illustrations fit the verse, looking just like the sort of pictures that would come in a box of 20 Valentines with cute sayings on them. Mostly, they feel a bit generic, not as distinctive or attractive as the work of other illustrators Wilson has worked with. This may have been a deliberate stylistic choice, as a sort of parody of traditional children's Valentines, but I was rather disappointed to find that I was unable to fall in love with the pictures in a book revolving around romance.

Additionally, Wilson's usually impeccable rhythm is off here. Many lines seem to ramble, with too many syllables strung together, while others seem too sparse. The poems are probably best read aloud, but much of the humor depends on the visual, as in the poem about the "love-a-bull" dog and the one asking "Will ewe please be mine?" I guess that makes it just right for children who prefer reading aloud to themselves; I'm not sure it would be such a great choice for reading to a child, or especially to several children at once.

Bear Hugs is still a pretty cute collection, especially for lovers of animals and puns. It just doesn't quite live up to my expectations, formed after reading several Wilson books that truly can be termed outstanding.