Truman Toad and the Quest for the Perfect Hug

Oren Lavie is an award-winning author, musician, and director. His children’s books have been translated into over a dozen languages, and in 2023, Truman Toad and the Perfect Hug, his third book, was nominated for the prestigious German Youth Literature Award. He has also been nominated for a Grammy Award, and one of his songs was featured in the Disney movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Oren’s debut picture book, The Bear Who Wasn’t There, was published to great acclaim in Germany and was released in the US through Akashic Book’s Black Sheep imprint. O, The Oprah Magazine called the book “irresistible” and “playfully existential,” and a starred review in Publishers Weekly praised “the charm of Lavie’s storytelling voice.” Oren lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. Anke Kuhl is one of Germany’s leading children’s book illustrators, whose awards include the German Youth Literature Award and the Max and Moritz Prize for best German-language comic for children. She lives with her husband and two children in Frankfurt, Germany.

STARRED REVIEW! ★ “Kuhl’s visuals are an engrossing mix of William Steig’s and Arnold Lobel’s illustrations, with hijinks and hilarity apparent in the ridiculous assortment of different animals: a squirrel and a butterfly eagerly embracing; a snail and a mouse tentatively eyeing each other. Lavie’s prose is perfect in pitch, tone, and phrasing, as when an overexcited Truman sets off 'with the special grace of a toad.' A warm embrace of both story and image, this lesson in appreciating what you have delights in every way.”