• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: k to 2
• Reading age: 4 to 7

A treasure box, a book, a snack, a stray kitten, a jar of pollywogs and a travel mug—what else can Todd fit in his sister’s snuggly?

Todd knows that his baby sister’s snuggly is good for keeping things close and safe, so when he wears it to school one day, it seems like a great idea to use it to carry things for his friends. On the walk to school, Todd makes room for a treasure box, then a book, a snack, a stray kitten, a jar of pollywogs and a travel mug, as well as his teddy, Banjo Bear. But by the time he gets to class, the snuggly is overflowing, and when he gets up for show and tell, the inevitable happens. The snuggly bursts!

Everything spills out, the kitten runs around the classroom and chaos ensues. His classmates laugh, but Todd wants to cry. Luckily, Miss Bale is able to repair the broken strap, and Todd goes home with just one thing in the snuggly: Banjo Bear, who is close and safe.

Milan Pavlović’s vibrant illustrations perfectly depict the physical comedy of Todd’s predicament in Glen Huser’s funny and tender story about a new big brother and his fascination with a snuggly.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

From his earliest years, Glen Huser has loved to write and read and draw and paint. That’s when he wasn’t losing himself in the dark cocoon of a movie theatre or picking out old-time radio standards and Broadway musical hits on the piano. As a teacher and school librarian for a lengthy career in Edmonton, he worked his passions for art and literature into school projects such as Magpie, an in-house quarterly featuring writing and art from students. In his off hours, he wrote movie reviews for a local weekly, children’s book reviews for The Edmonton Journal, and got his small ink landscapes into galleries. As he worked on a degree in Education and then a Masters in English at the U of A, he had the good fortune to work under the tutelage of Rudy Wiebe, Margaret Atwood and W. O. Mitchell. For several years he was a sessional lecturer in children’s literature, information studies and creative writing at the U of A in Edmonton and UBC in Vancouver. His first novel Grace Lake was shortlisted for the 1992 W.H. Smith-Books in Canada First Novel Award. He has written several books for young adult readers including the Governor General’s Award-winner Stitches and the GG finalist Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen. Short stories have appeared in a number of literary magazines, most recently Plenitude and Waterloo University’s The New Quarterly. Glen’s current home is Vancouver where he continues to write as well as pursue interests in art and film studies.

Glen Huser's profile page

Milan Pavlovic lives in Toronto with his family. When he is not illustrating picture books, drawing or playing the ukulele, he is teaching visual communication and illustration at OCAD University and Seneca College. His many other books include Son of Happy by Cary Fagan, The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle by Anne Renaud, Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms, Seamus’s Short Story by Heather Hartt-Sussman (“The illustrations, in rich watercolor and colored pencil, are elegantly patterned —School Library Journal, starred review) and The Snuggly by Glen Huser.

Milan Pavlovic's profile page

Milan Pavlovic’s vibrant illustrations perfectly depict the physical comedy of Todd’s predicament in Glen Huser’s funny and tender story about a new big brother and his fascination with a snuggly.

49th Shelf

Like the story, the illustrations are simple yet poignant. . . . The Snuggly comes together tastefully, without heavy-handed moralism.

Quill & Quire

[The story] will provide much amusement to young children with smaller siblings.

Resource Links

This cute and funny story will engage readers, especially those who have experience with siblings in snugglies.

BayViews

A slapstick story about a boy who sees how many items he can fit in his little sister’s baby carrier.

Globe and Mail

A vivid palette of watercolor artwork complements the text by directly reflecting the actions and emotions of the characters. A charming tale and a solid addition for one-on-one and small group sharing.

School Library Journal