Willy and Hugh

Anthony Browne
It’s not easy being a chimp in a world of oversized gorillas, and in WILLY AND HUGH, our scrawny hero is lonely for a pal. Hulking Hugh seems an unlikely candidate, but as Willy discovers, the oddest couples can make the best of friends.
This is such a lovely story. Willy is a lonely chimp, picked on by others when he literally bumps into Hugh Jape (great name!) in the park one day and his whole life is changed. He has a friend.
Friendship is always a good theme for children’s books and this works on many levels. Willy is no longer lonely, and when Buster arrives on the scene Willy finds he has a friend who will stand up for him and look after him. They enjoy sharing time and experiences together and best of all Willy even gets to reciprocate and help Hugh when he finds a ‘terrifying creature’! As an adult reader you can spot a whole host of subtleties in the writing that you could talk about with your child if you so wished.
There are great touches of humour in the story and in the illustrations. The pictures are really well done, adding much to the text in the way only good illustrations can.
Verdict:This is a brilliant read and a fun book to share.
Reviewed by Helen