Don't Hug Doug: (He Doesn't Like It)

This book is a great tool for introducing, and teaching, the concept of consent to children. Whether you're an elementary school teacher looking to reduce conflict with an SEL lesson, or a parent that wants to teach their child about their individual agency, this book will help you to guide their understanding in a way that's fun for everyone.

There isn't much plot, but it does a good job of introducing the general idea of needing consent to touch (or not) in a lighthearted way. I also really liked that there was a page explaining that disliking hugs doesn't mean you dislike the would-be hugger.

The best book we’ve gotten to teach about consent so far. My kids actually enjoyed it and paid attention for the whole thing. This is a job well done and does a great job speaking the language of “kid” 👏🏻👏🏻

I’m a daycare teacher and this book came highly recommended by my professor. It speaks upon personal boundaries, and what Doug (main character) is accepting of. Great book for establishing / talking about children’s personal preferences.

This book is adorable and funny and a wonderful book about boundaries. I got it for my daughter and loved it so much I'm buying another copy for my office (I'm a child psychologist) 10/10

My children are 14 and 5. My 5 year old always wants hugs, but my 14 year old does not like being touched. We've tried to explain to our 5 year old that not everyone likes hugs and she has to have consent before giving someone a hug. I read the book to both of my children at the same time and it's like something clicked in my 5 year old's head. She realized that her sister does not like hugs, and it is not okay to force them on her. It opened up a discussion between my children about finding a compromise that both girls were happy with. They decided that they would give each other a hand heart or fist bump instead of hugs and they are both happy with that decision. The book was easy to read, entertaining, and opened a dialog that needed to be addressed in our family.

I grew up in a very huggy family; hello hugs and goodbye hugs were the norm. Unfortunately I don’t like hugs, never have and so all the hugs were torture. Fast forward to present day and I have one child on the spectrum who doesn’t like hugs and the other who just loves hugs. Like really really loves hugs, like if you’ve seen the Trolls movie and how the trolls were constantly hugging then it’s exactly like that.I love my daughter so I’m giving hugs like 20 times a day or more; it’s hug city over here. Anyway I needed a way to gently teach my daughter that my son doesn’t like hugs and this book does a great job of doing that and makes it hilarious. My daughter loves the book and is slowly realizing that not everyone likes hugs and that doesn’t mean they don’t like her. I’m going to continue being like a troll and hugging like all the time, but hopefully she won’t feel hurt anymore when her brother doesn’t want a hug.

To my surprise, my 24 month old loves this book already! It is rare to find a new book that has such good, clever, child appealing writing and illustrations. The rhythm and timing of the text is spot on. I bought it to talk about body autonomy, and it's a great introduction to some of the way people differ and how to respect others, but it is also just a funny, charming, readable book.

Really good book. Hilariously written. Can be enjoyed by adults and kids. Discusses personal boundaries in a very light way. One of the best books on personal boundaries that we have read. Another great book on this topic is "The Kissy Heart: A Story About Personal Boundaries". We would suggest checking that out!

This book has been a total win with my 8yo boy. Yes it is definitely marketed for younger children, but actually this really worked for us and has been read many times. Highly recommend

This book is great because it work for people who might be neurodivergent and just to teach kids to ask permission before they touch someone

This was a lovely introduction for my almost 3 year old to the idea that you can't just hug/touch people without asking permission. It's lighthearted, has bright pictures, and suggests alternatives to hugging. Highly recommend it.

My daughter loves this book! We bought it as a way to talk to our kids about respecting others personal space, but my daughter loves it because it's such a fun story. We read it several times a day for a solid week.