National Hug Day with David Melling and Hugless Douglas

HIP HIP HOORAY 

it's National Hug Day! 

What better way to celebrate such a special day than to welcome dear friend of the Sniffer and creator of none other than Hugless Douglas himself Mr David Melling! 

David popped up to Sniffer Towers to give us a sneak peek at some of the development work from his latest fabulous Hugless Douglas adventure 

'Hugless Douglas and the Great Bake Off' 

published by Hodder Children's Books in March. 

Take a look: David Melling talks about Hugless Douglas 

DAVID:  I usually start building ideas by doodling random scenarios of the main characters, then hopefully picking up threads that could lead to a story idea. I can often draw most of a story before I get to the writing.

David: Douglas licking finger 'Whose been walking on MY bed?'

DAVID:  Honey glazed sheep hanging from tree, Douglas finds his missing honey - 'Why are you wearing my honey?' asked Douglas

DAVID: The afterglow effect of consuming many honey cakes.

DAVID: Watching paint dry...(masking out honey foot prints)

DAVID: Last spread showing detail of the sheep as they demonstrate how to decorate honey cakes; rolling out chocolate icing

Follow These guys on Twitter

@DavidMelling1

@HuglessDouglas1

@hodderchildrens 

Visit David Melling's website here 

Find some fantastic Hugless Douglas downloadable activity sheets HERE! 

See the full range of Hugless Douglas books here 

COMPETITION

You could #WIN this bumper pack of Hugless Douglas books by David Melling, including copies of Hugless Douglas, How to Hug with Hugless Douglas, Happy Birthday Hugless Douglas AND Hugless Douglas Goes to Little School! 

HOW DO YOU ENTER? It couldn't be easier, send me a picture of a cake that you have baked! it can be a drawing OR a photo, you can tweet it to me on Twitter @maybeswabey or post it on my Facebook page or even email it to me emma.booksniffer.odonovan@gmail.com 

#huggyduggycomp 

A winner will be picked at 5pm on the 28th Jan - 

SORRY UK only 

A HUGE HUG and a big THANK YOU to David Melling 

and Hodder Children's Books

Need a Hug?

HUGLESS DOUGLAS IS LOOKING FOR A HUG ON

NATIONAL HUG DAY 2013, MONDAY 21st JANUARY

Get your diaries out Sniffers because Monday 21st January 2013 is National Hug Day, lets face it who doesn't love a good squeeze! 

To add to your excitement the REAL Hugless Douglas, will be out and about in London looking for a big bear hug. 
*hastily grabs barber jacket*

According to top sciency boffins It’s been scientifically proven that hugging decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol; and it increases the happy hormone, oxytocin. So for your health's sake you must take to the streets and track Hugless Douglas down.

Want to know where you can grab a real giant sized Hugless Douglas bear hug?

His schedule takes him to Kings Cross Station in London to hug early morning commuters (lets face it, they need it), to Buckingham Palace looking for a royal hug (let's hope Phillip leaves his hunting riffle on the wall), to a London primary school to give away FREE books as well as bonus hugs to heaps of lucky tiddly peeps, then Douglas will be hot footing it to Waterstone's Piccadilly where you will have the chance to meet his creator, sublime author and illustrator David Melling.

See our review of We Love You Hugless Douglas here...

  

The wonderful peeplepods at Hodder Towers have kindly donated a fabulous prize just for you Sniffers so here's your chance to WIN a limited edition pair of snuggly Hugless Douglas slippers AND a signed set of Hugless Douglas books! What larks!

How to enter: Simply email your name and address to the  following email emma.booksniffer.odonovan@gmail.com 

Tell us about the best hug you've ever had OR send us a picture/photo/drawing of your favorite bear.

Closing Date : 25th January 2013

A winner will be picked at random, some entries may be featured on the Book Sniffer blog / Facebook gallery / Twitter

  

 Douglas's SCHEDULE:

If you fancy a real life hug OR getting your mitts on a signed copy of Hugless Douglas then here's where you can catch Huggy D and his creator David Melling  on MONDAY, 21st JANUARY 2013

08:00 - Kings Cross Station

10:00 - Buckingham Palace 11:00 - Waterstones Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly W1J 9LE (David Melling book signing)

14:00 - Netley Primary School

16:00 – Watermark Books, Kings Cross Station - Book Signing 

WHAT A DAY! I expect he'll need to put his feet up after all that!

You simply MUST follow David on Twitter - check him out 

@DavidMelling 1  

 

                                                                                                                   

                                                   

* In 2012, One Poll, on behalf of the National Literacy Trust, surveyed 1,000 parents of 0 to 16-year-olds in the C2DE social bracket, which refers to the three lowest social and economic groups. The survey revealed that, “nearly 1 in 7 parents do not spend any time at all on a daily basis helping their children develop literacy and communication skills, for example by telling nursery rhymes to their baby, reading with their children or discussing school work.” Further information on the work of the Nation Literacy Trust can be found by visiting their website www.literacytrust.org.uk