Sometimes Hoogie feels like the hole in the middle of a donut. She isn't big and dependable like her sister Pumpkin. She isn't tiny and sweet like her brother Tweezle. She's just . . . Hoogie. Every day she hears, "You're too big for this" and "You're too small for that" until there's such a big little pain inside of her that she doesn't know what to do. Luckily Mom and Dad are there to show her what a very special place the middle can be. Stephanie McLellan's rhythmic text uses an exuberance of rhyme, alliteration, and spot-on simile to affirm and celebrate the middle child.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Best Books for Kids & Teens category by the Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards. It was recognised by the Resource Links the Year's Best. It also was recognised by the Scbwi Crystal Kite Award.

This book has been graded for interest at 3-7 years.

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2013 by Pajama Press .

Victoria Allenby has been writing poetry and stories for as long as she can remember. Her debut picture book, Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That, won the 2014 Preschool Reads Award and was nominated for the 2015 SYRCA Shining Willow Award. Timo's Garden was a New York Public Library Best Books for Kids & Teens selection. A freelance writer and editor, Victoria lives in Toronto, Ontario. Dean Griffiths is a popular picture book artist with more than 25 titles to his name. His many awards include the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Book Prize for Maggie Can't Wait, the Chocolate Lily Award for Ballerinas Don't Wear Glasses, and the Rainforest of Reading Award for Bad Pirate. Dean lives in Duncan, British Columbia, with his daughter. Stephanie McLellan is a passionate promoter of literacy and the author of the award-winning picture books The Chicken Cat and Leon's Song. Her 2013 title Hoogie in the Middle, inspired by her now-grown children, was a Resource Links "The Year's Best" selection, a Best Books for Kids & Teens selection, and a TVO Parents "Books to Read as a Family" Selection. Its companion book Tweezle into Everything has been enthusiastically received. Dean Griffiths is a popular picture book artist with more than 25 titles to his name. His many awards include the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Book Prize for Maggie Can't Wait, the Chocolate Lily Award for Ballerinas Don't Wear Glasses, and the Rainforest of Reading Award for Bad Pirate. Dean lives in Duncan, British Columbia, with his daughter.