A Hug for Punch - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

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Last year, a little macaque monkey at the Japanese zoo captured hearts around the world when his mother rejected him and he turned to the comfort of his "Oranmama," a stuffed orangutan given to him by his keepers. This is a touching, empowering picture book about this precious little monkey and his special plush friend.

Book cover - on the left, a little baby macaque monkey sits with arms raised. On the right, a baby macaque monkey hugs a stuffed monkey.

A Hug for Punch

Author: Caroline L. Perry

Illustrator: Anoosha Syed

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (August 11, 2026)

Ages: 3-7

Themes:

Comfort, bravery, belonging, and family.

Synopsis:

The inspiring story of Punch, the tiny, orphaned monkey who has captured the hearts of millions around the world.

Viral social media sensation Punch and his beloved stuffed orangutan have captivated internet users worldwide. Now the heartwarming tale of his search for love and belonging is available for the first time as a picture book.

Punch is a baby macaque, eager to explore the world at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. But his mother can't take care of him, so it's up to the zookeepers to look after Punch. They give him a snuggly stuffed orangutan that he can hug and hold close.

When it's time for Punch to join the other macaques on Monkey Mountain, Punch is scared, and the other monkeys aren't ready for him either. Time and again, he returns to the comfort of his "Oran-mama." But Punch knows even the coziest stuffed animal isn't the same as a real-life friend. When will Punch finally find someone to hug him back? Here's the story of one brave little monkey who refuses to give up on love.

Opening Lines:

On a blistering July day,

in the breezy garden city of Ichikawa, Japan . . .

. . . a tiny macaque was born.

Punch had soft brown fur,

bright round eyes,

and strong arms,

made to hold tight.

But something wasn’t right.

All around, babies clung to their mothers.

But Punch’s mom couldn’t take care of him.

What I Loved about this book:

How can you not adore the image of that little macaque monkey reaching out for a hug and love? Opening the picture book with the abandonment of such an adorable little monkey could be a bit overwhelming for young readers. But Caroline L. Perry and Anoosha Syed handled it with delicacy, honesty, and softly gorgeous images.

Internal spread - on the left, a macaque enclosure at a zoo has a number of monkeys on a rock tower and people standing along a barrier fence. On the right, a baby macaque monkey sits with its arms raised.

Although his keepers took over his care, and he tried to hold on tight to the keeper's hair, poor Punch needed "more comfort and a safe way to build strength." So, the keepers gave Punch a snuggly stuffed Orangutan friend. A very subtle refrain "sniff, tug, tap" which ends in an adorable snuggle with the surrogate friend, is gorgeously repeated near the end with an equally satisfying emotional reward. As noted in the back matter, the news reports of the little baby macaque pulling around and snuggling his special stuffed friend made Punch an international sensation. I love the tender simplicity of this moment in the text, "It was love at first hug!" and the equally stripped down, heart-felt illustration.

Internal spread - on the left, the baby macaque sniffs, taps , and tugs on a large stuffed monkey. On the right, the baby macaque snuggles sthe stuffed monkey, wrapped around its arm.

Another equally poignant moment of a slightly older Punch, not yet accepted by the troop, snuggled against the chest of his stuffed friend - having pulled its arms around himself - as he "holds on tight" and waits out a rainstorm, continues the themes (of finding security, comfort, and belonging), first seen with his keepers.

A touching and satisfying moment, approaching the ending, of the monkey troop's investigation of Punch's friend, takes the refrain and transforms it to a moment of acceptance ("And then . . . Pat./ Poke./ Pluck.") for both Punch and his stuffed friend. The final few spreads are satisfyingly tender and heartwarming. Back matter explains the genesis of "Oranmama," Punch's capture of the world's heart, and fun information about Japanese macaque monkeys. A perfect book for the start of the school year, about bravery, persistence, and being kind to each other. It is a wonderful nonfiction story about a special gift that helped a baby monkey learn to be brave as he meets and finds a family and gains all the hugs he could ever want.

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