Let’s Go, Hugo!: Let’s Go With This Adorable Book!

A Review By: Amelia

When it comes to children’s stories birds are a great subject to feature on. They can teach stories about overcoming fear and adversity, about reaching for the sky at every turn, about trust and freedom. Birds are just a great avatar for kids to see through in kid’s books and Let’s Go, Hugo is a wonderful example of this.

Hugo is a little yellow bird with an excellent sense of style who lives in the heart of Paris in a beautiful little park. He adores his view of the Eiffel Tower but has never gone to it in person because he doesn’t know how to fly! When he meets a little pink bird named Lulu, Hugo becomes determined to change from a grounded bird, to one who’s free to fly where ever he chooses!

Angela Dominguez is a Mexican-American who has lived in Texas, San Fransico, and Brooklyn, has always loved creating artwork, and who is a teacher at the Academy of Art University in the Illustration Department (which honoured her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013). She made her debut into children’s books with Let’s Go, Hugo. Her other works include Maria Had a Little Llama (which she received the Pura Belpré Illustration Honour from the American Library Association for) and Santiago Stays. Her works have also been featured in publications including Creative Quarterly, 3X3 Magazine, and numerous galleries.

The characters of this book are Hugo, the timid bird who doesn’t know how to fly, and Lulu, the adventurous bird who encourages Hugo. There’s not much to say about them besides what I said above: they’re standard children’s books characters. I can say that Hugo is a good avatar for the reader to see through. He’s timid and scared but also willing to overcome his fears. He betters himself through trial and error and although he hasn’t perfected what he’s set out to learn, he doesn’t become discouraged.

Let’s Go, Hugo takes place in a park in Paris. I think that’s enough said to sell you on the location of this children’s book! Combine this with the adorable art style that’s part minimalistic doodle, part beautiful water colours and you have a story that will make you pine for Paris if you’ve never been or fall in love with it all over again if you have!

My final thoughts on Let’s Go, Hugo are that it’s an adorable little story about the joy of learning and determination. The art style is adorable, the story adorable, and the themes adorable. All in all, I have to say that this book is just plain adorable!