Uh-Oh, Hugo! by Jonathan Stutzman & Jay Fleck

This adorable book for beginning readers is perfect for anyone who loves cute animal illustrations, and especially those of delightful little pugs.

Hugo is a charming pug puppy who is ready for a day of big adventure! With his small child owner, he goes to explore the wider world, finding both enchanting experiences and significantly less magical mishaps. It’s a pretty standard tale of a type that, to a certain extent, I’m not sure kids are even allowed to experience firsthand any more, as Hugo and owner encounter wildlife and essentially roam around in meadowlands unsupervised. But that, I suppose, is the magic of picture books, that readers get to indulge in seemingly outlandish behavior without drawing down negative consequences on either themselves or their loved ones.

If that sounds unnecessarily snippy, forgive me. Modern parenthood is fraught, and to a large extent feels safer to talk about now that my kids are old enough to pursue outdoor recreation as they wish without shitty American neighbors calling the cops because any unattended elementary school-age child in the outdoors must surely be “neglected” and “abused.”

Ahem, anyway! The prose lends itself beautifully to reading aloud, tho may feel a little clunky on the page. Hugo and his owner go through a variety of experiences that not only introduce readers to nature but also showcase how ups and downs are all a normal part of life, and that resilience and perspective are so important when it comes to sustaining joy. Honestly, my only quibble with the plot was in how the owner was so relatively blase about the skunk encounter. That’s love, being able to spend a whole day with a dog doused in skunk scent.

The art is really where this volume shines, as we follow adorable little Hugo from waking up in the morning, to exploring a semi-rural outdoors, then heading back home to wind down with his owner. Every single illustration is winning, with the cutest endpapers too. Kids learning to read will find this book both entertaining and satisfying, making it the perfect addition to any library that features read-aloud storytimes.

Uh-Oh, Hugo! by Jonathan Stutzman & Jay Fleck was published May 5 2026 by Flamingo Books and is available from all good booksellers, including