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Picture Book · Ages 3–6 · 2013 · Est. 5 min read-aloud
Let's Go, Hugo!
A grounded bird must find courage to soar to new heights.
40 pages· 627 words· Est. 5 min read-aloud
$16.99Save 6%
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Bookroo's summary
Hugo, a charming bird, loves the Eiffel Tower but has never flown. When adventurous Lulu invites him to fly to the top, Hugo hesitates, preferring to explore the park below. With a nighttime lesson from Bernard the Owl and Lulu's encouragement, will Hugo find the courage to finally take flight? Discover if Hugo can overcome his fears and embrace the sky.
"There were many ups . . . and many more downs."
— from the book
From the publisher
Hugo is a dapper little bird who adores the Eiffel Tower—or at least his view of it from down here. Hugo, you see, has never left the ground. So when he meets another bird, the determined Lulu, who invites him to fly with her to the top of the tower, Hugo stalls, persuading Lulu to see, on foot, every inch of the park in which he lives instead. Will a nighttime flying lesson from Bernard the Owl, some sweet and sensible encouragement from Lulu, and some extra pluck from Hugo himself finally give this bird the courage he needs to spread his wings and fly?
At a glance
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 40
- Words
- 627
- Reading age
- 3–6
- Audience
- Picture
- Lexile
- ~329L
The Bookroo review
What our editors thought of Let's Go, Hugo!
In this story of overcoming fears and friendship, Hugo is a good-natured, yellow bird living in Paris. He prefers to live life on the ground, and he certainly knows how to make the most of it: eating popcorn, playing in drinking fountains, and watching ballet performances. When his new friend Lulu tires of these terrestrial activities, she discovers the true reason for Hugo’s earthbound life—he doesn’t know how to fly. Dominguez brings a delightful illustration style to the tale with ink, water colors, and paper texturing. Lulu’s style is disappointingly generic when compared to Hugo’s pizzazz. While he wears a classy plaid scarf and sports a stylish pencil moustache, Lulu has standard issue pink feathers with pink bows and long eyelashes. The Parisian setting is depicted with transportive detail in the architecture of buildings and the style and activities of characters that will delight and inspire readers who dream of a trip to Paris. The full page spread providing a literal bird’s eye view of the city of lights as Hugo soars along with Lulu is superb, particularly thanks to Dominguez’s insightful decision to leave the page wordless so readers, like Hugo, pause to take in the view. Easter eggs await in the endpapers and emphasize the attention to detail in the story.
The verdict
“A charming Parisian tale of friendship and facing fears.”
Bookroo Editorial
Reviewed November 2019
6.0/7
After the last page
Talk about it together
Lulu recognizes the structure Hugo is building. She suggests they fly together to go see it, but Hugo makes excuses for why he can't join her. Why is Hugo making excuses?
*Let's Go Hugo!* is set in Paris. The illustrations of the story depict fun aspects of life in Paris, including activities, buildings, and food. What would you like to do, see, or eat if you visited Hugo's city?
Inside the book
A peek between the covers
Good to know
Stories behind the story
Where did the idea for Let's Go Hugo! originally come from?
Funnily enough, it all began with a windup chicken toy. My mom sent me one in college for Easter. He became my little mascot. I would windup him up and say “Look at you go, Hugo.” Later in graduate school, I depicted him in an illustration as a yellow bird with a red scarf. A few years later, I revisited Hugo and did a series of illustrations. I was just trying to revamp my portfolio. My agent, Linda Pratt, was one though who saw that a story was emerging. She encouraged me to write my first picture book. Writing the actual story was surprisingly easy. I based much of Hugo on where I was personally in my life. Like Hugo, I was content, but I wasn’t taking chances and I was letting fear get in the way. I wanted to take a big leap except mine revolved around writing not flying. Lulu represented for me what a great friend can do. And of course, I had to set it in Paris because Hugo is so debonair.
What readers & critics say
Reviews
6.0
out of 7
6.3
“Hugo is a bird that's afraid to fly. I love this story, because he faces his fears and ends up so happy once he's learned how to fly. I also love that he has such wonderful friends along the way that help him practice and help him through his nerves when he's scared. Sometimes it's helpful to have friends that can help you to overcome your fears. :) Plus, the illustrations in this story based in Paris are gorgeous!”
B is for Bookworm
Trusted reviewer
6.0
“Let's Go, Hugo! is a fantastic picture book. Hugo, a bird who's comfortable living at ground level and scared of flying is pretty happy with his life. But he meets a friend, Lulu, who tells him that the Eiffel Tower is just a small flight away, and Hugo would love to see it. The illustrations are adorable, and the book has a fantastic message about being courageous and trying something new and scary. Hugo doesn't overcome his fear alone, and the book also highlights excellent friends, Iike Lulu, who show care and kindness to help Hugo overcome his fear.”
Lemony Snickers
Trusted reviewer
6.5
“This fanciful tale of friendship and courage is terrific. The whimsical illustrations, the Paris setting, Hugo's never ending excuses—it all combines to create a favorite around our home.”
The Goodfather
Trusted reviewer
4.5
“Hugo the Parisian bird is very happy on the ground, until one day he makes a friend who encourages him to fly. This book has a cute story about trying new things and stretching ourselves beyond our comfort zones. However, I'll admit that I'm a biased Francophile--the illustrations of scenes around Paris are my favorite part.”
Lauren Hancock
Trusted reviewer
“[I]n her first outing as both author and illustrator, [Dominguez] lets this tale about facing one’s fears unfold through wordy, literal insights . . .”
Publisher's Weekly
Critic
“The book charms from the start, but Dominguez excels with her slow revelation of Hugo’s qualms. When readers first meet Hugo, his on-the-ground life appears to be one of choice, not one forced by fear, so this neatly introduces children to the truth that people find ways to hide their fears . . .”
Kirkus
Critic
The author
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The fine print
Book details
Reading levels
- ATOS
- 2.4
- F&P level
- ~J
- AR points
- 0.5
- AR interest level
- LG
- AR quiz
- 157665
Publication
- Published
- January 1, 2013
- First published
- March 7, 2013
- Publisher
- Dial Books for Young Readers
Edition
- Language
- English
- Type
- Picture Book
- Text details
- Text set in Joppa.
- Illustration details
- This artwork was created with love with Canson paper, ink, tissue paper on Strathmore illustration board.
Identifiers
- ISBN
- 9780803738645
- LCCN
- 2012003561
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