Release date
Tuesday, April 22nd

 

Launch Party
Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10am
Red Balloon Bookshop
891 Grand Avenue / Saint Paul, MN 55105
Event Link

 

From Booklist
★ Starred Review
“The dynamic between the text and illustrations is especially powerful, since the text by itself seems to tell the story of a rude Badger whose outburst is met with violence. Hall’s trademark painted-paper illustrations, however, reveal that the other animals are showing compassion . . . Ultimately, the “lesson” Bear teaches is one of empathy for someone who is hurting.

 

From School Library Journal
★ Starred Review
“This simple tale will resonate with young children, who often have big emotions for reasons they cannot verbalize. Used in a classroom setting, this book makes for a powerful tale to help students express empathy for others . . . this work is full of warmth and sensitivity toward its audience. Highly recommended.”

 

From the Publisher
“Punch! sparkles with inventive wordplay, rhythm, repetition, homonyms, and plenty of suspense and action. Rich with social and emotional hooks, this picture book is a terrific choice for story time and family sharing.”

 

From the Author
While collecting soundalike words for my earlier book, Cat Tale, I noticed a group of them that were also synonyms for the word “hit.” I realized that if you were to say someone “socked, belted, cuffed, and crowned” another person, you could mean either that they beat them up or got them dressed. This wordplay eventually led me to write Punch!, a picture book about the power of compassion and forgiveness over the impulse to seek revenge.

 

From the Front Flap
The words in this book seem to tell a story of revenge. But some words have more than one meaning. And sometimes there is more to a situation than meets the eye. So look at the pictures carefully. What do you see?

 

Purchase Links
local bookseller
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

 

Punch!: A Story About Kindness
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Hardcover 40 pages
ISBN-10: 0062866214
ISBN-13: 978-0062866219