Li'l Oven

I remember being rather young and reading a picture book about a little girl who often plays at her friend's house.

While she plays there, she notices that the other little girl sometimes runs happily to her parents, saying "I need a li'l oven an' some 'uggin!". And then her father will put down his briefcase and bend over to pick her up and give her a hug.

The little girl feels very nice about this and wants this to happen to her too, so when she goes home to her own house, she walks up to her mother and says, "I need a li'l oven." The mother is a little confused, and says well we have an oven here. But the little girl shakes her head and says "that's not the one I want." She tries again when her father comes home, "I need a li'l oven." The parents are confused, but they want to make her happy and see her smile, so they say tomorrow, we will go and find a little oven for you.

Bright and early the next day they got started, and went around to all kinds of toy places. They even found a cute little oven that could really bake small sheets of cookies. But each time they say, "is that the one you want?", the little girl shook her head and says, "no, that's not the one I want." Her parents felt sad because they don't know what to give her even though they looked all day.

As they arrive home, they are getting home at the same time as the father of the friend who lives next door. As the girl's parents get out of the car, they see the neighbor girl run to her father saying, "I need a li'l oven, an' some 'uggin!" and they see him sweep her up in his arms.

They look at their own daughter. "Is that the one you want?" Their little girl smiles, "Yes, that's it." And they sweep her up into their arms and carry her inside.

*****

I remember reading this book and trying it on my parents. I told them about the book and they said that certainly if I ever wanted that, it was good to to ask. Because, they said, a lot of people want to be loved and hugged, but they don't ask. Why not? was my automatic response. Because, they said, sometimes they just don't know how.

(The conversation went something like that)