Since his friend died in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, David Sylvester adopted a mission to enhance the world one interaction at a time. To that end, he bicycled and gave charitable service in: North America 2002 - Washington State to Philadelphia Africa 2004 - Cairo to Cape Town Asia 2007 - Istanbul to Beijing North America 2008 - San Diego to NYC North America 2011 - Minneapolis to NYC Australia 2015 - Sydney to Melbourne Unable to bicycle in 2016, "Big Dave"- as he is known - continued his mission via a car and staged Hug Events in 31 states - making it a point to visit places touched by violence like San Bernardino, OKC, Chicago, Cleveland, and Orlando the Pulse Nightclub. The previous year's warmth prompted him to hug people at the "literal" heart/center of the nation in Lebanon, KS, on Valentine's Day 2017. Later in 2017, he continued with Hug and High5 Tour of America and hugged 14K people in 48 states. The experience was fantastic and must have touched a lot of people's hearts because when the shootings in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas, occurred - people said, "Dave get down there and hug people." And he did. Since then, he's staged hug tours throughout Alaska, Europe, and Israel. And even did a 48 state goodwill tour during the pandemic just to create more smiles in the world. That's the story! David Hale Sylvester is just a guy who wants the world to smile and has embraced 500,000] people in 50 states and 42 countries in 20 years to make that grin happen. Here are 99 picture-punctuated stories from Big Dave's travels that will hopefully make you smile too and offer a hug to someone too. Enjoy

A young boy discovers many different kinds of hugs and ways to show love as family members and friends gather to welcome his immigrant relatives from China.

Captain Cuddles can stop a bank robbery and round up the bad guys, halt a runaway train, and defeat the forces of evil—all with a hug! Features die-cuts on the cover and lift-the-flaps throughout. When an evil flea realizes that Captain Cuddles is ridding the world of all of the bad guys, he hatches a dastardly plan to lure Captain Cuddles into a spaceship and to blast him into outer space. Is this the end of Captain Cuddles? This humorous adventure features die-cuts on the cover and lift-the-flaps throughout.

The New York Times bestselling book that celebrates love and hugs--from beloved MUTTS cartoonist and Caldecott honor-winning artist Patrick McDonnell! There was once a kitten so filled with love he wanted to give the whole world a hug! Jules the kitten (also known in the MUTTS cartoons as "Shtinky Puddin'") knows that hugs can make the world a better place. So he makes a "Hug To-Do List"--with the endangered species of the world at the top--and travels the globe to show all of the animals that someone cares. From Africa to the North Pole to his own back yard, Jules proves a hug is the simplest--but kindest--gift we can give. With its gently environmental theme, this joyous rhyming story about sharing love is an ideal gift year-round.

When is it time for a hug? Anytime! This feel-good picture book assures kids there's plenty of love to go around-the-clock.

The iconic founder of the "Beyond Baroque" magazine and Literary/Arts Center in Venice, California, crafts an amazing alternate-history tale of invention, corporate control, and hidden agendas, all told through his "tour-de-force" wordsmithing.