When Max's parents decide he is ready to give up his toy dog and take care of a real puppy, Max is thrilled to bring Monty home, but the first night the puppy behaves very badly and it seems nothing will help him fall asleep.
Slug worries that the reason his mother never hugs him is that he is ugly, so he follows his friends' advice to be furry, with a beak, horns, and more, until his mother can no longer recognize him, but then he learns that she loves him, no matter what.