Children’s books are some of my favorite books to read because they are just so refreshing from the more heavy novels that I usually read. Thank you so much to RockStar Book Tours for having me on this blog tour and for hosting.
From a Caldecott Honor-winning artist comes a cozy classic-in-the-making about finding your friends and sticking together through thick and thin.
“Our Friend Hedgehog feels like a modern-day Winnie the Pooh . It’s so warm and full of joy and love. It’s got classic written all over it.” –Victoria Jamieson, Newbery Honor-winning author of Roller Girl
Sometimes you make a friend,
and it feels like you have known that friend your entire life. . . .
Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog, Mutty, for company. When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a quest to find her friend. Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who’s new to the neighborhood, Annika May. With bravery and teamwork, there’s nothing that can stop these seven from finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more important: each other.
The first book in a new series from Caldecott Honor winner Lauren Castillo, Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us has the feel of a timeless classic, introducing an unforgettable cast of characters who will star in many more adventures to come.
Lauren studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott Honor winning book, Nana in the City, as well as The Troublemaker and Melvin and the Boy. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, PA.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to RockStar Book Tours and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Look at this illustration! Thank you so much to the publisher for giving me some pages to share for my review.
This was just such a beautiful little story for children and about that amazing little thing that we take for granted called friends. We start this story off with one of our main characters Annika Mae Flores – who happens to be our narrator as well – telling a story about Hedgehog and Mutty and the beginning of their friendship.
This book was described as being a modern-day Winnie the Pooh and I can totally see that with all of the different characters that we are introduced to and having our main human as friends with the animal characters. Things get pretty intense when Mutty (a stuffed dog) gets swept away in a storm and Hedgehog and the gang has to go and find Mutty on an epic journey.
Even though it was just Hedgehog and Mutty alone together for a long time, as what we can see from the beginnings of the novel, I’m glad that we were able to see how Hedgehog was able to open her heart to the rest of the creatures that she was able to make friends with, even though she was perfectly fine with just her and Mutty. I think it’s so important to keep your old friends that have been good for you and your wellbeing, but also open up to new friends that are good for your growth as well.
Sometimes Leelynn Reads 