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Summary
Summary
Hedgehog is hogging the hedge and won't let the other animals live there. In this humorous political allegory, he learns that it's not a winning strategy.
Winter is coming, and the animals need homes. The worms move in with the groundhogs. The possums share a burrow with the foxes. The birds and the squirrels stay in the oak tree together. The hedgehog lives in the hedge . . . all by himself. When other animals come looking for a place to stay, he's NOT interested; it's HIS hedge and everyone else can STAY OUT. He gets busy making signs, putting locks on his door and even building a fence. All he cares about is keeping the other animals out . . . but he's making a huge mistake.
Will the other animals find a home in time? Will Hedgehog learn his lesson? Is this a terrific story? Read on to find out.
Author Notes
ASHLYN ANSTEE grew up in a rainy city in Canada and then settled in a sunny city in the United States. She works as a story artist at JibJab/StoryBots, and in her spare time, makes tiny things out of paper. She writes, draws, illustrates, animates and is the creator of the books No, No, Gnome! and Are We There, Yeti? Ashlyn has never hogged a hedge, but she does live by herself in Los Angeles, California.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-As winter closes in, all of the garden animals search for a warm place to stay. Most animals double up in their homes: bees and ladybugs share a hive, foxes and possums share a burrow, etc. All except for Hedgehog who lives in the garden hedge-he stubbornly refuses to share. In fact, he puts up signs and builds a fence to mark his place and keep the other creatures out. When he throws a tantrum, slams his door, and ruins his hedge, he must seek refuge with the very creatures he has turned away. Luckily, they are forgiving and willing to make room for him. Hedgehog then shares the pie he is seen making on the title page just as the first snow falls. The final illustration, done in crayon and gouache, shows solitary Hedgehog happily eating and chatting with Grasshopper, fully won over by company and sharing. -VERDICT A good read-aloud choice for hibernation or sharing themes.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
As winter approaches, doubly prickly Hedgehog retreats to his single-occupancy digs in the hedge, while other animals contentedly bunk together: the bees share their hive with the ladybugs and the foxes make room in their burrow for the possums. But when their residences become overcrowded and animals mosey on over to the hedge looking for shelter, unaccommodating Hedgehog lives up to his name. (Not one to mince his words, he posts a sign that reads "Mine" on the hedge-a proclamation that kids will both identify with and snicker at.) Meanwhile cheerful Grasshopper welcomes all in need into his humble abode underneath the hedge, and even makes room for contrite Hedgehog, who arrives with a pie-to share!-after his vehement door slam topples his home. Ample humor, displayed in punchy speech balloons and mixed-media cartoons that contrast scowling Hedgehog with his perky neighbors, helps Anstee (Are We There, Yeti?) deliver her message without a trace of didacticism. This entertaining tale will easily open doors to dialogue about generosity, forgiveness, and the importance of recognizing that "there's always room for one more." Ages 3-7. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Winter is closing in, and one selfish soul is not opening his door to those in need of shelter.In a very timely story about sanctuary, a hedgehog with a significant piece of hedgescape is unwilling to share his acreage with others looking for protection against winter's icy blasts. The bees and the ladybugs are sharing the hive (depicted inaccurately as a wasps' nest); the birds and the squirrels are sharing the tree; and even the unlikely pairing of the fox and the possum are sharing a burrow (though maybe the fox has ulterior motives not mentioned here). But all those who ask the hedgehog to share his grand greenery get the bum's rush: "No! This is MY hedge." Indeed, so many come to ask for a little space and the hedgehog has to slam the door so many times that the last slam crumbles the hedgehog's hedge abode to pieces. Now who has to go begging? Fortunately the other creatures--drawn in fine, emotive cartoon mode by Anstee--are blessed with a natural decency that offers not only sanctuary, but a great array of diversity, from grasshoppers to bunnies to, yup, a hedgehog. A bit obvious in its message, but in these ham-handed times, very au courant. An easily applicable allegory full of dreamy bigheartedness. (Picture book. 4-8)
Booklist Review
Hedgehog, the garden curmudgeon, lives comfortably alone in a well-appointed hedge, while other creatures hunker down together for winter (bees and ladybugs gather in a hive, possums and foxes in a burrow). A steady stream of animals ring Hedgehog's doorbell, asking for room in the hedge, but they are quickly rebuffed. Just as quickly, Grasshopper invites them to her home under the hedge. As more and more arrive at Hedgehog's door, he becomes increasingly agitated and possessive and eventually ruins his abode. Now it is Hedgehog who has to ask for space at Grasshopper's house. She readily invites him in, and all of the garden's inhabitants settle down as snow begins to fall. The multitude of animals, depicted in a simple, childlike style, fill many of the pages but are easily identifiable in the softly colored illustrations. While the balanced text is brief and accessible to new readers, it packs drama in just the right places. Hedgehog, Grasshopper, and company do a wonderful job of demonstrating how sharing and compassion can work.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2018 Booklist