Hedgehugs

October 12, 2015
The husband-and-wife team of Wilson and Tapper introduces Horace and Hattie, hedgehogs who are “the very best of friends” but can’t figure out how to hug each other. It’s a familiar picture book conceit, though the collaborators do include at least one novel element—after having no success using snow (“too cold”), logs (“too bumpy”), strawberries (“too sticky”), and leaves (“too scratchy”) to buffer their quills, wearing spare socks like onesies does the trick. “So the next time... one of your socks goes missing, you know what it means,” write the authors, solving one of life’s great mysteries. Ages 4–8.

October 1, 2015
How do you hug if you're a hedgehog? Horace and Hattie are best friends who like to spend time together making daisy chains, splashing in puddles, and having tea parties. But they are OK doing things on their own, too: Hattie dances in the bluebells, while Horace searches the woods for spiders. But no matter what they do, together or apart, there's one thing that they've found impossible: hugging. Each season, they try something new that will enable them to cushion their spines and snuggle up. Snow hugs are too cold, hollow-log hugs are too bumpy, strawberry hugs are too sticky, and autumn-leaf hugs are too scratchy. But a chance encounter with some laundry drying on a line may hold the answer to their problem]as well as to the universal mystery of lost socks. Tapper's illustrations are a mix of what appears to be digital elements and photographed textures from scraps of baby clothes. While the latter provide pleasing textures, the hedgehogs are rendered digitally. Though cute, they are rather stiff and, well, spiky. Also, the typeface choice unfortunately makes the D in "hedgehug" look like a fancy lowercase A, especially to those still working on their reading skills. It's sweet, but it thematically (and eponymously) replicates Dan Pinto and Benn Sutton's Hedgehug (2011)]with much less verve. (Picture book. 2-5)

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February 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-Horace and Hattie are two hedgehog friends who share many things in common. They both like splashing in puddles and making daisy chains. Nonetheless, they express their own individual uniqueness as well. One problem is that they cannot give each other a big hug because they are too spiky. Horace and Hattie try various methods to hug throughout the year. For example, in the winter they rolled in the snow, but the hug was too cold. Finally they come up with a solution all by themselves. Illustrations have a colorful background collage appearance that displays cloth textures in the grass and in the leaves and flower petals. The characters are endearing when they solve their hug problem. VERDICT Suitable for Valentine's Day or any other time a book about a warm friendship feeling is needed.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 21, 2017
In this companion to Hedgehugs and Hedgehugs and the Hattiepillar, hedgehog friends Horace and Hattie are a bit despondent as fall gets underway: the falling leaves are “pretty, but Hattie felt sad that the branches would soon be empty.” Sad thoughts are banished when the two run into a “squeaky thing” hanging from a tree; it’s a purple bat, and the three dive into a game of hide-and-seek that lasts for several pages (and is just challenging enough for younger readers to take part in). Collaged bits of photographic images add warmth to the autumn setting—fabrics with plaid, herringbone, and other patterns bring a cozy texture to leaves, pumpkins, and mushroom caps. It’s a straightforward story but also a helpful reminder that friends new and old can help make unwanted changes easier to bear. Ages 4–8.

July 1, 2016
Best-friend hedgehogs Horace and Hattie do everything together, except hug--they're too spiky! After several unsuccessful ideas (rolling in snow, wearing strawberries) the pair finally finds their answer in an unsuspecting basket of laundry (so that's where missing socks go!). This is a been-done but sweet story of friends working together to solve a problem. Colorful illustrations have a dynamic fabric-collage look.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)