

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Attributed to Plato
I’m feeling a little down and out and could use a hug today, so I chose this recent library read to review…In the picture above, I did not ask Mon Cœur (MC) to pose/pout and she really was in a spectacular mood, I guess she was just channeling the hedgehog’s feelings!
There are so many reasons to love Hedgehog Needs a Hug by Jen Betton (click on this link for reviews, as well as really cute projects, craftivities, and discussion guides for the book).
- It features all our favorite forest animals – rabbits, raccoons, turtles, foxes, and skunks.
- There’s a sing songy alliteration describing how the animals move – the fox sly-slink-slides.
- The story has a universal message that everyone needs a little love and kindness.
- The illustrations are beautiful, and we love talking about what we see on each page. Every time we read, we find something new to discuss.

This book goes great with a couple of other books featuring prickly animals that we love to read:
- Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson
- How do You Hug a Porcupine? by Laurie Isop
