I'm Not Scared by Britta Teckentrup

A Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog Adventure

Little Hedgehog wakes up and Big Hedgehog is missing. This could be scary but Little Hedgehog assures himself he is not scared at all. Big Hedgehog is not far away he has been preparing a picnic which they will share as they walk off into the night. After all hedgehogs are nocturnal! Things do go bump in the forest and there are wild animals but Little Hedgehog is not scared, well not very scared.

Bookseller blurb: This charming and relatable story about being afraid brings back Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog, two of Britta Teckentrup's many marvelous characters who embody human emotions young readers can identify with and easily understand. From dark basements to deserted streets, swooping birds to cars' glaring headlights, menacing foxes to friendly cats, the two friends spend a day and evening confronting things that are both frightful and harmless. As the two hedgehogs walk through their neighborhood, they talk casually about their fears and strategies for dealing with them-whistling, holding hands, counting, being still, and accepting kindness. 

I would love to read or hear this book read aloud - you could have so much fun with the voice of Little Hedgehog who is actually really scared but wants to sound brave. This book shows young readers that it is okay to be scared - mum and dad might get scared sometimes too.

To feel afraid is a natural feeling and this book reinforces not only that but encourages children to talk about things they find frightening and how they might deal with them. It is a gentle story of friendship with the most beautiful illustrations that capture the wonders of nature’s colours, textures and nuances. Just Imagine

When I see the name Britta Teckentrup on a book cover, I know I am in for a visual delight. Oh, and I do adore hedgehogs even though I live in Australia and of course we don't have them here.

There are four books in this series. 

I think this was the original planned cover for I'm not Scared.

Here is book four in German:

The Big and the Little Hedgehog / Again!

In the fourth volume of the already much-loved series The Big and the Little Hedgehog, we have now arrived in spring! Doing the same thing over and over again is very important for young children because it helps them learn and develop, and it gives them a sense of security when engaging with familiar things. In again! It's about children's desire to do it all over again, because it was so great, even if they're already dead tired. 

The English edition will be released in May, 2024.

This relationship between Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog reminded me of this book series:

Help! A story of friendship by Holly Keller

"Mouse whispered ... 'Fox told Skunk and Skunk told me that snakes are very dangerous to mice."

If this a helpful comment? Is this true? Hedgehog knows snake is their friend. What can Hedgehog do?

"That's silly gossip ... You know Snake would never hurt you."

Hedgehog and Mouse set off walking but Mouse keeps looking over his shoulder and so does not notice a hole, a long skinny hole which plunges deep into the ground. Mouse falls down the hole and his leg is hurt.  How can his friends - Hedgehog, Squirrel or Rabbit rescue him? And how will Snake feel when he is told Mouse is now afraid of his old friend? 

Kirkus say this is a predictable story with a clear moral lesson but I disagree.  I think if you read this book to a very young child the ending and solution may be a surprise and your young reading companion is sure to enjoy the vibrant textured illustrations and the warm hug on the final page. Help! was first published in 2007 but it is still available though sadly it is expensive here in Australia.

Farfallina and Marcel also by Holly Keller is one of my favourite picture books. 

Benjamin the lonely dragon by Marc Craste

 

"Once there lived a sad little dragon named Benjamin. He was sad because he didn't have any friends. None of the other dragons in his small village would play with him. You see Benjamin had a problem - he was afraid of fire."

The plot line for this book is very familiar.  The dragon has no fire, he leaves home in disgrace, meets a new friend, performs a heroic deed, finds his fire and returns home a hero.

The special feature here is the tender relationship between Benjamin, the dragon and Roger his little hedgehog friend. The best demonstration of this relationship comes when Benjamin calls Roger - Rog and Roger called Benjamin - Ben.  I know this sounds simple but this was a moment in the story which, pardon the pun, warmed my heart.

"Then, just as Benjamin thought he would collapse from cold and tiredness, he noticed a small, dark shape on the ground ahead. Peering through the snow, he saw that it was indeed Roger, but his relief turned to despair. His little friend was covered in ice and snow, and had turned blue with cold."

This book is a treasure found by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything at a recent charity book sale. The copy she found was only $2 and even though this book was first published in 1994 this copy is in mint condition which means the publisher used good paper and the book has been stored carefully. This book is long out of print but I am happy that this copy will now go into a library where it can be borrowed and enjoyed by a whole new set of readers.  But I need to put on my detective hat. Who is Marc Craste and who are Murray Child and Company - the publisher from Collaroy? I had no idea a publisher had a business in Collaroy in the 1990s. This suburb is very near my home here in Sydney. This is especially odd because Marc Craste lives in the UK.

So now we need to complete the circle. Marc Craste illustrated Varmints which written by Helen Ward the illustrator I featured yesterday! Marc Craste works in the film industry as an animator. His movies include: Varmints, Jo Jo in the Stars, Stuck on a Sunday, Neighbors, Guinness and Seconds From Greatness. If you have time click the link for Varmints - it is an amazing short film reminiscent of The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan. Or you could watch the two minute trailer. Here are some details:

Adapted and directed by Marc Craste, Varmints is a 24-minute film based on the award-winning book of the same name by Helen Ward and illustrated by Craste, that tells the story of one small creature's struggle to preserve a world in danger of being lost forever through recklessness and indifference. A crew of 35 people worked in three countries over a two year period to make the film, and an original score by Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson and sound design by Adrian Rhodes complete the picture.

I had a copy of Varmints in my former library but I will confess I did not read it (you can't read every book). I now need to look for this. I can see this book would be perfect to pair with another Helen Ward book - The Tin Forest.

Lulu and the Hedgehog in the rain by Hilary McKay illustrated by Priscilla Lamont

Ever since I read Hodgeheg by Dick King Smith I have had this little obsession with hedgehogs which is why I picked up Lulu and the Hedgehog in the rain.  This is a charming little story slightly reminiscent of The Little Red Hen because Lulu asks everyone to help her care for the little lost hedgehog she finds washed up one day after torrential rain but ultimately this task falls to Lulu herself.

Lulu is determined to let the little hedgehog live a free life.  She feels the hedgehog should not be treated as a pet.  To do this she needs the co-operation of everyone in her neighbourhood so she can be sure when the hedgehog burrows under the fence he will still be safe in the next garden and the next and the next.

She needs Charlie to remember to shut his gate, the new old lady to stop using snail and slug poisons and the bossy man must not burn the piles of leaves he rakes up in his garden.  Lulu and her cousin decide to form a hedgehog club complete with special badges and instructions.

This is a easy book to read with just six short chapters and delightful illustrations.  It would be fun to read aloud or give to a newly independent reader.

Here is a little extract that made me smile :

"We still need a name.  What have you thought of?'  ...  
Mellie lifted up the shoebox lid and looked at the hedgehog. 
 'Pineapple,' she said.  
'Pineapple!' 
'Or Prickles.' 
'Nearly every hedgehog in the world is called Prickles,' objected Lulu. 
There was a pause while Lulu and Mellie patted hay and leaves into a comfortable bed and tried to think of a name that no hedgehog in the world had yet been called.  
'Bubbles!' said Lulu.  
'John' said Mellie.  
'John? John! are you mad?' 
'John Cherry Bubbles Pineapple Prickles,' said Mellie. 'Five names, like the queen!"

There are six books in this series and we have all of them in our school library.

The Hodgeheg by Dick King Smith

Picking up a book by Dick King Smith always conjures special feelings. It is like sitting in a warm living room in front of a cosy fire, snow gently falling outside you settle into your arm chair with a cup of hot cocoa and jam toast and begin to read.

This is exactly how I felt on a hot summer night when I started to read The Hodgeheg and once again Dick King Smith did not disappoint.

Victor Maximilian St George or Max to his family and friends is a very d e t e r m i n e d young hedgehog. The park is located on the other side of the road and the park is the place all hedgehogs want to go for food and fun but the journey across the road is a life threatening one. In fact this story begins with the untimely death of Auntie Betty run over while crossing the road.

Max is a bright boy and he is determined (this is a theme in this book!) to find a safe way across to the park. He makes three attempts and there are disastrous consequences. In the first Max is hit by a cyclist and bumping his head badly on the curb leads to his new mixed up way of speaking – words in the wrong order, first letters muddled and so on. There are three possible ways to cross – the zebra crossing, at the traffic lights or with the little humans who walk safely when a great big human in a long white coat with a pole that works like a magic wand as she walks out onto the road and the traffic stops immediately. Max needs to work out how happens because this might prove to be the safest way of all for tiny little hedgehogs to cross to the park.

The illustrations are perfect, the cover is cute and the writing is charming and funny. This is a perfect little beginning novel for a younger Primary reader and once you start reading Dick King Smith you will certainly come back for more. Personal favourites by this author include Smasher, Happy Mouseday, The Sheep pig and Blessu.

I am very sad that this wonderful author died earlier this year but since he produced so many fabulous books just take a look in any library and you will see we can all keep reading wonderful stories like this one for many years to come. By the way this is another book I found in the NSW School Magazine Bookshelf list.