OUCH!

Hedgehog has just finished building her winter nest and is giving one last yawn before she crawls in, when a juicy apple falls from the tree and gets stuck in her spines. Now too big to fit into her nest, she asks the help of passing animals in getting it off. But all their attempts backfire as more things get stuck to her. When Squirrel pulls on the apple, three of his nuts stick. When Hedgehog follows Pig’s advice to roll on her back, a pear and a leaf are added to the collection. Finally sporting an apple, three nuts, a leaf, a pear, a piece of paper, a water lily and four blackberries, Hedgehog happens to meet Goat, who welcomes the lunch she has brought him. Terry’s illustrations are delightful, full of expression and movement, and perfectly suited to the text. Readers will laugh at Hedgehog as “her little legs paddled in the air and she twisted and wriggled and rolled.” Animal problem-solving at its best. (Picture book. 2-7)