A fun little story of a hedgehog who just wants to live the good life
While hedgehogs may be known to be quite the little workers, not all of them succumb to the stereotype. One in particular enjoys a bit of relaxation and the convenience of fresh dogfood served in a bowl. Why hunt for food when it can be acquired so easily in the yard of one friendly dog and its family?
Harry the hedgehog is living in the lap of luxury. But this luxury is disturbed when the homeowners grow tired of Harry’s lazy ways and general mischief and drop him off in the woods, away from his cushy life. When his reality is shaken up like this, he’s forced to change his ways and fend for him. This sweet story is full of lessons, excitement, and just about the cutest hedgehogs you’ll ever see.
The Lazy Hedgehog follows Harry and his friend Hazel, who is a much harder worker than him. They’re depicted perfectly with big wide eyes and hearty smiles on each page; it’s hard not to excuse little Harry’s behavior because of his unending cuteness—like when he drops all of the dog food out of the bowl or when he accidentally finds himself under the foot of the mother of the home. With all of his relaxing, he can’t seem to stay out of trouble, but lucky for us and maybe less so for him, it’s loads of fun reading about the ways he gets into it.
A bigger message lies behind the book’s cute exterior. Harry has to learn the benefits of independence the hard way. It’s only when he’s left to his own devices in the wild that he realizes how hunting and foraging can actually be quite rewarding. While it takes real effort to do this, he’s not spiteful. He ends his night in the wilderness with a smile on his face and beams with determination at the idea of having to fight for what he wants and needs. This is an important, useful lesson for little ones who think dinners and clean rooms just arrive magically.
The parents go on their own learning journey in the book too. At the beginning, they are quite annoyed at the presence of hedgehogs in their garden. The mother has to move the dog food indoors and suffer the pricks of the hedgehog in her foot after stepping on him by accident. She becomes fed up with him, and rightfully so. However, when she finally rids herself of Harry, she realizes that the work he did eating the snails was a real benefit to her garden. I love that her story comes to a head in this way just like Harry learns his own benefits. So often it’s easy to think of wildlife as pests but every living thing plays a part in keeping the balance of the world, and it’s an important lesson for us as humans to remember that, even if it can be inconvenient at times.
The Lazy Hedgehog will be a hit for kids and parents alike, successfully exploring themes of acceptance, determination, and friendship. (WARNING: may cause cuteness overload.)
What did you think?