Review by Booklist Review
Hedgehog is feeling pricklier than usual when he finds a letter on the ground. Friend, you are a joy, it begins, ending with I love you. Suddenly, he feels unusually cheerful and agreeable to everything his friends Bunny and Squirrel suggest. In a series of accidents, the letter is lost and picked up by each of the three critters, who are made to feel wonderful after reading it. When they come together again, though, they fight over the letter until a small mouse appears, looking for the note she wrote for her good friend, the moon. The mouse helps everyone see that the warmth they felt after reading the letter is still present in their friendship. Pastel images with a sweet, old-fashioned quality are composed with gouache, brush marker, colored pencil, and ink wash. The letter was created with an actual typewriter, adding to the nostalgic atmosphere. An unconventional but effective look at how to recognize and express love.--Lucinda Whitehurst Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Friend,/ You are a joy, a light,/ a secret hope..../ Don't you know/ I love you?" So reads the letter Hedgehog finds on the ground one grouchy day. "My word," he says, brightening. "Someone loves me." Feeling suddenly cheerful, he doesn't fuss about things that usually irritate him. In three intimate vignettes, Cummins (Truman) shows him losing gracefully, sharing his lunch, and walking his friend Bunny home. Then Hedgehog drops the letter, and Bunny finds it. She's delighted that Hedgehog loves her; another trio of vignettes shows her stepping up to chores she normally avoids. When she drops the letter and anxious Squirrel finds it, he feels "oddly... carefree," and more vignettes show his relaxed reactions. As the friends gather and the letter's recipient is revealed to be a fourth entity, the missive's author helps them see that friends who love each other are lucky, indeed. Cummins places the story in early winter, tinting the spreads with blue, rose, and yellow, and dressing the characters in cozy clothing. Denise (Planting Stories) uses the parallel sequences to demonstrate how seemingly immutable personalities can be transformed by the power of love. Ages 4--8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--When Hedgehog accidentally stumbles upon a love letter in the woods, he assumes it was written to him. The warm feeling it creates changes his normally prickly manner and he is suddenly a delight to be with. His friend Bunny is so charmed by this metamorphosis that she hugs him, causing the letter to fall out of his pocket. When Bunny finds the letter, she naturally assumes that Hedgehog is in love with her and now her lazy nature is transformed into helpfulness. Predictably, when their mutual friend Squirrel discovers the same letter, his anxiety is supplanted by a feeling of tranquility. However, when the three friends realize that somebody entirely unknown to them wrote the poem, they begin to bicker. Fortunately, in the end, they realize the importance of their friendship and all is right with the world. VERDICT Denise's sweet text pairs with Cummins's dreamy and cozy illustrations about the transformative power of love and feelings of affirmation. A tender addition for most collections.--Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A mysterious love letter brightens the lives of three forest animals.Appealing mixed-media illustrations made of ink, gouache, brush marker, and colored pencil combine with a timely message that one kind act can start a chain reaction of kindness. When Hedgehog, Bunny, and Squirrel stumble in turn upon a formally composed love letter, each finds their life improved: Squirrel is less anxious, Bunny spreads goodwill through helpfulness, and Hedgehog is unusually cheerful. As the friends converge to try to discover who sent the letter, the real author appears in a (rather) convenient turn: a mouse who wrote an ode to the moon. Though disappointed that the letter was never meant for them, the friends reflect that the letter still made the world a happier place, making it a "wonderful mix-up." Since there's a lot of plot to follow, the book will best serve more-observant readers who are able to piece the narrative cleanly, but those older readers may also better appreciate the special little touches, such as the letter's enticing, old-fashioned typewriter-style look, vignettes that capture small moments, or the subdued color palette that lends an elegant air. Drawn with minimalist, scribbly lines, the creatures achieve an invigorating balance between charming and spontaneous, with smudged lines that hint at layers of fur and simple, dotted facial expressions.A sweet and far-from-cloying ode to love. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
