I am thrilled to be hosting
a spot on the OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG by Lauren Castillo Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.
Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About the Book:
Title: OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG: The Story of Us
Author: Lauren Castillo
Pub. Date: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 122
From a Caldecott Honor-winning artist comes a cozy
classic-in-the-making about finding your friends and sticking together through
thick and thin.
“Our Friend Hedgehog feels like a modern-day Winnie the Pooh . It’s so warm and full of joy and love. It’s got classic written all over it.” –Victoria Jamieson, Newbery Honor-winning author of Roller Girl
Sometimes you make a friend,
and it feels like you have known that friend your entire life. . .
.
Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog,
Mutty, for company. When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a
quest to find her friend. Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave
Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a
scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who’s new to the neighborhood, Annika
May. With bravery and teamwork, there’s nothing that can stop these seven from
finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more important:
each other.
The first book in a new series from Caldecott Honor winner Lauren
Castillo, Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us has the feel of a
timeless classic, introducing an unforgettable cast of characters who will star
in many more adventures to come.
I read a lot of children’s stories because I have three kids under the age of ten and we have regular family reading times and also one-on-one readings. It’s just something we do as a family. So when I saw a chance to read a new children’s book coming out, I was super excited to get my hands on it.
Reviewers have compared this adventure to a modern version of Winnie-the-Pooh and I would have to agree that it has a lot of similar elements to it. There are several main characters that become friends through their interactions and desire to want to help one another.
This book teaches readers about bravery, friendship and the importance of being their for those we care about. I do find it difficult to locate books that have this illustrative feel as well where the artwork is more watercolor and calm, as opposed to the many over produced illustrative books of our time.
Now that I have read this book and enjoyed Hedgehog’s journey finding her new friends and creating a whole new set of experiences for herself, I am looking forward to sharing this with my kids and reminding them of the important of friendship and caring for others.
Highly recommended to those that love adventure stories for their kids and are looking for something refreshing and sweet. I rated it 4 out of 5 only because I felt that the background of Mutty and Hedgehog wasn’t quite clear. For example, I didn’t realize that Mutty was a stuffed animal toy of Hedgehog’s until two-thirds of the way through the story. I genuinely thought Mutty was another living character like the others.
Regardless of that though, I adored this story and will be recommending it to my other mom friends as well as incorporating it into my children’s book collection.
About Lauren:
Lauren studied illustration at the
Maryland Institute College of Art and received her MFA from the School of Visual
Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott
Honor winning book, Nana in the City, as well as The Troublemaker and Melvin
and the Boy. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture
books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty
Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and
dreams in Harrisburg, PA.
Giveaway Details:
3
winners will win a finished copy of OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG, US Only.
Rafflecopter
Embed Code:
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
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5/1/2020
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Excerpt
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Week Two:
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5/4/2020
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Spotlight
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5/5/2020
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Review
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5/6/2020
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Review
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5/7/2020
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Review
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5/8/2020
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Excerpt
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Week Three:
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5/11/2020
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Review
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5/12/2020
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Review
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5/13/2020
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Review
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5/14/2020
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Excerpt
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5/15/2020
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Review
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Week Four:
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5/18/2020
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Review
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5/19/2020
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Review
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5/20/2020
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Interview
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5/21/2020
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Review
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5/22/2020
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Review
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Week Five:
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5/25/2020
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Excerpt
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5/26/2020
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Review
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5/27/2020
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Review
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5/28/2020
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Review
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5/29/2020
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Excerpt
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Adventures in Literature 
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