Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story
Shunned by the much softer creatures in the forest, Mr. Prickles the porcupine is very lonely. It’s not as though he hasn’t tried to reach out to Raccoon, Chipmunk, and Skunk, but the fact is none of them want to get to know him—and it has turned him “prickly on the inside.” While resentfully spying on his nonfriends one evening, he notices the intriguing Miss Pointypants, a porcupine who lives in the stump next door, for the first time. They quickly form a bond doing porcupine-type things, such as swimming and twig eating, which allows them to rise above the teasing of the others. Love blossoms, in spite of the fact that they must hug cautiously, and they realize it’s much better to be alone with someone else. The simple, though sometimes challenging to learn, you’re-perfect-just-the-way-you-are and like-likes-like themes are presented with short sentences, frequent dialogue, good pacing, and clear nocturnal art, making for a very nice, if ever so slightly pedestrian, storytime title. Preschool-Grade 1. --Andrew Medlar