Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Jan Brett's beloved character Hedgie stars in this charming story about a little Tomten who gets tired of porridge for breakfast and starts stealing Henny's eggs. But Henny wants a brood of chicks and she needs her eggs. With the help of clever Hedgie, she substitutes an acorn, a strawberry, a mushroom and finally a potato in her nest. But nothing stops that Tomten until the little hedgehog hides in Henny's nest: when the Tomten reaches in to get his morning treat, all he gets is a handful of prickles. He runs home for porridge and never comes back again! Intricate needlepoint patterns of Scandinavian designs frame the characters reacting from the borders in this beautiful picture book set in Denmark.
Hedgie, the hedgehog, helps Henny, the speckled hen, trick the Tomten who has been eating all of Henny's eggs for breakfast.
Synopsis
Jan Brett's beloved character Hedgie stars in this charming story about a little Tomten who gets tired of porridge for breakfast and starts stealing Henny's eggs. But Henny wants a brood of chicks and she needs her eggs. With the help of clever Hedgie, she substitutes an acorn, a strawberry, a mushroom and finally a potato in her nest. But nothing stops that Tomten until the little hedgehog hides in Henny's nest: when the Tomten reaches in to get his morning treat, all he gets is a handful of prickles. He runs home for porridge and never comes back again!
Intricate needlepoint patterns of Scandinavian designs frame the characters reacting from the borders in this beautiful picture book set in Denmark.
Publishers Weekly
Brett's (The Mitten; The Hat) trademark, elaborately bordered paintings are once again the centerpiece of her latest tale set in timeless rural Scandinavia. And, as in her prior works, the author's endearingly expressive animal characters, depicted in meticulous detail, steal the show. After viewing Goosey-Goosey's brood of chicks, Henny the hen longs for her very own offspring. But each morning a greedy, elf-like "Tomten" steals her newly laid egg, insisting he needs "a little yummy for my hungry, hungry tummy." Henny awakens her friend, Hedgie the hedgehog, with a loud wail, "No eggs, no chicks, no peeping babies," and he offers to help Henny put a stop to the Tomten's thievery. On successive days, her pal plants in Henny's nest an acorn, a strawberry, a mushroom, a potato and--in the ultimate deceit--hides himself in the straw, rolled into a ball, which sends the rogue running after he picks up the prickly fellow. Thanks to Hedgie's cleverness, five eggs hatch into fluffy chicks, fulfilling Henny's wish for a family of her own. Youngsters will be happily diverted by the busy goings-on in both Brett's mainframe illustrations and elegant borders, which feature a red-and-white needlepoint background and egg-shaped spot art that tactically foreshadows the narrative. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Author EssayAll About Hedgie's Surprise
Hedgie's Surprise is a story about friendship. Like many great partners, Hedgie's skills balance nicely with those of his friend Henny, who has talents of her own.
I needed a mischief maker to set events in motion. A Danish Tomten was my choice. On a trip to Denmark I learned that a Tomten is a Danish elf who lives secretly in the barn. If the farmer offers him porridge, the Tomten helps things along on the farm. But if the farmer ignores the little elf, things go mysteriously wrong!
I have always been fascinated by hedgehogs. They are wild animals that can coexist with us humans. Because hedgehogs protect themselves by rolling in a ball, they don't run away. We can observe their big, sensitive eyes for seeing in the dark and their funny turned-up snouts for digging insects. They are adorable and comical at the same time!
To create this book, I decided I must have my very own chicken. I needed to observe her to draw her well. I bought one-day-old chicks and raised them under a heat lamp. Now I have my own flock of five magnificent laying hens that have become my dear pets. Pansy and Bluebell are silver-laced Wyandottes. The old biddy, Dahlia, is a Delaware, and she is top hen. Daisy and Chrysanthemum are my fancy bantam silkies. They all lay eggs, which are delicious. They love to pose for me because they get bored easily!
--Jan Brett