In a companion piece to her popular 'The Mitten', Brett spins an original tale of a hedgehog who becomes entangled in a stocking, much to the amusement of his fellow animals. But Hedgie has the last laugh, as readers who piece together the three simultaneous story lines in Brett's trademark framed border art will anticipate. A single-joke book, perhaps, but one that's certain to elicit smiles. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this agreeable companion to The Mitten, a Scandinavian girl prepares for winter's arrival by hanging her woolens out to air. When a red-and-white patterned sock falls from the line and gets stuck on his prickles, a hedgehog (who bears the too-cute name of Hedgie) acquires a curious-looking hat. Various farmyard animals mock him, but when Hedgie explains that his new headgear will protect him from the impending snowfall, they are inspired to search out similar garb. Leaving a more lasting impression than this sparse plot, Brett's signature art introduces animal characters as endearing and expressive as those who congregated in her earlier book's expandable white mitten. The format here is familiar as well: the artist frames her double-page pictures with broad borders depicting additional goings-on that hint at the tale's outcome. As before, Brett demonstrates an expert eye for color, rendering the child's embroidered coat and lush, patterned knits in vivid primary hues that pop boldly from the cool, subdued tones of the northern winter landscape and sky. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Ages 4^-8. Hedgie the hedgehog makes the best of a bad situation when a red woolen stocking blows off Lisa's laundry line and becomes stuck on his prickles. He is embarrassed at first, but when the mother hen laughs and asks what's on his head, he tells her, "Why, it's my new hat. Isn't it beautiful?" The goose, the dog, and the other animals laugh in turn. As with many of Brett's books, this one follows more than one line of action as it progresses: in side panels Lisa goes about simple daily tasks until she realizes her stocking is missing, and the laundry line shown in a box at the top of the page gradually empties. At the end of the story, we see the animals arrayed in brightly colored woolen mittens, scarves, and sweaters, with Hedgie, relieved of his stocking, thinking how silly they all look. This original story may not have quite the resonance of Brett's enormously and justifiably popular book The Mitten (1989), a retelling of a Ukrainian folk tale, but it has charm and humor in its own right. Children will love looking at the side and top panels and predicting what is going to happen next. The setting is the Danish countryside (detailed down to the moss on a tree) on a day when the first snow begins to fall, and Brett conveys the season with such loving spirit that children will almost wish for winter. --Susan Dove Lempke

K-Gr 3-By Jan Brett. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In a companion book to Brett's The Mitten (1989), a little girl decides to unpack her winter woolens from their decorated chest and hang them out on a line to air before winter comes. The format is the same as that of the first book, with a large main illustration on each page and window frames showing other action occurring at the same time. A curious hedgehog puts his head into a fallen stocking, and--because of his prickles--can't get unstuck. Hedgie encounters other animals, each of whom wants to know about the stuck sock; the hedgehog gives several reasons for its presence: It's a beautiful hat, it will keep him dry, it will keep his ears warm, etc. Each animal runs off with a mission--culling clothes from the line to wear. Throughout, the girl reads, watches out the window, spies the entangled hedgehog, frees him, and tells him that animals don't wear clothes. The satisfying story celebrates the cozy hearth, home, and barnyard of picturesque Scandinavian country life, frozen in time. Brett's somber tones of pre-winter are enlivened by the intricate, colorful clothing; her fine, independent heroine is in charge of the story, and the inventive little hedgehog triumphs as well. (Picture book. 4-7)