Recommended by Katie at Robbins
Translated from German

Beautifully expressive and realistic pencil and colored pencil art show Squirrel and his friend Hedgehog emerging from their winter hibernation and enjoying their spring activities: lying in the sunshine, collecting food, and running through the forest and meadow. But then Hedgehog falls in love with a lady Hedgehog, and Squirrel has some dubious advice: "It is not easy to win the heart of a lady hedgehog...The best way is to gain fame and glory by showing everyone how brave and strong you are." Thus begins a hilarious episode of finding the right costume, then finding a "suitable opponent" (their oblivious friend, the bear). After they "conquer" the (napping) bear, they bring some flowers to the lady hedgehog...who turns out to be a hairbrush. "That can happen to anybody," quacks Duck.

It's hard to say which is the star here, the illustrations or the text. Together they add up to a perfect, funny springtime book.

See also: Frog and Toad, Fraidyzoo

*

Re-read December 2019 ( )

funny! visual humor ... ( )

Meschenmoser's books about Mr. Squirrel just make me laugh and laugh! They don't always click with kids - Waiting for winter is the most relatable, but sometimes I just have to get a few picture books for the grown-ups.

Mr. Squirrel and his friend the hedgehog have waited for winter together, experienced all the drama of an apparently missing moon, and now its spring!

The black and white, pencil drawings of the cold winter world have been touched with color. Squirrel is still feeling a bit groggy, but he can see the changes - grass, leaves, and insects. What has happened? "It's SPRING!" roars the bear, with bear-sized enthusiasm. Squirrel is up for it, but hedgehog isn't ready to join in. What's wrong with the hedgehog? He has seen something. Something amazing, something wonderful. A Beautiful lady hedgehog. How can he catch her eye? Luckily, Mr. Squirrel has his back and plenty of suggestions for showing his bravery.

SPOILERS

The funniest part of this is the surprise endings. First when Mr. Squirrel and the hedgehog "defeat" their friend the bear (who doesn't even really realize they're there) and secondly when the hedgehog makes a disappointing discovery about his "lady love" who's really not a hedgehog at all!

While few, if any, kids will pick up on the Don Quixote references, they're sure to giggle along with Mr. Squirrel's efforts to prove their courage, including dressing in "armor" and battling other creatures. The surprise ending is good for a laugh as well.

Verdict: Not an absolutely necessary purchase, but definitely a fun one to add to your spring picture book collection.

ISBN: 9780735843103; Published April 2018 by North South; Borrowed from another library in my consortium