Mr. Prickles

Mr. Prickles, a porcupine, has good reason to be prickly: the other forest animals callously spurn his many friendly overtures. Sadly, the more Chipmunk, Raccoon, and Skunk shun Mr. Prickles, the more bitter and unfriendly he becomes. LaReau's well-paced, pointedly pun-filled text shines a sympathetic light on her lonely protagonist, while Magoon's playful illustrations bring out the best in the spiky hero.

Mr. Prickles, a porcupine, has good reason to be, well, prickly. The other nocturnal forest animals don't want to be anywhere near him and callously spurn his many friendly overtures. His sharp quills are a bit of a sticking point to be sure, but that doesn't mean that Mr. Prickles isn't "cute...cuddly...[and] playful...on the inside." Sadly, the more Chipmunk, Raccoon, and Skunk (who you'd think would be more accepting of unpleasant qualities in others) shun Mr. Prickles, the more bitter and unfriendly he becomes. LaReau's well-paced, pointedly pun-filled text shines a sympathetic light on her lonely protagonist, and the playful (and cute and cuddly) illustrations bring out the best in the spiky hero. Magoon's use of color and varying perspectives in the nighttime scenes effectively convey mood and intensify the story's emotions. Mr. Prickles seems destined to spend his nights alone angrily glaring at the other animals, but fate has other plans when Miss Pointypants, a female porcupine, moves in to the stump next door. The implied message to stick with your own kind is unfortunate, but Mr. Prickles's concluding observation takes some of the sting out: "it's much nicer being alone with someone else." Point taken. kitty flynn