C. R. Mudgeon

PreS-Gr 2—C. R. Mudgeon is a prickly hedgehog whose orderly life is shaken up by a new neighbor. Paprika has a penchant for bright colors, hot sauce, and maracas. C. R. rebuffs the squirrel's friendly overtures and has to take to his bed to recuperate. Unable to bear the sight of her red poppy garden, the smell of her spices, or the sound of her music any longer, he puts an angry letter in her mailbox telling her to "move to a faraway tree." The next night he regrets his actions: "The quiet gave him a headache." When C. R. finds Paprika sick with the "whooping whiffles," he nurses her back to health. Hector's charcoal and watercolor illustrations are full of witty details, like C. R.'s droopy daisy boutonniere and Paprika's chili-pepper-patterned dress. While C. R. Mudgeon's change of heart comes about rather quickly, children will appreciate the sentiment that "Good friends are the spice of life."—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada