A PLACE TO CALL HOME

Hedgehog has always known where she belonged…until one day, she isn’t so sure.

Hedgehog is excited about winter coming! Winter means snowball fights, tubing, and making snowhogs! On her way to Owl’s house with her best friend, Mutty (a stuffed dog), she runs into…herself? Owl, with the help of his trusty dictionary, tells Hedgehog she has a doppelgänger, although they soon realize it is simply another hedgehog, something Hedgehog is not entirely comfortable with. Meanwhile, Beaver and Annika Mae (a tan-skinned human girl) are building a Friend Fort. Upon learning of the dopplegänger, Beaver stops his work and takes Hedgehog and her animal friends down the river to find the hedgehog. They discover the Hedge Hideaway, where hedgehogs go to hibernate. Should Hedgehog give up her fun winter plans and hibernate among her own kind? She soon realizes it’s not those who look like us on the outside but those who feel like family on the inside who matter most. Laced with a lovely yet never heavy-handed message, Castillo’s follow-up to Our Friend Hedgehog (2020) is as charming as the first title.The cast of characters is delightful, especially Mole, who refers to her pals by using the word friend in different languages. The changing palette draws readers into the seasons—autumnal colors and hints of chilly breezes soon give way to the beauty of snow flurries and, of course, snowhogs.

An endearing and heartwarming journey to define family and self that will resonate deeply.