Our Friend Hedgehog The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo is just the type of short novel that you hope will be a series. As each of the characters are introduced and the storyline is revealed, you say to yourself, this is a wonderful read aloud chocked full of all the things we hope for in a story.
Not to give away too much of the story, here is Hedgehog. Hedgehog lives on a beautiful island in a river with Mutty, her best friend. As with most stories, tragedy strikes and Hedgehog has to use all that is in her to conquer her fears, face the unknown, and come out triumphant. All in just over a hundred pages. I have to give it to Lauren Castillo, she packs a lot of story into those one hundred pages.
Rich with illustrations, Our Friend Hedgehog has tucked away, mentor text moments that will make every zoom read aloud feel like a secret mini-lesson on author’s craft. Just the kind of multi-tasking we need in this isolated but also rushed half virtual, have live world.
For example, Lauren Castillo begins her beautiful text with setting, richly painting a picture of hedgehog’s world using all of the kinds of descriptive words that young (and older) authors can emulate.
Here, Lauren Castillo gives us a sneak peek into the story arc of the narrative. Just the type of introduction, young narrative writers might use.
Words and pictures seamlessly carrying the narrative forward. Could a young author changed their word spacing to enhance their story?
This is a magical read aloud perfect for most morning meetings virtually or live, synchronously or asynchronous. The bonus is all of the rich author’s craft demonstrations available through this lively text.
Here’s a ‘first chapter’ of Our Friend Hedgehog to enjoy today.
