The Boy and the Hedgehog

Ben cherishes his family garden above all places, with its towering sunflowers, unsteady wooden fence and small green shed. On a warm evening, as the sky glows pink and gold, he puts on his red wellington boots and slips outside to watch the shadows lengthen over the grass. Holding still as his mum taught him, he notices a small round shape rustling by the fence: a hedgehog with a cream face and tiny black nose, a dry leaf perched on its spines.

The hedgehog is heading home, yet the gap beneath the lowest fence board is too narrow to pass. Ben brings his mum, who tells him these animals come out at dusk to search for beetles and worms, and with Dad the family begins to help. This gentle tale by Jane MEADOW shows how kindness and teamwork can help small wild visitors, and it can be read on Kids Tale Book.