The Hedgehog’s Dilemma – Toon Tellegen

Published By: Pushkin
Pages: 176
Released On: 02/01/2025
Translator: David Colmer
Illustrator: Annemarie van Haeringen

The hedgehog is feeling rather lonely, so one day he decides to invite all the other animals for a party. But the hedgehog is also rather a shy, reserved animal, and is terribly worried about doing or saying something he shouldn’t, and about all the things that could go wrong.

What if nobody comes? What if too many of them come? What if the elephant shows up and breaks all the furniture? Will anyone be able to hear the hedgehog talk above the frog’s croaking?  Maybe inviting the others over wasn’t such a good idea after all…

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

When I first saw this book on NetGalley, I though it sounded like a beautiful book. Like a cross between an adult fiction, a children’s fiction, and a self-help guide with an element of Eeyore about it. But it sadly fell short.

It is rambling and nonsensical. Which I thought was a good thing because it showed the hedgehog inner turmoil, but it made the reading of it bumpy.

I do wonder if it’s to do with the translation. Some people don’t like translated fiction because it loses its essence. I like translated fiction and read a lot of it, particular Japanese and French. But this…I don’t know. It didn’t translate very well, in my opinion. Maybe it felt stronger in its original language than in English.

I think my main problem is it was too long. 176 pages is a lot when nothing really happens. If it was condensed and published as an illustrated story book for kids it might work but in its current form, it just doesn’t work at all.

Is it for adults? Is it for children? Who and what is it meant to be for? What is it meant to be? I don’t know.

It is quick to read and doesn’t take much brain power to understand as nothing really happens because it’s just a hedgehog’s random rambling inner monologue.

I requested a copy of this book on a whim because it looked good and sounded cute, but I was disappointed by it. Definitely had nothing to hold my interested and if it had been any longer I probably wouldn’t have finished it.