No Hugs for Porcupine

Toddler-PreS—When night falls on the forest, all of the animals get good night hugs from one another. All of them except for Porcupine, that is. Porcupine's spiky quills frighten the other animals and they see him as being too grumpy. Porcupine is quick to point out that he doesn't need a hug—but maybe he does want one. The lack of affection is what makes him grumpy, so he sets off in a huff to make himself more huggable. In the process, Porcupine is found by Armadillo. Armadillo, who has a thick leather shell, offers Porcupine a kiss instead. After receiving a quick kiss on the nose, Porcupine feels much better about life. Armadillo helps Porcupine build up the courage to teach the other forest animals about kissing and soon, everyone wants in on the action. The artwork, also done by the author, is sweet and charming. The prickly nature of Porcupine and some sly humor keep the story from being overly saccharine. Waring's narrative shows that everybody deserves affection, even if some people give and receive their love in different ways.