The Love Letter

"Friend,/ You are a joy, a light,/ a secret hope..../ Don't you know/ I love you?" So reads the letter Hedgehog finds on the ground one grouchy day. "My word," he says, brightening. "Someone loves me." Feeling suddenly cheerful, he doesn't fuss about things that usually irritate him. In three intimate vignettes, Cummins (Truman) shows him losing gracefully, sharing his lunch, and walking his friend Bunny home. Then Hedgehog drops the letter, and Bunny finds it. She's delighted that Hedgehog loves her; another trio of vignettes shows her stepping up to chores she normally avoids. When she drops the letter and anxious Squirrel finds it, he feels "oddly... carefree," and more vignettes show his relaxed reactions. As the friends gather and the letter's recipient is revealed to be a fourth entity, the missive's author helps them see that friends who love each other are lucky, indeed. Cummins places the story in early winter, tinting the spreads with blue, rose, and yellow, and dressing the characters in cozy clothing. Denise (Planting Stories) uses the parallel sequences to demonstrate how seemingly immutable personalities can be transformed by the power of love. Ages 4-8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 1--When Hedgehog accidentally stumbles upon a love letter in the woods, he assumes it was written to him. The warm feeling it creates changes his normally prickly manner and he is suddenly a delight to be with. His friend Bunny is so charmed by this metamorphosis that she hugs him, causing the letter to fall out of his pocket. When Bunny finds the letter, she naturally assumes that Hedgehog is in love with her and now her lazy nature is transformed into helpfulness. Predictably, when their mutual friend Squirrel discovers the same letter, his anxiety is supplanted by a feeling of tranquility. However, when the three friends realize that somebody entirely unknown to them wrote the poem, they begin to bicker. Fortunately, in the end, they realize the importance of their friendship and all is right with the world. VERDICT Denise's sweet text pairs with Cummins's dreamy and cozy illustrations about the transformative power of love and feelings of affirmation. A tender addition for most collections.--Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI