Boar and Hedgehog

by David Elliott, Eugene Yelchin (Illustrator)

Overview

Boar is grumpy. Hedgehog is a know-it-all. Could they EVER be friends? From an outstanding team comes a classic story of unexpected camaraderie, told with wit and disarming sweetness.

All the animals say Boar is cranky. And he does live in a dark cave—that matches his mood just fine. But annoying Hedgehog keeps offering suggestions for nicer spots, near the riverbank, for example. Hedgehog probably wants to be helpful, but he comes across as a busybody.

When Hedgehog gets stuck in a hole and calls for help, who might come assist him? Well, Boar might. If they were friends. But are they? This captivating and funny story of two characters who find unlikely companionship together is brought to vibrant life by Eugene Yelchin’s superb illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536244748
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	06/10/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

David Elliott is the author of numerous beloved picture books for children, including Baabwaa and Wooliam, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and the New York Times best-selling And Here’s to You!, illustrated by Randy Cecil. He is also the author of several novels in verse for older readers. David Elliott lives in Warner, New Hampshire.

Eugene Yelchin is the author-illustrator of the Sydney Taylor Honor Book The Genius Under the Table and the author-illustrator of the National Book Award Finalist The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, coauthored with M. T. Anderson. A versatile illustrator of numerous picture books for young readers, he was awarded the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Illustration. Originally from Leningrad, he now makes his home in Los Angeles.

By his own admission, David Elliott was “very peripatetic” in his youth, but after living in the Philippines, Palau, Israel, Mexico, Libya, Boston, and Columbus, Ohio, the children’s book author finally settled in the countryside. “Neither my wife nor I had lived in the country before,” he explains. “And the many required adjustments perplexed and sometimes dismayed us (they still do!).” For the talented writer and professor however, inspiration has come along with the challenges of rural living.

“Six months or so after we had begun to settle into our 180-year-old house, I found myself waking up, night after night, at just past 4:00 AM. It took a few nights, but I discovered the culprit—my neighbor’s rooster,” the author says. “At first I wanted to strangle that bird, but on the sixth or seventh night, I began to appreciate him. He’s simply following his nature, I thought. There was a great comfort in that.” And it’s thanks to that bird that readers can enjoy David Elliott’s work And Here’s to You!, an exuberant ode to joy illustrated by Randy Cecil. “One night, in that hypnogogic state between sleep and consciousness, I woke up with these worlds floating through my head: ‘Here’s to the birds! The Feather People! Birds! Here’s to the whooo ones. The cock-a-doodle-doo ones.’ I knew I was onto something then.”

David Elliott is the author of many other children’s books, including What the Grizzly Knows, Finn Throws a Fit, and the animal poetry series including On the Farm, In the Wild, In the Sea, and On the Wing. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and son and their bearded collie, Psyche.

Eugene Yelchin is a Russian-American artist best known as an illustrator and writer of books for children. In 2006 he received the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators Tomie DePaola Award and began writing and illustrating picture books and middle-grade historical fiction. Since then his books have been published by Scholastic Press, HarperCollins, Simon&Schuster, Macmillan, Candlewick Press, Clarion Books, and Harcourt. He is the illustrator for The Rooster Prince of Breslov, which won a National Jewish Book Award, and Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku, which has received more than forty awards. He is the author-illustrator of the middle-grade novels Breaking Stalin’s Nose, which received a Newbery Honor and has been translated into ten languages, and The Haunting of Falcon House, winner of a Golden Kite Award. Eugene Yelchin lives with his wife and children in Topanga, California. Visit him at www.eugeneyelchinbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

The writer David Elliott and the illustrator Eugene Yelchin pair their talents to droll and beguiling effect in “Boar and Hedgehog,” a picture book for children ages 4-9 about a prickly friendship.
—The Wall Street Journal

Playful and witty art perfectly suits this marvelously understated story. Cleverly composed, firmly outlined, deeply colored illustrations convey both Boar’s cranky intransigence and Hedgehog’s politely expressed good sense.
—Kirkus Reviews

[An] engaging picture book.
—Publishers Weekly

The sweet story has a cheeky sense of humor to keep it from getting too sentimental, and it’s a hoot to watch Boar reevaluate his relationship with Hedgehog. Vibrant mixed-media illustrations feature wonderful texture and detail, and Boar’s wide range of expressions are a particular pleasure. A funny and warm examination of what it takes to make a friend.
—Booklist

From the Publisher

2025-03-22
Can a bilious beast adjust his attitude?

Bulky, long-snouted, squinch-eyed Boar has always been a grump. Who knows why? His fellow woodland creatures look out for him (after all, he’s “a neighbor and one of their own”), but only Hedgehog attempts to reach out to Boar. Hedgehog gently suggests that Boar leave his cold dark cave for somewhere sunnier. Boar retorts that Hedgehog should mind his own business, but Hedgehog’s words linger. After a sleepless night in his leaky cave, Boar decides to set up his den right by the Great River—a spot that just so happens to be not too far from Hedgehog’s home. Hedgehog warns Boar about the risk of flooding: “Maybe move your den back a bit.” “Maybe stop giving me advice. We’re not friends, you know,” grumbles Boar, but he relocates once more. When Hedgehog is in trouble, it’s Boar’s turn to help—and he rises to the occasion. Boar enjoys being needed, and despite himself, he finds himself developing a true friendship with Hedgehog. Playful and witty art perfectly suits this marvelously understated story. Cleverly composed, firmly outlined, deeply colored illustrations convey both Boar’s cranky intransigence and Hedgehog’s politely expressed good sense. Hats, scarves, or trousers give the animals just a bit of a human touch.

A delightfully droll exploration of friendship.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews