Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story

by Kara LaReau, Scott Magoon (Illustrator)

Overview

Mr. Prickles was not a particularly friendly fellow. He was tough to get close to . . . because he was a porcupine.
"You're not cute like us," said Raccoon.
"Or cuddly like us," said Chipmunk.
"Or playful like us," said Skunk.
"I am," said Mr. Prickles. "On the inside."
Poor Mr. Prickles was very lonely-until the day he met Miss Pointypants. Could she be the perfect prickly companion for moonlit strolls and midnight feasts? Was love in the air for even the sharpest of sorts?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466810600
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	12/20/2011
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

About the Author

Respected editor Kara LaReau collaborated with Scott Magoon on Ugly Fish, Rabbit and Squirrel, and for Roaring Brook Press, Otto: The Boy Who Loved Cars. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and their two cats.
Scott Magoon has illustrated many successful books including Spoon by Amy Krause Rosenthal and the aforementioned Ugly Fish, Rabbit and Squirrel, and Otto: The Boy Who Loved Cars. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and two sons.

Respected editor Kara LaReau collaborated with Scott Magoon on Ugly Fish, Rabbit and Squirrel, and for Roaring Brook Press, Otto: The Boy Who Loved Cars. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and their two cats.
While moonlighting as a designer at a major children's publishing house, Scott Magoon has illustrated many successful books including Spoon by Amy Krause Rosenthal, Ugly Fish, and Rabbit and Squirrel. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and two sons.

Editorial Reviews

The author [has] great fun with the porcupine's linguistic potential …There's plenty of verve as well in the illustrations, by Scott Magoon…
—The New York Times

Pamela Paul

“Young audiences will be amused by the humorous character names and pun-filled text…” —BCCB

“'Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story"' is a variation on the 'just the way you are' theme. It tells the story of an ostracized porcupine who finds love and self-acceptance with a certain Miss Pointypants. The author seems to have great fun with the porcupine's linguistic potential (she gleefully mixes in phrases like 'prickly regard,' 'pointedly' and 'it was pointless').” —NYTimes.com

“Puns and droll humor pepper this story of lonely Mr. Prickles, a porcupine who becomes justifiably unfriendly after struggling unsuccessfully to befriend the other woodland creatures.” —School Library Journal

“The simple, though sometimes challenging to learn, you're-perfect-just-the-way-you-are and like-likes-like themes are presented with short sentences, frequent dialogue, good pacing, and clear nocturnal art…” —Booklist

“LaReau's well-paced, pointedly pun-filled text shines a sympathetic light on her lonely protagonist, and the playful (and cute and cuddly) illustrations bring out the best in the spiky hero. Magoon's use of color and varying perspectives in the nighttime scenes effectively convey mood and intensify the story's emotions.” —Horn Book Magazine

“It looks as if Mr. Prickles will never fit in with the cast of furry forest creatures that cavort each night. This makes him feel "Very prickly." That is, until he meets Miss Pointypants.” —Kirkus Reviews

“…the ‘be yourself' message goes down easy in this tale of misfits, thanks to humor that ought to amuse readers of all ages.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

It looks as if Mr. Prickles will never fit in with the cast of furry forest creatures that cavort each night. This makes him feel "Very prickly." That is, until he meets Miss Pointypants. The lonely porcupine does his best to make friends with Raccoon, Chipmunk and Skunk, but he is too different and not "cute," "cuddly" or "playful" like them. Angry at being avoided and ignored, he retires to his stump to glare at them "with very prickly regard." One night he notices Miss Pointypants at a nearby stump. Slowly they become friends and enjoy a nighttime stroll, a splash in the lake, a woodsy snack and a romantic moonrise. When the tormenting trio sets upon them with taunts and teasing, the duo "didn't seem to care," discovering that "[i]t's much nicer being alone with someone else." LaReau clearly enjoys the particularly pertinent and pointed power of alliteration and wordplay here--more accomplished readers should, too. Magoon's cartoonlike illustrations manage to capture the range of Mr. Prickles' emotions as he goes from hopeful to annoyed to infuriated to surprisingly happy all within a relatively dark palette. The pair have a history of creating humorous tales that tackle not-so-funny issues (Ugly Fish, 2006, and Rabbit and Squirrel: A Tale of War and Peas, 2008). Misfits, bullies, educators, parents and kids of all kinds just may learn a thing or two from this nocturnal love story. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews