The Hedgehog Boy

Harper & Row,  1985
Retold by Jane Langton

A long time ago, when pretzels still fell from the sky like rain, the Forest Mother gave an old childless couple a special basket. Inside, the farmer and his wife were surprised to find a baby covered with sharp prickles, like a hedgehog…

Jane Langton’s lyrical retelling of this ancient Latvian folktale is illuminated by Ilse Plume’s illustrations that capture the magic of a time long, long ago.