John Nickle

Interesting story. The illustrations were well done but the half hedgehog with human legs was a bit odd.

I enjoyed this retelling, though never having read the original, I can't say how I feel about the changes Coombs made to the story. The text is simple and, though not short, still clear and engaging enough to be a good read-aloud. As for the illustrations, Nickle's style doesn't really appeal to me, but I still found his portrayal of Hans as hedgehog and the pigs rather charming.

Summary: This book is about a boy who’s being bullied so he starts bullying ants. The ants turn him small and he gains their respect, so the ants turn the kids bully small. The moral of the story is that the ant bully learned to respect his tormentees and they helped him.
Opinion: This book wasn’t super exciting. It’s got a great moral, so maybe if it was read the right way it would be entertaining. I loved the 50’s lettering and illustrations.

An interpretation of a Brother's Grimm folktale involving a half-hedgehog boy, uncanny musical ability, a lesson about promises, and a hint of magic.