A Prickly Love Story
Written: Feb 22 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: A fun story that has a great moral lesson for small children.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: This is an entertaining story for children that has a wonderful lesson. Great for discussion with your child.
|
|
|
| Yzerman's Full Review: Lisa Wheeler - Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story |
Being an avid reader since I was a young child, I have been over-joyed by the fact that my four-year old daughter loves books as much as I do. There is a half-priced bookstore that I love to go to and browse through used and/or reduced books. Fortunately, they have a children’s section so my daughter likes to go with me. I always let her pick out a book or two, which usually involve a fairy princess of some sort, then I pick out at least one more for her. I like to pick out books that are age appropriate and fun, but also have some sort of lesson. This is how we came to get Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story.
Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story is written by Lisa Wheeler and is illustrated by Janie Bynum. It is a hardbound book, copyright 2002. The story is 22 pages long with color illustrations on every page. The pages are a sturdy weight and are semi-glossy.
The story is about a porcupine named “Cushion” who lives in a petting zoo. There are signs around his habitat that say, “No Petting!” and “Do Not Touch”. Poor little Cushion watches as children pet the soft and cuddly animals and smile with delight. He also realizes that the other animals have mates and children; but he has no one. As the story goes on, it shows Cushion being alone and lonely, especially at night. He gets out his guitar and sings a sad little song:
I’ve been so lonesome all of my life.
No one will get near.
I’m porcupining for a wife,
Someone to hold me dear.
One particular night, Cushion is so lonely that he sets off with his guitar and goes looking for a wife. He tries courting some rabbits, a pig, and a beaver. For each of them he sings a new stanza of his song. For instance, to the beaver he sings:
I’ve been so lonesome all of my life.
And though your teeth are bucky,
I’m porcuping for a wife,
So you’re a gal who’s lucky.
Needless to say, they all laugh at him and call him names like Pin-Cushion, burr-ball and scrub brush. Just as he is about to give up, he hears a female say “Pssst! I heard you singing tonight. You have a lovely voice”. As Cushion turns toward the voice, he sees another habitat with signs posted just like his, “Do Not Touch” and “No Petting”. Now he is very curious. She tells him that her name is Barb and that she, too, has quills. She steps out where he can see her….she is a hedgehog! It is love at first sight! Now his song is complete; he sings to her:
I’ve been so lonesome all my life.
Now I’ve met Barb so fair.
I’m Porcuping for a wife-
We’d make a perfect pair.
The final page shows Cushion and Barb in their new habitat, he playing his guitar while she accompanies him on a harmonica. The only sign hanging now says “Do Not Disturb”.
This is a wonderful book. I like everything about it. My daughter likes it, too. The story is somewhat serious, but the little songs Cushion sings are funny and entertaining. The illustrations are colorful and add to the story. Cushion is illustrated as prickly and maybe even homely, but warm and lovable as well; you just can’t help loving the little guy.
It is one of those stories that provide an excellent chance for parents to read to their child and afterward, start a dialog about it. My daughter, who is four years old and started pre-school this year, can already relate to the story. I adopted my daughter at birth and she is Mayan Indian with jet-black hair and brown skin and brown eyes. I am a redhead with fair skin and green eyes. My daughter’s classmates have been curious as to why she is brown and her mother is white. Although none of her classmates have said anything mean to her (yet), she has started to realize that she is somehow different. I have always tried to talk openly with her about being adopted and the fact that we are of different cultural backgrounds, but this book has been a wonderful tool in discussing differences among people. Not only have I related the story to her situation, but I also point out to her how calling people names because they are different can be very hurtful to them. The story is simple enough that she really seems to “get it” she shows empathy for Cushion when the other animals shun him and excitement for him when he meets Barb.
My daughter likes the book because she can relate to it, and it can even be funny (and also has a happy ending). I like it because of the lesson it teaches about being different. I also like the point that even though Cushion and Barb are not the same kind of animal (porcupine vs. hedgehog), they can still find happiness together. This is such an important lesson.
I would recommend this book for two to seven-year olds. I also highly recommend that parents not only read the book to their children, but have some discussion about it as well. Due to the nature of the story, it is very easy to make comments like “That wasn’t very nice, was it?” or “How do you think that makes him feel?”
We paid $2.98 for this book and have gotten more than our money’s worth out of it.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Yzerman
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Diane
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Reviews written: 173
Trusted by: 391 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.