Harry was a young hedgehog that lived in a thick green forest on the outskirts of a small quiet village. He had spines, a pointy little black nose and whiskers just like any of the hedgehogs in the forest but something made him very different. Harry the hedgehog had a dream. He wanted to go to school. He hoped school would teach him to be worldly and sophisticated. Harry felt ordinary and common being a hedgehog. He longed to be more than a simple creature of the forest. He wanted to tame his wild heart and become more like a human. That was Harry’s dream.

... Continued

That evening Harry dined on Mr. Whiskers cat food. It was a little crunchy, crunchier than beetles, but it suited his needs as a meat eater. He slept beside the little girl wrapped up in a pink towel. Harry felt warmer than he ever had in his whole life.

The next morning he woke up to a strange loud buzzing noise, excited voices and wonderful smells coming from another room. “Callan, it's time for school. Hurry up!" her mother called from the bottom of the stairs. Harry found himself being stuffed into some kind of bright colored bag that fastened over the girls back. She ran down the stairs thumping and bumping him all the way. He wasn't alone inside the backpack. There were books, papers and pencils too. Harry sniffed the familiar wood scent of the pencils. "School"... he sighed... "It's going to be wonderful". Callan was anxious to share her new discovery with her friends and teacher at circle time. She had named him 'Henry'. 'Henry the hedgehog'. Close enough, Harry thought. He was getting a little hot inside her pack, so he started to scratch to let her know he wouldn't mind a bit of fresh air. "Okay Henry", she smiled, and put him in her pocket. He peeped out and looked curiously around the room. There were books everywhere. Harry was in hedgehog heaven. The morning was spent doing dictation. Spelling; spelling words, how wonderful thought Harry. He learned Alaska, belief, relief, amphibian, North America, trampoline and rain forest. At circle time he was passed around to sticky hands, grabbing hands, gentle hands and a lot of happy faces. Everyone agreed he was cute... "cute as a button"! That's what they called him. "Henry the hedgehog - cute as a button". Harry really didn't mind that much. After all, he was in school where he wanted to be.

Hedgehog links

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Hedgehogs!

• http://www.khyri.com/hedgehog
• http://www.hedgies.com

Hedgehog Information Links

• http://www.wildlifesearch.com/hedgehog.htm
• http://www.hedgehogs-hedgehogs.com

Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk

Fylde Hedgehog Rescue http://www.hedgehog-rescue.org.uk