Porcupine Cupid

November 15, 2020
Porcupine is a stickler for romance. On Valentine's Day, well-meaning Porcupine pokes various animal pals with quills, � la mythic Cupid striking the lovelorn with arrows. Unsurprisingly, his efforts at "fanning the flames of love" arouse angry, pained yelps. A bear huffily scolds Porcupine, giving him an idea: He secretly scrawls and posts a sign announcing a meeting in the forest, at which his pals gather to voice their disgruntlement. Porcupine, perched on a tree limb and dangling paper hearts above the assemblage, observes covertly and listens in on the proceedings with delight. He notes that he's successfully stage-managed the perfect Valentine's Day scene: The complainers all pair off in sympathy with each other, walk away happily, then engage in enjoyable activities together. However, this wouldn't be an entirely happy Valentine's Day story if the protagonist didn't find a love connection of his own--cue the sweet twist at the end. This endearing, albeit predictable, holiday tale blends simple, expressive humor with warmth and sweetness. Young readers will giggle at the gentle figurative as well as metaphoric jabs that love, according to Porcupine, may entail. Colorful line illustrations capably evoke the setting as well as characters' lively personalities. Porcupine and companion sport eyeglasses while some characters wear apparel; a bear carries a cane. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50.4% of actual size.) Entertaining holiday fare that pays homage to spending time with someone special. (Picture book. 4-7)

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December 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Porcupine is excited about Valentine's Day and wants everyone in the forest to experience true love. Unfortunately, she has a rather painful way of playing Cupid. She pokes them with a quill before giving them good wishes. The response is not quite what she expects; they are angry. After a bit of reflection, she has another plan, and anonymously posts a meeting notice to discuss the "Poke-y Porcupine Problem." There, while complaining (the complaints framed in wonderfully groan-worthy puns), all the animals find true love, in pairings of same gender and opposite. Loose and goofy digital illustrations complement to the sprightly narrative. VERDICT More LBGTQ+ Valentine's books, please! For larger collections and those with healthy holiday circulations.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter Sch., Providence

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 21, 2020
Porcupine, who has round glasses, pink-tipped quills, and a red, heart-shaped nose, is excited on Valentine’s Day, using one of his quills to play Cupid to the forest’s anthropomorphic animals. After poking various animals, frustrating the forest’s denizens, Porcupine affixes a sign to a tree: “Town hall meeting to discuss the poke-y porcupine problem.” The meeting unites four couples, and Porcupine is appeased, before he receives a prickly surprise of his own. The narrative regrettably seems to imply an ends-justifies-the-means message about consent vis-à-vis love, with many animals telling Porcupine “Don’t!” and “Stop!” throughout, but puns enliven June’s text (“Porcupine’s heart was set on fanning the flames of love,” reads one page, as Porcupine pricks a bear roasting marshmallows over a campfire), and expressive digital illustrations by Richmond hold cartoonish appeal. Ages 4–8.