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Elmore

By
Elmore
By Holly Hobbie
Random House Children's Books, 2018. Picture Book.

Elmore is a porcupine with a big heart, and even sharper quills. He wants to make friends, but his forest neighbors are a little bit apprehensive because of his pesky quills. Elmore feels the rejection from his peers deeply, and searches for a way to change their minds. The sweet message of this story centers on learning to accept the differences of others, and remembering that friendship can take many forms.

The sweet illustrations of this book feels older than they are, but in a good way. The style is calm, and feels a little nostalgic for a less busy time in cartoons. The animals have adorable faces, and everything is drawn in a gentle watercolor style. The pictures will remind adult readers of picture books they read as a child, giving them something extra-sweet to share with the kid they're reading it to. Hobbie's calm style makes this book appropriate for quiet evenings curled up under a blanket.

Elmore is a prickly-on-the-outside but gooey-on-the-inside protagonist who will wiggle his way into reader's hearts.
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