July 15, 2021
A newcomer tests the friendship between a porcupine and his beloved tree, Mildred. Being well used to playing games with his silent, leafy partner, conducting one-sided conversations, and having her all to himself, Norman is outraged when a sapling springs up nearby: "And WHO is THAT?!" Seeing his best friend drifting away (figuratively), Norman is soon driven by anger and insecurity to dig up his leafy rival in the dead of night and cart it very, very far away--only to be wracked by both fear of being found out and, more worthily, guilt a little later. "I have hit rock bottom!" he declares, falling into the still-open hole next to Mildred, and so hastens off to fetch back the new tree and accommodate himself to being one of three...or, as Higgins suggests in a final scene, maybe more. A tubby figure with wide eyes and a worried expression, Norman strongly resembles a plush toy or inexcusably cute toddler in the mix of large cartoon panels and full-page scenes. Younger children, even those without new sibs or other strangers horning into the family, will have no trouble seeing him as a stand-in or understanding his upset. Along with appreciating the sly Giving Tree vibe and the comical way the narrative and the balloon-enclosed dialogue play off each other, older audiences may see a bit of a message for them, too. A clever, funny prod to do the right thing when changes take root. (Picture book. 3-6)
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September 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 Norman does everything with his best friend, Mildred. The fact that she is a silent tree and Norman a chatty porcupine doesn't seem to get in the way: they bird-watch together, read together, play "tree" together. Then their idyllic existence is threatened by the appearance of a sapling. The two trees seem to get along swimmingly, and Norman fears that Mildred might come to prefer the small, leafy interloper. The possessive porcupine can only think of one solution: sneakily uproot the sapling and replant it on a faraway island. Finally everything is back to normal! But Norman wonders if he's made a mistake. Could a trio be just as much fun as a pair? Darling Norman is a silly but sympathetic character, even at his most mischievous, and young readers dealing with new siblings or shifting friend groups will particularly relate. The drama is captured in colorful, cartoonish detail that allows Norman to fully and hilariously express a range of ever-shifting emotions. A good-natured reminder that being open to new friends can expand the fun.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from July 5, 2021
This astute and endearing story of displacement anxiety starts with an unusual dyad: Norman, a wide-eyed porcupine, and Mildred, a tree. As the story alternates between short narration and speech balloons filled with Norman’s heart-on-his-sleeve monologues, it becomes clear that while Mildred neither talks nor moves, Norman feels that he is in a reciprocal, supportive relationship (“Yay! You win!” says Norman after somehow engaging Mildred in chess). But when a seedling springs up nearby, Norman becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s no longer Mildred’s favorite. “Under the cover of night,” he goes to a very dark (and funny) place—transplanting the little tree to a remote island before, soon enough, regretting it. (“What if digging up your friend’s friend in the middle of the night and taking that friend very, very far away was NOT the right thing to do?”) Digital cartoon vignettes show a keen sense of comic pacing—Higgins (We Will Rock Our Classmates) knows exactly when to go in for a close-up and focus on Norman’s comic sturm und drang. The porcupine is a protagonist that readers should find deeply relatable: reveling in unconditional love, prone to impulsiveness and rumination, and absolutely capable of self-redemption. Ages 3–5. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary.
September 1, 2021
Porcupine Norman likes that it's just him and his best friend Mildred, a tree (yup, a tree), so when a new tree sprouts one day next to Mildred, Norman naturally gets a bit defensive: "And WHO is THAT?!" Before, it was Norman and Mildred who "did everything together" (e.g., play ball, watch birds); now, Norman watches as "Mildred and the other tree grew closer" and worries, "What if Mildred LIKED the other tree MORE...?!" Although the psychodrama is all in Norman's head, he devises an elaborate plan to dig up the sapling in the dead of night and take it "very, very far away." Yet things are no longer the same with Mildred, leading to a change of heart for Norman; his guilt guides him "to try and undo what he had done" and accept now being a trio of friends. But will everyone be happy with that arrangement? In typical Higgins style, a humorous twist at the end is just one of many entertaining touches, including the premise of porcupine-and-tree best friends and their one-sided interactions. Varied layouts in the thick-lined digital illustrations and humorous speech-bubble dialogue ("I have hit rock bottom!" Norman says upon falling into the hole he created when uprooting the sapling) play off and expand upon the matter-of-fact narration. Rotund little Norman's many expressions and movements add personality and charm, making him more lovable than naughty, akin to Higgins's protagonist in his Penelope Rex books (most recently, We Will Rock Our Classmates, rev. 7/20). Cynthia K. Ritter
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2021
Porcupine Norman likes that it's just him and his best friend Mildred, a tree (yup, a tree), so when a new tree sprouts one day next to Mildred, Norman naturally gets a bit defensive: "And WHO is THAT?!" Before, it was Norman and Mildred who "did everything together" (e.g., play ball, watch birds); now, Norman watches as "Mildred and the other tree grew closer" and worries, "What if Mildred LIKED the other tree MORE...?!" Although the psychodrama is all in Norman's head, he devises an elaborate plan to dig up the sapling in the dead of night and take it "very, very far away." Yet things are no longer the same with Mildred, leading to a change of heart for Norman; his guilt guides him "to try and undo what he had done" and accept now being a trio of friends. But will everyone be happy with that arrangement? In typical Higgins style, a humorous twist at the end is just one of many entertaining touches, including the premise of porcupine-and-tree best friends and their one-sided interactions. Varied layouts in the thick-lined digital illustrations and humorous speech-bubble dialogue ("I have hit rock bottom!" Norman says upon falling into the hole he created when uprooting the sapling) play off and expand upon the matter-of-fact narration. Rotund little Norman's many expressions and movements add personality and charm, making him more lovable than naughty, akin to Higgins's protagonist in his Penelope Rex books (most recently, We Will Rock Our Classmates, rev. 7/20).
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)