"Hedgehog stayed up late thinking about
Annika Mae and her new friends. She
wanted to be happy for her, and yet she
couldn't help feeling left out. But soon
she would be in school, too. And that
could be fun ...
She was going to have to embrace
this change, whether she wanted to
or not."
It's Annika Mae's first day of school and her birthday. Her woodland friends meet her in the Friend Fort before she must catch the bus. Once she is gone, the friends make a plan to have their own school since they can't go with her. It's a pretty exciting idea. Each will teach what they know best to the others. Upon arrival home after her first day, the friends are eager to know about her day. She tells them she has two new friends, Julia and Jessie. Hedgehog is worried that things are changing, and she must come to terms with that.
The following day, Hedgehog spends time worrying about what she will be able to teach the others. She makes visits to each of them to see what they are planning to do. Still, she lacks any idea for what she will teach with confidence. As school begins the next day, Owl takes the role of teaching compound words with artistic help from Hedgehog. There are a few distractions; in the end, it is a successful lesson and Beaver offers the next lesson. As the others continue to teach, Hedgehog persists in worrying. She knows she loves art which is never perfect. Is she good enough at it to teach a lesson?
Seeing a light on in the Friend Fort one evening, Hedgehog enters to find Annika Mae crying about what happened at school. Her story about her woodland friends made the other students laugh when one of the boys said her friends were not people, so they could not be real friends. Mole and Hedgehog offer support and Mole leaves Annika Mae thinking about a piece of advice: BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF IS ALL THAT MATTERS.
Hedgehog takes that lesson to heart and spends the rest of the evening preparing for the next day's teaching. She tells her friends about her worries, and not knowing what she might teach. They all praise her artistic ability, letting her know that she is a great artist. The lesson is a success, only made better when Annika Mae arrives home to add a finishing touch.
This is an inspiring addition to a very successful and appreciated series: well-developed characters, engaging art at every turn, and minor clashes that are realistic and add real personality to the telling.
Everything is better when you are doing what you love.
No comments:
Post a Comment