Miss Jaster’s Garden

Hedgie the hedgehog lives in a little corner of Miss Jaster’s garden. One morning nearsighted Miss Jaster mistakenly plants some seeds on Hedgie, who is asleep in the flowerbed. Before Hedgie knows it, flowers have sprouted among the quills on his back! It’s the happiest day of Hedgie’s life, his feet begin doing little dance steps and before you know it Hedgie dances out beyond the gate. When Miss Jaster thinks she sees her flowers walking by themselves, she calls the constable. Will Hedgie ever be able to return to the garden he loves? Originally published in 1972, Miss Jaster’s Garden is a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book.

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It was with great joy that I found this picture book by Mr. Bodecker, newly republished this year. The storyline is purely light and charming. A little hedgehog accidentally ends up sprouting flowers and all sorts of miscommunications arise as a result. —Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal