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Hedgie #4
Hedgie Blasts Off!
Hedgie wants more than anything to be an astronaut and travel into space. He gets his chance the day Big Sparkler, the geyser, starts to sputter and fade, disappointing all the alien tourists. As he launches into space and fixes the geyser problem in a most unusual way, Hedgie returns home a hero.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2006
7 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Jan Brett
113 books1,028 followersWith over thirty three million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
--from www.janbrett.com
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
--from www.janbrett.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
December 30, 2009
Sometimes I really appreciate Brett's artwork and sometimes it really leaves me unmoved. I'm afraid this book falls into the latter category. Despite my ardent affection for hedgehogs, I could not warm up to the space-bound Hedgie and the doggie scientists just seemed so odd to me. It is neat that Brett steps into unfamiliar (for her) territory illustrating a book set in outer space, and it allows much scope for the imagination but I really felt that this was more a product of her wanting to draw something in outer space and then trying to form a story around it after the fact. Her talet as an artist cannot be disputed but I was not very entertained by this tale.
June 20, 2019
Sparkly and fun! Bonus points for never assigning a gender to the protagonist!
December 9, 2018
I'm normally a huge fan of Jan Brett's work, whether it's her traditional Eastern European themes or otherwise, but this book was hugely disappointing. Not only was the story of a hedgehog who wants to go to space trite and unengaging, but Brett's artwork wasn't even that good! Her animals are in her expected style, but there was no border decoration (a signature) and the background sure didn't enhance the story but instead distracted from the characters. I guess you can't win with every book, but this one was surely a miss.
March 26, 2012
Perhaps it's because it is late, but I just didn't get into this book. Everyone loves Jan Brett. I have never been a huge fan, but this book is even less appealing than her others.
A hedgehog astronaut is a stretch for me. There was no compelling storyline here. The make-believe was too far-fetched for me. The illustrations did not capture me, although there is nothing inherently wrong with them; they just don't appeal to me.
Overall, blah.
A hedgehog astronaut is a stretch for me. There was no compelling storyline here. The make-believe was too far-fetched for me. The illustrations did not capture me, although there is nothing inherently wrong with them; they just don't appeal to me.
Overall, blah.
May 19, 2015
Hedgie wants nothing more than to become an astronaut. When Big Sparkler breaks, a new robot is created in order for someone to go into space to fix the problem. When no one else fits in the robot, Hedgie is their to save to day. Hedgie blasts off into space ready to fix the problem. Although he encounters some obstacles along the way, Hedgie is able to solve the problem and save his planet.
The illustrations are rich with color and detail. The artistic media for this book is drawing because it looks as though the illustrations were created using pencils or crayons. Although the images are clear, they are not very sharp. They beautiful colors, add to the text of the story, and they bring the words to life. Each illustration is meticulously done in order to recreate the story in picture form. The illustrations are large and often expand beyond the page. Due to the content of the story and the genre, the pictures are considered to have a surrealism element to them, but based on the actual events in the story, they have created a realistic image. Instead of just including regular illustrations, the illustrator and author have worked together to create a flip-up on one of the pages. This changes the way in which the reader goes through the story and it was a wonderful surprise element.
I highly recommend this story for young elementary school readers (K-2). Although some of the words can be challenging, the picture tell a story all on its own. Due to the high quality of this picture book, this would be great to use in any space related unit.
The illustrations are rich with color and detail. The artistic media for this book is drawing because it looks as though the illustrations were created using pencils or crayons. Although the images are clear, they are not very sharp. They beautiful colors, add to the text of the story, and they bring the words to life. Each illustration is meticulously done in order to recreate the story in picture form. The illustrations are large and often expand beyond the page. Due to the content of the story and the genre, the pictures are considered to have a surrealism element to them, but based on the actual events in the story, they have created a realistic image. Instead of just including regular illustrations, the illustrator and author have worked together to create a flip-up on one of the pages. This changes the way in which the reader goes through the story and it was a wonderful surprise element.
I highly recommend this story for young elementary school readers (K-2). Although some of the words can be challenging, the picture tell a story all on its own. Due to the high quality of this picture book, this would be great to use in any space related unit.
July 14, 2014
We love looking at space. Books of Hubble photographs, astronomy books, space pictures of the day, planetariums, yes, please. So, the spreads of Hedgie in space are awesome: Brett's artwork has never been better. I mean, gorgeous spreads.
The set-up for the gorgeous spreads, however, baffled us. I don't know why all the space center dogs are Labradors, or why reporters are birds, or why hedgehogs are janitorial staff. The gratuitous specie-ism kind of stands out. Yes, we're perfectly happy to read picture books with all kinds of different animals acting like humans and sometimes standing in for entire species based on a single characteristic. The girls and I have enjoyed stories of anthropomorphic critters all our lives, and we pretty much never have a problem with it from Richard Scarry through to Animal Farm. But this was weird enough to cause us each, reading it separately, to pause and go What?!
I have no answer. Not even a good theory. Just a warning to be prepared. And try not to let the caste system of the critters distract you from the pretty pictures.
Library copy.
The set-up for the gorgeous spreads, however, baffled us. I don't know why all the space center dogs are Labradors, or why reporters are birds, or why hedgehogs are janitorial staff. The gratuitous specie-ism kind of stands out. Yes, we're perfectly happy to read picture books with all kinds of different animals acting like humans and sometimes standing in for entire species based on a single characteristic. The girls and I have enjoyed stories of anthropomorphic critters all our lives, and we pretty much never have a problem with it from Richard Scarry through to Animal Farm. But this was weird enough to cause us each, reading it separately, to pause and go What?!
I have no answer. Not even a good theory. Just a warning to be prepared. And try not to let the caste system of the critters distract you from the pretty pictures.
Library copy.
August 28, 2012
Generally I love Jan Brett's work. Her illustrations are phenomenal and I usually love her stories.
But this one sucks. It's the weirdest, most inane story ever. I guess one reason I like Jan Brett's stories is because they are based off folktales, or stuff that could be a folktale. They seem down to earth and "real." But Hedgie Blasts Off is about a hedgehog who flies into space to fix a fictional geyser. There is no lesson to be learned from this book and while the artwork is nice, it's nothing to write home about. I read it to my son once and we are taking it back to the library immediately.
I get that children's books don't have to have a point, but I prefer them to, and I think my 4 year old does too.
But this one sucks. It's the weirdest, most inane story ever. I guess one reason I like Jan Brett's stories is because they are based off folktales, or stuff that could be a folktale. They seem down to earth and "real." But Hedgie Blasts Off is about a hedgehog who flies into space to fix a fictional geyser. There is no lesson to be learned from this book and while the artwork is nice, it's nothing to write home about. I read it to my son once and we are taking it back to the library immediately.
I get that children's books don't have to have a point, but I prefer them to, and I think my 4 year old does too.
January 29, 2015
You know, if you were to ask what my favorite thing about shelving would be, the answer would be pure selfishness. I would not be saying 'Oh, I just love to put things in order and the alphabet is one of my favorite things in my life*!'. actually nah. I would instead say 'I love to find books about hedgehogs that go blasting into space.'
So here I found one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Hedgie Blasts Off. If I could blow up all of the pictures and print them off, I would plaster my walls with Hedgie in space. Because, I mean, COME ON! It's a HEDGEHOG in OUTER SPACE. what more could I want in life?
*though the alphabet gives me one of my favorite thing and that is writing/books. so maybe I just lied. :/
So here I found one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Hedgie Blasts Off. If I could blow up all of the pictures and print them off, I would plaster my walls with Hedgie in space. Because, I mean, COME ON! It's a HEDGEHOG in OUTER SPACE. what more could I want in life?
*though the alphabet gives me one of my favorite thing and that is writing/books. so maybe I just lied. :/
May 25, 2019
Fun! Perfect for this summer reading theme! Jan Brett’s illustrations never fail!
October 17, 2016
Jan Brett did a book about a hedgehog going to space? Sign me up!
This is definitely a departure from her usual forest animals, folk-style tales, and Scandinavian-style illustrations. It was very different from her other books and took some getting used to, but in the end my daughter and I loved it.
The best part of this book is that my children recognized the story from our summer vacation to Yellowstone. There is a geyser there called Minute Geyser, because it used to go off every minute until people threw in coins and rocks; now it goes off less often because it became clogged. I am curious to know if Brett drew her inspiration for this book from that story, or if it's just coincidental that they are so similar.
Info on Minute Geyser: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photos...
This is definitely a departure from her usual forest animals, folk-style tales, and Scandinavian-style illustrations. It was very different from her other books and took some getting used to, but in the end my daughter and I loved it.
The best part of this book is that my children recognized the story from our summer vacation to Yellowstone. There is a geyser there called Minute Geyser, because it used to go off every minute until people threw in coins and rocks; now it goes off less often because it became clogged. I am curious to know if Brett drew her inspiration for this book from that story, or if it's just coincidental that they are so similar.
Info on Minute Geyser: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photos...
April 16, 2018
No real space information was gained here...it was all just imaginary stuff. No character development of Hedgie...he gets to live his dream because he was in the right place at the right time, not because he worked hard for it or even spoke up for himself. He sprayed garbage into outer space. I'm pretty sure that's a no-no for most space-lovers. In the end, it wasn't worth my children's time, and didn't really hold their attention either.
September 24, 2014
Wow, I rarely give a book 1 star. This story was strange from the get-go and the writing didn't flow at all. Everything about the plot was unbelievable, and not in the fabulous ways most picture books are unbelievable. I felt unfulfilled as a reader when I got to the end.
April 1, 2009
This was a far cry from some of the previous Brett books we have read. This one seemed just a little bizarre.
November 4, 2010
I was not very entertained by the story or the illustrations in this book. The book seemed more inspired by the author’s trip to NASA then Hedgie’s desire to be an astronaut.
June 7, 2016
This was one of the weirdest books I've ever seen. The art and the story were so strange to me.
April 24, 2020
Apparently, Jann Brett had a few Ambien, a box of wine, about 45 minutes of free time, and needed to redo her kitchen.
February 16, 2017
This book seems to have a lot of words, but my kids love reading about space and rocket ships and scientists, so the book kept them entertained.
July 13, 2018
Hedgie Blasts Off is a science fiction book that targets the age of 4 to 8 year old children. This book is about a hedgehog named Hedgie who works as a janitor. He dreams of being an astronaut but instead cleans up after them all day. It isn’t until the big geyser at Mikkop stops working that a special mission needs to take place. The only one who can fit into the aircraft is Hedgie! This book is about adventure, science and a small little animal who gets to explore the galaxy. The pictures in this book are really supportive to the text. The visuals of space and the planet Mikkop are colorful and resemble what one would imagine space to look like. There is a variety of language that is used in this book. A strength of this book is the author’s choice of descriptive words. If the illustrations don’t paint a picture, the words truly do. The theme behind this book is one that really hits home for me. Even the tiniest person, the one who you might count out, might be the very one that saves the day. This is a cute book that I think would be a class favorite.
7/13/18
7/13/18
February 26, 2018
Jan Brett books have always been some of my favorite books to read to kids. I was read Jan Brett stories when I was young, and I love passing them on to the next generation of readers. In this story, a classic character, Hedgie the hedgehog, is a janitor at Star Lab. He desperately wants to be an astronaut though, and finally gets his chance when a small robot meant to fly a small spaceship malfunctions. Hedgie is then given the opportunity to go into space to see what the problem is on Mikkop, a small tourist planet. Things get better when Hedgie is able to clean up Mikkop and use his skills and small size to save the day. Hedgie returns to Earth as a hero. Jann Brett's illustrations are less cartoon like than most children's books illustrations, and her original style stays intact even when her stories expand to outer space.
January 20, 2019
Hedgie the Hedgehog, who works on the cleanup crew at Star Lab, dreams of being an astronaut.
One day, the Big Sparkler on the tiny planet of Mikkop stopped erupting sparkles; Big Sparkler could only send up a weak stream of sparkles. Something had to be done right away; the sparkles were the food for the flowers. Everyone tried to work out a way to get to Mikkop to fix Big Sparkler.
When the Rescue Robot crashes, Hedgie is the only one who can fit into the rocket. Will he go? Will they find a way to fix Big Sparkler and save the flowers?
The illustrations accompanying the text, done in watercolor and gouache, are a perfect accompaniment to Hedgie’s story. Readers young and old will cheer for Hedgie in this delightfully-told tale youngsters will want to read again and again.
Highly recommended.
One day, the Big Sparkler on the tiny planet of Mikkop stopped erupting sparkles; Big Sparkler could only send up a weak stream of sparkles. Something had to be done right away; the sparkles were the food for the flowers. Everyone tried to work out a way to get to Mikkop to fix Big Sparkler.
When the Rescue Robot crashes, Hedgie is the only one who can fit into the rocket. Will he go? Will they find a way to fix Big Sparkler and save the flowers?
The illustrations accompanying the text, done in watercolor and gouache, are a perfect accompaniment to Hedgie’s story. Readers young and old will cheer for Hedgie in this delightfully-told tale youngsters will want to read again and again.
Highly recommended.
December 5, 2017
“Hedgie Blasts Off!” by Jan Brett, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; copyright 2006
6. Awards:
7. Appropriate grade level: PreK-2nd grade
8. Summary: This book tells the story of Hedgie, a hedgehog scientist. Hedgie is sent on a mission to save the Sparkler planet in order to save the flowers. With the help of his team, Hedgie saves the Sparkler planet.
9. Review: I like how the book’s illustrations almost look like real animals! The hedgehog in his special scientist suit is especially adorable. This story is fun, and super exciting when Hedgie goes to outer space!
10. 2-3 possible in-class uses:
• Talk about the different items found in the outer space illustration.
• Have children draw a picture of their own planet in outer space.
6. Awards:
7. Appropriate grade level: PreK-2nd grade
8. Summary: This book tells the story of Hedgie, a hedgehog scientist. Hedgie is sent on a mission to save the Sparkler planet in order to save the flowers. With the help of his team, Hedgie saves the Sparkler planet.
9. Review: I like how the book’s illustrations almost look like real animals! The hedgehog in his special scientist suit is especially adorable. This story is fun, and super exciting when Hedgie goes to outer space!
10. 2-3 possible in-class uses:
• Talk about the different items found in the outer space illustration.
• Have children draw a picture of their own planet in outer space.
September 18, 2018
I enjoyed Hedgie Blasts Off! very much. The story includes anthropomorphism as do many Jan Brett books and also includes the theme of an underdog saving the day. Hedgie is just a janitor who works at NASA and is a much smaller animal compared to the rest who are mostly dogs. However, when an issue arises Hedgie is the only one who can solve it because of his size. The images in this book are absolutely beautiful and there is even one page that you lift to expand. I would definitely recommend this book and all Jan Brett books to students and teachers.
Jan brett's website: http://www.janbrett.com
Activities for the book: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P...
Info about jan brett: https://www.janbrett.com/biography.htm
Jan brett's website: http://www.janbrett.com
Activities for the book: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P...
Info about jan brett: https://www.janbrett.com/biography.htm
January 26, 2024
This is one of the few books Jan Brett has done that she doesn't use the side panels with the story. This artwork is like normal artwork.
Kids will love all the cute animals. Who couldn't love a flamingo reporter, even the owl was cute. Jan Brett should do a story with flamingoes. It's untapped potential.
This book is in the Hedgie series. I have high regard for Jan Brett and put her on a pedestal and this one shows she is only human. It's not terrible, it's only so so and for Jan Brett, that's being human.
Anyway, there are way better Jan Brett books to try first, in my opinion. Do as I have done and save this one for last. I think I have two books left to read by her. It's been such a fun journey.
Kids will love all the cute animals. Who couldn't love a flamingo reporter, even the owl was cute. Jan Brett should do a story with flamingoes. It's untapped potential.
This book is in the Hedgie series. I have high regard for Jan Brett and put her on a pedestal and this one shows she is only human. It's not terrible, it's only so so and for Jan Brett, that's being human.
Anyway, there are way better Jan Brett books to try first, in my opinion. Do as I have done and save this one for last. I think I have two books left to read by her. It's been such a fun journey.
August 9, 2018
This is the most original of the Brett books I've read. It's not just telling someone else's story or retelling another of her stories in a slightly different version. It's the story of how a hedgehog who works as a janitor at the dog- NASA gets send into space to figure out what has gone wrong with a space geyser and save the flowers that require the geyser to bloom. It shows Hedgie as a unique problem solver, he is valued by the space team (even with his "lesser" job and as a different type of animal-- all the scientists are dogs), environment is valued enough to save and do something about. It's good.
October 15, 2019
Heartwarming and inspiring story!
This story of a Hedgie the hedgehog being Star Lab's custodian to being the first hedgehog in outerspace is an adorable read. The illustrations in this book are beautiful! If I was fully entertained as a young adult, so I feel most children would be too. This book does have some hefty language and complex ideas around space. This would be appropriate for secondary education reads in my opinion! Would recommend for young readers!
This story of a Hedgie the hedgehog being Star Lab's custodian to being the first hedgehog in outerspace is an adorable read. The illustrations in this book are beautiful! If I was fully entertained as a young adult, so I feel most children would be too. This book does have some hefty language and complex ideas around space. This would be appropriate for secondary education reads in my opinion! Would recommend for young readers!
November 24, 2021
Jan Brett’s books are a treasure and my children and I truly cherish each one. In this book, I do wish some of the doggie scientists were obviously female. My kids wondered why there weren’t any, because kids do notice these things and depend on obvious indicators (eg dresses, long/done hair, etc.). That’s not a criticism, just something to consider. Many of her other books feature female characters prominently (eg. The 3 dassies, my favorite).
April 24, 2025
Some adults and children might love this book, however it is not for me. I'm a fan of Jan Brett's work, and the artistic skill in this book is no different. What I don't love is the realistic animals with realistic human clothes and contraptions. Plus the extremely "out of this world" story that is a little to fantastic for my brain. Not a bad book, and it's clean for kids. Just not my cup of tea.
September 24, 2022
Hedgie Hedgehog works in the Star Lab as a cleaner but he wants to be an astronaut. Something is wrong with the geyser Big Sparkler that is on the small planet Mikkop. When the robot scheduled to travel to the planet malfunctions, Hedgie is sent instead.
This is a beautifully illustrated story about Hedgie whose dream comes true and who was able to do more than find out what is wrong.
This is a beautifully illustrated story about Hedgie whose dream comes true and who was able to do more than find out what is wrong.
February 8, 2018
A sci-fi picture book. Hedgehog is sent into outer space to a planet that has a volcano on it that is not erupting. He finds it clogged with coins from alien tourists. He plugs the hole with himself so the volcano builds up pressure and clears itself out.
September 1, 2018
I usually like Jan Brett's books, but this one fell short, in my opinion. Although the illustrations were cute (Brett's signature style), every other aspect of the story was flat. There are so many other better books out there, even others by Jan Brett, that you can skip this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews