One Snowy Night

Little Hedgehog #1

by M. Christina Butler, Tina Macnaughton (Illustrator)

One snowy Christmas, Little Hedgehog wakes from his deep winter sleep to find a very special gift from Father Christmas. It’s a snug, woolly hat that turns out to be the best Christmas present ever.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Holiday, Friendship, Fiction

26 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

M Christina Butler was born in Scarborough. She had an idyllic childhood in the country where she spent her weekends playing on a farm among the animals. Christina has worked as a nurse, a pre-school nursery supervisor, and a governor at her local primary school, as well as writing a number of children’s books. She now lives close to York.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to find this little hedgehog under my tree on Christmas! :-) The illustrations are every bit as charming and adorable as I'd hoped (with the added kid-appeal of being a touch-and-feel with the velvety hat!) and the story is a sweet one of sharing your gifts with others. I will be eager to read more from this wonderful author/illustrator team--this was a perfect warm-and-cozy for Christmas!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of a series of "touch-and-feel" picture-books featuring the adorable Little Hedgehog - other entries include One Winter's Day , The Special Blankie , and One Rainy Day - this winsome holiday title follows the journey of a little red hat, originally intended as a gift from Father Christmas to our spiny hero, as its finds its way from one animal to the next, until ending up with its original owner again!

The hat itself is warm and fuzzy on the page (some kind of velvety material), making for a fun tactile experience for young readers. I wouldn't say that the narrative here was especially memorable, but the combination of interactive touch-and-feel experience, and cute illustrations - what can I say? I'm a sucker for anything with porcupines/hedgehogs - make One Snowy Night a winner!

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to stay away from the word “cute” but I simply cannot think of another word to describe this story. It is cute ;). Younger children will enjoy that you can actually feel the softness of the red hat and older children will appreciate the subtle messages of giving, caring, and friendship embedded to this cute story and my, oh, my is that baby hedgehog adorable!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t think this story made any sense. It wasn’t thought out enough but then in other places was overthought.
Hedgehog received a present especially for him, addressed to him from Father Christmas. It was “hedgehog size.” Yet, despite that statement, the hat didn’t fit him no matter how he moved it. I thought it was hedgehog sized?

It didn’t fit over his prickles. He wrapped it up and tore off a piece of the label and wrote on it. It just felt so overthought that he wrote on the label, like we had to know every little thing.

He gave it to rabbit but he was left cold. It was so sad and cute how he looked. Rabbit tried it on but it didn’t fit over his ears. Annoyingly, just like hedgehog’s prickles got in the way every time. Rabbit’s ears got in the way every time. It got stretched out so rabbit regifted it, and wrote on a corner of the label. Dang that label was seeing some use.

It was so stupid that Badger couldn’t hear once he out the hat in. He couldn’t use it because he couldn’t hear anything...Okayyy. It was such a ridiculous excuse for the hat to not work out.
And Badger didn’t write on the label...Okayyy enough with the label.

Badger was nice and called Fox a friend and Fox snapped and sneered. He was quite the jerk to be so cute. Fox made two holes in the hat for his ears. No word of how he made two holes in a hat but we have to know that the present is addressed with the label that was on there each time..

He found cold little hedgehog under the snow and put him in the hat. They realized the hat was just right for hedgehog and told him merry Christmas but he was asleep. Would have been nice if he’d been awake.

The illustrations are pretty good. The animals are so cute. I just wish the story had been better.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a warm and fuzzy hat that everyone loves, but no one seems to be able to wear. It gets regifted from animal to animal until it finds its unlikely home. The illustrations have deep, colorful tones and the addition of the touch and feel soft cap makes this book a hit with younger children.

I don't know what it is about hedgehogs, but they are just so adorable and perfect for children's picture books. We have been hunting for hidden hedgehogs in Jan Brett's books for several years, so we get excited when we discover another book featuring a hedgehog.

This story was selected as one of the books for the December 2012 - Warm Quilts and Soft Mittens reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[MariaWitBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful colours and illustrations ever!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 yo has asked me to read this 3 times in the past 4 days. She loves the touch and feel aspect of the book, and the hedgehog is just darling. It reminds me a little of The Mitten. Hedgehog gets a gift of a hat, but he can't get it on over his spines. So he gives it to rabbit. Rabbit can't get it on over his ears and gives it to Badger. And so on. Each time the hat gets larger and larger, and finally the hat comes full circle and finds a very good use after all.

The illustrations are beautiful! I also liked that when hedgehog decides he can't use the hat, he gives it to a friend. Each animal is generous and unselfish and thinks of others. It wasn't an overt lesson or in any way didactic, but you get the message that when you think of others, you too will be treated well and taken care of.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the tale that keeps giving. Read it and you'll see. *wink

The ending was incredibly sweet.

Ages: 2 - 6

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Christine L. Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touchy-feely book and not for the text but the subject of the story which is wooly red cap. You get to feel the soft felt texture throughout the book each time the cap is presented. That alone will grab any child’s attention. The story line also will keep their attention. It recounts the tale of a hedgehog who receives this warm wooly hat from Father Christmas. Unfortunately, the cap is too big so he re-gifts it and gives it to one of his friends. Alas, it is not a fit for that creature either. The cap is continually re-gifted until it reaches just the right person who really needs it in a surprising finish.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute Christmassey story with touchy-feely parts. Daughter loves this story.

[elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

what do you mean i can‘t just come over only to read the children books from my little nephew?

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoyed reading animal stories to my children and especially interactive ones where you lift the flap or touch something. This one was reminiscent of Jan Brett’s The Mitten and also The Hat, but with the added benefit of being a touch and feel book. Very well done illustrations with the brightly colored hat to touch make this a cozy bedtime story for sure.

[Michael2134 · Rating 3 out of 5]

One snowy night is about a cold little hedgehog who wakes up to a Christmas present that fell on his head. It was a red woolly hat. He tried it on but in his struggles he stretched the hat out and it would not fit him anymore. He went to his friend rabbit. The hat didn't fit over rabbits big floppy ears so Rabbit went to his friend badger. Badger tried on the hat ,but couldn't here a thing when he wore the hat, so he gave it to his friend fox. Fox loved the hat ,but when he was walking around outside he found a little hedge hog cold and buried in the snow. He picked up the little hedgehog and put him in the hat and brought him to rabbits house. The rabbit saw that it was his little friend hedgehog. The hedgehog was very thankful to the fox for saving him.

When I read this book to my nephew he loved it. He liked the feel of the book along with the hedgehog. The book was a little long for him to keep interested, but all in all he liked it.

I would recommend this book to any younger kid under the age of five. My nephew is three and really liked it! He now wants a little red hat and a hedgehog. The book, for as small as it is, has good detail.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! The tactile nature of the book and the vivid colors I believe would engage a classroom full of students easily especially in the wintertime. The “touch and feel” detail in the book adds a bonus of “hands on mind on” activity. The story shows the spirit of Christmas through giving and friendship, which makes it a hit with me too. I enjoy how there ends up being meaning to the little red wooly hat and that although throughout the book the hat doesn’t fit any of the woodland animals but they are loving of one another and decide to “re-gift” the hat to each other. After several animals receive the hat and it fits no one perfectly, a little hedgehog who is caught unprepared by a chilly winter wind is found in the middle of nowhere and brought inside by the fox. When the little hedgehog opens his eyes he is amazed to see himself wrapped tightly in a nice lovely warm blanket that he loves! The detailed descriptions in this book make it educational for students across a varied age range.

[Tsuyu Ko · Rating 5 out of 5]

One snowy night is a very touching book. This book tells the story of little hedgehog who received a hat from Father Christmas. The fabric of the hat is available on the cover and inside of the book for the reader to feel it. It was a very warm and red wooly hat. The hat did not fit on hedgehog, and so he gave it to his friend- Rabbit. The hat did not fit on Rabbit either, so Rabbit then gave it to Badger. Badger then gave the hat to Fox because Badger cannot hear a thing while wearing the hat. Fox made two holes on the hat so that it fits. Fox was happy so he went outside, where he found little hedgehog under the snow. Fox wrapped little hedgehog with the hat and took him back to Rabbit’s house. Everybody in the house was looking at little hedgehog, and they all realized that the hat was the best gift for little hedgehog.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has very cute pictures and is a touch-and-feel book. I really enjoyed the message in it. It is all about a red hat that is gifted to many different animals during the cold holiday season. The hat was originally given to Little Hedgehog but the hat didn’t fit well over his prickles. Since it was such a wonderful red hat he re-gifts it and sends it to other friends. The hat gets passed on and on until fox gets the hat. Fox wears the hat when he ventured out onto the snowy trail until he bumped into Little Hedgehog stuck under the snow. When he finds him he is freezing cold, so the fox wraps up Little Hedgehog in the red hat and brings him inside where Little Hedgehog says he loves the red blanket and falls fast asleep before they even have time to tell him that it is the red hat they he gave them.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Snowy Night (Little Hedgehog #1) by M. Christina Butler, illustrated by Tina Macnaughton is an appealing touch-and-feel Christmas story of a hedgehog and his friends sharing a red wooly hat to each other.

Macnaughton's illustrations are colorful with a velvety red piece on many pages to touch.

Butler's cozy, sweet story should appeal to young listeners, especially those who enjoy stories with animals and like a twist at the end. It features hedgehog, rabbit, badger and fox. 4 star rating.

For ages 3 to 5, animals, winter, gifts, hats, snow, seasons, night, and fans of M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton.

[Diane D · Rating 5 out of 5]

In One Snowy Night, Little Hedgehog wakes up on Christmas morning to find that Father Christmas has left him a warm, red, wooly hat which makes him very happy because he is very very cold. Unfortunately, the prickles on his head make it difficult for this hat to fit just right.

Hedgehog give the hat to his friend rabbit, but the hat is too big. Rabbit gives it to badger, and it fits great but he can't hear, so he gives it to fox who puts two holes in it for his ears. In his travels Fox finds a baby hedgehog shivering in the snow, and puts the baby inside of the red hat, using it as a blanket to keep it warm and it soon falls fast asleep.

One Snowy Night is a "touch and feel book" that I fell in love with. Vivid colors and the fuzzy feel of the red hat, in addition, to the wonderful story of sharing and caring, make this book a winner all around.

5/5 stars

[Tayler K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love hedgies, so I had to stop and read this while things were slow this morning.

It's a touch and feel book, with the red knit hat covered in crushed velvet with each appearance!

Little Hedgehog is supposed to be asleep for the winter, but he wakes up covered in cold snow, and a gift from Father Christmas drops from the sky. The red hat stretches out as he tries to adjust it over his prickles, so he passes it on to his friend Rabbit. His ears stretch it out, so he gives it to Badger. Badger can't hear anything, so he gives it to Fox. Fox cuts holes for his ears and seems to like it, but as he's walking he sees something in the snow--it's Little Hedgehog! Fox wraps him in the hat and takes him to Rabbit's house, where they and Badger see the hat turned out perfectly for our dear hedgie after all. (No word on how Fox's ear holes affect it as a bed/blanket though...)

[Emma Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely story features a hedge hog in the middle of a snowy night who recieves a velvet read hat for Christmas from an unknown animal. However, the hat is too big for him s he wraps it up and gives it to another animal. The hat is passed round all the animals until they find poor little hedge hog cold and asleep in the snow. The other animals wrap him up in the hat like a sleeping bag.

This is a lovely story which highlights sharing to children and the importance of looking out for each other. Throughout the story, their is a feely velvet hat which children can touch to stay engaged with the story. This is a nice Christmassy story for children to teach about present giving and the true meaning of Christmas, spendign time with family and friends.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a wonderfully illustrated book and flows from character to character with ease. This book touches on the thoughtfulness of giving and how we sometimes receive things that we do not think we need, and it ends up being exactly what we need. The characters are not your everyday cat or dog and it gives the child a chance to experience different animals. You can almost hear the voices change between the characters as you read the book.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of a red hat. This is a "touch and feel" book so the red hat in the story feels like felt and the vivid red makes kids want to touch it regardless.

Little Hedgehog delivers a re-gifted present of the hat to Rabbit, Rabbit re-gifts to Badger, Badger re-gifts to Fox before Fox finds Little Hedgehog buried in the snow and uses the hat as a blanket to warm him up.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My edition is not listed in Goodreads - it is from Scholastic and comes with a CD. This was a fun little story that comes full circle. Most of the animals care about each other and all pass a gift along that they can't use. It (the red hat) comes back to Little Hedgehog in the end. Good content and will be fun to read to my younger students in December.

[Jenna Arntz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that will make you warm and fuzzy inside. All of the animals in the story are so sweet to one another. I love that they all pass on the gift and then the hedgehog ends up with again when he is really in need. I would read this to my younger elementary school students. I think that it would be a good lesson to teach them to be kind and helpful to one another.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The flocked red hat pictured on the cover goes from animal friend to animal friend til it finds its way back to hedgehog, not as a hat but as a perfect blanket for him to snuggle in through the winter.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little tale about a hedgehog whose home is destroyed during a winter storm. On his way to stay at badgers, he runs into other animals who are also suffering due to the storm. Happy ending kids will love!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the cutest little book ever. The hedgehog is darn cute, and what good friends. The little velvet hat will make the children especially love this book. A very nice touch. Literally.

[Cicily Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a hedgehog!

[Bug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute touch-and-feel book with a sweet story and nice illos.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very wonderful book!