Evertje

by Briony May Smith, Johanna Rijnbergen (Translator)

Op een dag kondigde mamazwijn aan dat het tijd
was om het bos te gaan verkennen. ‘Maar denk eraan,
snuffelkontjes van me,’ zei ze, ‘dat de Grote Boze Wolf
misschien in de buurt is, dus in knorrensnaam,
blijf bij elkaar!’

Natuurlijk gaat het mis. Het jonge zwijntje Evertje vindt een lekker spoor en raakt de weg kwijt. Kan hij zijn moeder terugvinden zonder dat de Grote Boze Wolf hem te pakken krijgt?

Op zijn tocht ontmoet hij bijzondere dieren: de eekhoorn Roodkopje, een sneeuwwit hertje dat in slaap is gevallen omdat ze een verkeerde appel heeft gegeten, twee verdwaalde konijntjes, Jans en Rietje… en dan komt de Grote Boze Wolf opeens heel dichtbij.

Wat nu?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Cozy, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 4, 2025

Reviews

[Miranda Reads]

"Once upon a time in a faraway forest there lived a mother boar and her six piglets. The littlest of them all was Hogbert."

The mother boar decided that her piglets were old enough to explore the forest together and off they go!

While weaving through the vast trees, sniffing the interesting foods, and seeing all sorts of new sights, Hogbert quickly becomes separated from his family.

And he knows that there's a BIG. BAD. WOLF. in the forest - just ready to gobble up little lost piglets.

Luckily for Hogbert, the forest is home to other animals, like a red squirrel on her way to visit a sick grandmother or a white doe who fell asleep after eating a funny apple.

Together, these lost animals will do their best to navigate through the forest and reunite with their families!

Ohmygosh. This. Was. Freaking. Brilliant.

First off, the art was absolutely magical.

The attention to detail, the adorableness of all the animals and just the vibe - it was perfect.

And then there's the story! I love a good fairytale rewrite and this one was amazing. I had so much fun matching the various animals to their storybook characters.

The author did a good job of balancing the old with the new - funny and fresh and (above all) endearing.

This seriously is one of the best picture books I've read all year.

[Rosemary Standeven]

““But remember, my little snufflebugs” she [Mummy Boar], said, “the Big Bad Wolf could be about, so: oinks oinking, stay together””

A nice book about a little hoglet getting so engrossed in sniffing out food treats that he loses track of his mother and siblings, and is soon lost in the woods.
Hogbert is scared that the Big Bad Wolf will get him, before he finds his mother. He meets Red, a little squirrel, who offers to help. Then a baby fawn and two small bunnies. All are separated from their parents, and terrified of the Big Bad Wolf – but at least they are now not alone.
It is Hogbert’s super sniffing ability that is able to eventually find a trail to lead them to the Tall Tree where they are reunited with their worried parents.
A book about the importance of not losing track of your parents when going out, and about joining together with others, who are having similar difficulties, to find a solution to their problems.
The story has references to several well-known fairy tales: Red going to visit his granny, the snow-white faun and the sleep-inducing apple, Hopsel & Nettle lost in the woods. Lovely illustrations, which make wild boars look very cute – quite unlike the dangerous, destructive beasts they actually are.
Recommended

[Sam Raven]

So adorably cute. This picture book is simply darling. Fun and creative with magical fairytale elements, it has the cutest wild hog family you’ll ever meet! I also love the forest shadows in the artwork. Hogbert is a must read!

[Wren]

This book is a dear. The illustrations alone would earn it 5 stars, but paired with an endearing baby forest animals fairytale with little charming details to spot, this one is undoubtedly another Briony May Smith classic.
I can’t wait to share it with my class. :)

[Tiuri]

Oh my heart! This exceeded all my expectations. I’ve been a fan of Briony May Smith’s art for years and I knew I had to read this. I had expected woodland adorableness, what I hadn’t expected was fairytales mixed into it! So so so cute!

[Lize]

Een van de mooiste prentenboeken om voor te lezen! 🪵🌲🐖🍃

[Becs]

I’ve read a couple of other books by this author - I highly recommend Phillipa Pheasant - and I have been struck by the same feeling each time. The cover, the illustrations and the focus on animals are absolute perfection; what child doesn’t like any of those things? I also like all of those things as a person significantly past childhood.

I’m not sure of the audience for this book though in this case. The illustrations are so beautiful - a little lost piggy navigating back to his family, trying to avoid the creatures that bite in the night! I adored the pig so much, and I can see why he graces the cover so tremendously. But the story was slow, not particularly eventful and I’m not sure even the conclusion had much to it. It just seemed like a story most children would be bored or tired of incredibly fast, if they even finished it.

I love the aesthetics, but I can take or leave the book itself (and I’m particularly sad about that because pigs are a household favourite!).

ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Cheryl]

Disappointing to adult me, but rounded up to three stars because I probably would have liked it quite a bit when I was little. I appreciate the picture of the wolf & cub that shows them as a loving family, but the smaller critters are right to think of them as "Big, Bad..." so hmm....

[Hayley]

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful.

[lea ❦]

Briony May Smith truly is the greatest to ever do it

[Milton Public Library]

Hogbert lost his way in the forest and has to find his family all alone! Luckily, Hogbert runs into other young creatures who are also searching for someone. They come together in the cutest, ragtag team of critters braving their fears to find their families. The book is adorably cozy and rhymes, and the illustrations are just the best. Add this to your nighttime rotation stat!

Find it in our SHARE Catalog today!

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Ileana (The Tiniest Book Club)]

How could I possibly resist a book about a boar piglet named Hogbert!!!? Impossible!

The story is rather lame (five baby animals get lost in the woods, are scared of the big bad wolf (I really do not like this trope, even though the wolves in "Hogbert" are not scary, just cute) and find the way back to their parents because of Hogbert's sniffy snout), but many kids and parents might like the nostalgic storytelling.

[Dora]

Grga is the sweetest little hog ever 🤭💖

[Gabe Mellow]

The illustration are 🤌🤌🤌

[Anna]

The illustrations are SO CUTE!!! I love Hogbert so much. I kept showing my friend the cute animals throughout the story. The expressions on the animals are SO well done. My heart broke with the illustration of Hogbert all alone. His face is so sad!! While I'm not a fan of the name, Hogbert, the illustrations and story are so sweet. Highly recommend. Even if you just look at the pictures.

[Katelyn]

3/12 picture books down! This was such an adorable and clever story (and I'm not just saying that because I love pigs lol). The art was beautiful and I enjoyed all the nods to different fairy tales!

[Regine]

Very cute, with a flavor of fairy tale and of Falconer’s Olivia the piglet. When baby boar Hogbert gets separated from his family in a scary forest, he huddles with other lost animals. But his talented snout snorts, sniffs, and smells their way to safety. And the aroma of adventure clings.

[Kelly]

A very strong 4. It'll get into your heart and stay there.

[Petra Dijkstra]

Mooie illustraties, leuk taalgebruik met verwijzingen naar sprookjes. Een aanrader

[Annette Langedijk]

“Er was eens in een bos hier ver vandaan, een mamazwijn. Ze had zes biggetjes. Het kleinste van allemaal was Evertje.”

Evertje is een lief klein everzwijntje die met zijn moeder en broertjes en zusjes het bos gaat verkennen.

“Maar denk eraan, snuffelkontjes van me,’ zei ze, ‘dat de Grote Boze Wolf misschien wel in de buurt is, dus in knorrensnaam, blijf bij elkaar!’

Je raadt het natuurlijk al; Evertje raakt gescheiden van de groep. Hij ontmoet gelukkig allerlei bosdieren die hem helpen om weg te blijven van de Grote Boze Wolf.

Een heel lief boek over vriendschap, samenwerken en helpen. Over kwijtraken en weer vinden. En ondertussen kom je allerlei verschillende bosdieren tegen. En hun families.

Prachtige illustraties ook, zo mooi van kleur. En die goudfolie op de cover… daar smelt je toch van?!

[Vincent Desjardins]

In this gentle adventure story, a young wild boar, while following a trail of treats, loses track of his family and becomes lost in the forest. Finding himself alone, he worries about the Big Bad Wolf his mother has warned him about but soon finds his bravery when he is joined by other lost animals - a young squirrel, a fawn and two baby bunnies. Briony May Smith's adorable animal characters and her beautiful renderings of the forest with its sun-dappled glens, wildflower-strewn paths, moss-covered trees and babbling brooks, elevate this sweet tale to something unforgettable. With just the right amount of suspense and mystery this lushly illustrated book is the perfect book to read to any child who enjoys nature and animal stories.

[Dylan]

Very cute picture book about young animals trying to find their families in the woods. Stunning illustrations!

[Tina Hoggatt]

I'm all about the author's illustrations in this woodland 'retelling' of Little Red Riding Hood. How adorable Hogbert is!

[Liselotte]

Edition read: Dutch

Oh my goodness, this is one of the most precious picturebooks I've ever read! What a treat!

[Ana']

Toujours aussi mignon, ça change pas !

[Diana]

The illustrations are wonderful but the story is just missing something. I felt there was no true lesson learned and the ending felt a little abrupt.

[Michael Kiripolsky]

Super cute. No notes

[Lauren M]

Adorable illustrations and a fun adventure with new friends!

[Chuva]

Adorable petit album jeunesse avec de magnifiques dessins et qui porte sur l'entraide. J'adore !!!

[Amanda]

The adventures, the kindness of new friends, and the luminous illustrations make this story stand out. The length feels better suited to one-on-one reads or for older readers.