The Porcupine

Description

24 pages
$12.95
ISBN 2-920438-80-8
DDC j599.32'34

Publisher

Year

1992

Contributor

Illustrations by Louise Martel
Reviewed by Alice Kidd

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

Review

The Porcupine is a simple, colorful book for young children. The short
two lines per page text provides a surprising amount of information in a
fun way. If the illustrations supported the text it would be an
excellent book.

Unfortunately the porcupine is presented in the pictures as a
two-legged, human-type animal. Lounging at the beach, playing cards,
sleeping in beds, and celebrating a birthday with a cake are not the
actions described by the text. The illustrator’s talents would have
been better used rendering images of the animal in its natural habitat.
I enjoyed the book, but was able to regard the pictures as a bit of a
joke. Young children, leafing through the book on their own, would learn
little about porcupines from the pictures.

Citation

Quintin, Michel., “The Porcupine,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed October 7, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/24647.