Little Hedgehog returns in this eighth picture-book devoted to his adventures, this time inviting all of his friends over for a sleepover party. But just as he's showing his guests the cozy red blanket he made, so they can all stay warm together, a stray wind carries it away. Immensely distraught at first, our erinaceous hero is comforted by his friends, who each contribute a scrap of fabric to make a new blanket. As the friends piece this new quilt together, each piece reminds them of some adventure they had together...

I'm quite a fan of author M. Christina Butler and illustrator Tina Macnaughton's Little Hedgehog picture-book series, which began in 2004 with One Snowy Night, and which now includes fourteen (soon to be fifteen!) titles. One Special Sleepover is the eighth in the series, but the ninth I have read, as I had some trouble tracking it down. Unlike the other titles in the series, it was never published here in the states, which mystifies me, as it is a winsome addition to the body of stories about this cute hedgehog and his woodland friends. I particularly liked that this story showed the friends reminiscing about their previous adventures, as readers familiar with earlier books will be able to recognize some of the incidents mentioned. Recommended to fans of Little Hedgehog, and to picture-book readers looking for cute stories about friendship. ( )