A Place to Call Home Read online

  OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG

  The Story of Us

  A Place to Call Home

  THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

  Copyright © 2022 by Lauren Castillo

  Epigraph art by Afton Kutil

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us on the Web! rhcbooks.com

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Castillo, Lauren, author, illustrator.

  Title: A place to call home / Lauren Castillo.

  Description: First edition. | New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. | Series: Our friend Hedgehog; 2 | Audience: Ages 5–9. | Summary: “Hedgehog and her friends discover that home can be found in unexpected places.”—Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2021039420 (print) | LCCN 2021039421 (ebook) | ISBN 978-1-5247-6674-0 (hardcover) | ISBN 978-1-5247-6675-7 (library binding) | ISBN 978-1-5247-6676-4 (ebook) Subjects: CYAC: Hedgehogs—Fiction. | Animals—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.C2687244 Pl 2022 (print) | LCC PZ7.C2687244 (ebook) | DDC [E]—dc23

  Ebook ISBN 9781524766764

  The illustrations in this book were created using pen, pencils, watercolor, and Photoshop.

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  a_prh_6.0_141501183_c0_r0

  For my friends Afton and Tippett,

  who inspired this story

  Signs of Winter

  The Doppel-who?

  The Big Build

  Urgent Matters

  The Investigators

  Hedge Hideaway

  A Creative Surprise

  A Place to Call Home

  The Hibernation Feast

  A Change of Plans

  Home

  Families come in all shapes and sizes.

  Sometimes they are joined by birth, and other times they are chosen.

  Hedgehog, Mutty, Mole, Owl, Beaver, Hen and Chicks, and me, Annika Mae. We may look different on the outside, but together we are like family.

  Together we are home.

  Between the great forests, in the center of the river, on a teeny-tiny island, lived two dear friends: Hedgehog and Mutty.

  Most nights they slept on the island, but they spent their days in the company of good friends.

  On this day, Hedgehog woke early to a chilly breeze ruffling her spines.

  The trees all over Hedge Hollow had changed color weeks ago, and some had lost their leaves. Wintertime was coming very soon.

  Wintertime meant snow.

  And snow brought with it all sorts of fun.

  Snowball fights, snow tubing, and most exciting of all: snowhogs!

  Hedgehog had been drafting her practice snowhog for months. She’d use two sticks for arms,

  two dark pebbles for eyes, another for the nose, and

  at least twenty-eight small twigs for its spines.

  All she needed now was snow.

  Hedgehog tapped on Mutty’s shoulder.

  “Wake up, Mutty! Owl has a new book for us today!”

  Owl often hosted story times, and the friends took turns cramming into his tiny loft. Today, it was Hedgehog, Mutty, and Mole’s turn.

  Hedgehog grabbed Mutty by the paw and hopped into the little red boat Beaver had made them. Quickly and carefully, they rowed toward the mainland.

  It was a long walk to Owl’s, but by now Hedgehog knew the path well.

  Hedgehog zigzagged and sing-sang through the forest, with Mutty in tow.

  “Today is new-book day, today is new-book day—Owl is going to read us a new book todaaaay!” she sang out. A songbird whistled back, and then she felt a plop on her head.

  “Ack! Bird poo!”

  Hedgehog shrugged. “Well, at least it’s good luck,” she giggled.

  They continued on the path until they reached Mushroom Glen. Hedgehog couldn’t believe how many mushrooms had sprouted since their last visit. She bent to take a closer look, and a flicker of movement caught her eye.

  Something…spiny.

  Something…something…much too familiar.

  Was it…?

  Hedgehog grabbed Mutty and ran as fast as she could to Owl’s.

  She didn’t look back, even once.

  “Owl! Owl!” Hedgehog yelled. “I saw a…ME!”

  “You what?” Owl yelled back down. “You saw you?”

  “No, I saw something that looked just like me! It had my same spines and my same snout, and it was just about my size!”

  “Most likely it was your reflection,” Owl said.

  “But it couldn’t have been my reflection, Owl! I wasn’t near any water.”

  “Hmm. Maybe just a pinecone?” Owl suggested.

  “But it was walking!” urged Hedgehog.

  Owl glided down from his loft and Mole followed.

  “Ciao, amici,” greeted Mole. “Tell us exactly what happened.”

  Hedgehog was still shaking from the incident. “I—I was in Mushroom Glen. I looked up, and there was a face just like mine. That’s all I can tell you…. I didn’t stick around for long!”

  “Goodness gracious!” Mole said. “Did you talk to it?”

  “No,” said Hedgehog. “I was too startled to say anything.”

  “I have a theory,” said Owl. “It heard about my fantastic read-aloud and wanted to trick us by taking your place today!”

  “Hmmmm,” said Mole. “But if it wanted to come to story time, why was it all the way down at Mushroom Glen?”

  “True…,” said Owl.

  He began flipping through a large book.

  “What are you doing?” Hedgehog asked.

  “Finding your answer,” Owl declared.

  He turned the book around so they could all see. “It seems you’ve met your doppelganger!”

  “My doppel-who?”

  “Doppelganger,” Mole repeated. “That’s a German word.”

  Owl nodded, reading aloud from his dictionary: “ ‘Doppelganger: a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.’ ”

  “What?” Hedgehog felt faint.

  “Don’t worry so much,” Owl said. “All it means is there’s a Hedgehog look-alike out there….”

  “Or maybe it’s just a relative,” Mole cut in, seeing Hedgehog’s worried face. “A long-lost sister or cousin.”

  Alone with Mutty on the tiny island, Hedgehog had often wondered what it would be like to have a big family.

  “I suppose it might be nice to meet a relative…,” Hedgehog mused.

  “Then let’s go!” hooted Owl. “Doppelganger or no, we’re gonna find this creature.”

  On the other side of the river, Annika Mae was helping Beaver.

  “Pass me those two long branches,” Beaver called from a large hole in the riverbank.

  Annika Mae was trying to give Beaver space to do what he did best, but it had been her idea to build the Friend Fort. And Beaver wouldn’t let her do any of the building!

  “Beaver, can’t I come in and help?” Annika Mae asked.

  “N
ope, nope,” Beaver replied. “Beavers only on the construction site. It’s too dangerous for anyone else.”

  “Fiiiine.” Annika Mae sighed. “But at least let me pick out the materials. I have a good eye for design.”

  “You can design the inside once I’m done with all the heavy lifting,” Beaver said.

  Annika Mae was about to object when something caught her attention.

  It looked like the start of one of Hen’s “treasure” heaps.

  “Hen, are you nearby?” Annika Mae called.

  A minute later, Hen came waddling out of the marsh grass with a wingload of junk.

  “Annika Mae, lookit all the decorations I found for the fort!” Hen clucked.

  “These are, um, interesting decorations,” said Annika Mae, holding up an enormous pair of indigo underwear.

  Hen grabbed the undies back.

  “This is a flag! For the fort!” She waved the undies high and gave a crisp salute.

  Annika Mae laughed so hard she snorted, and soon she was helping Hen search for the perfect flagpole.

  Down the river, just out of sight, there was a big splat! Then another. Followed by a “Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep!” echoing across the riverbank.

  “Oh, Chicks,” squawked Hen. “March your fluffy feathered fannies over here right this instant!”

  The chicks came bouncing through the marsh, covered beak to claw in mud.

  “What a mess!” cried Hen. “Go clean that mud off. Don’t make me tell you twice.”

  The chicks dove right off the trash heap and into the river. The water was cold! And the chicks were shivering when they got out.

  “Chicks! It’s sweater weather.

  “Too cold not to wear clothes this time of year,” Annika Mae said.

  “I don’t have a sweater.” Beaver’s voice echoed from inside the fort.

  “I was talking to the chicks!”

  Annika Mae hollered back.

  “Oh. Well, I thought you should know I don’t have one. And I want one. The kind with the buttons and a collar…”

  Beaver popped his head out the fort entrance. “And if you’re wondering what colors, I’m thinking maybe a nice red and purple.”

  Annika Mae’s brow furrowed as she looked down at her own sweater.

  “Are you asking for my sweater, Beaver?”

  “Well, if you don’t want it anymore. Sure, I’ll take it….”

  “Beaver, Abuela made me this. I can’t give it away!”

  Beaver’s face fell.

  “But…maybe I can ask her to make another one for you?”

  “Nah, that’s okay,” mumbled Beaver. “I don’t like to match.”

  Beaver disappeared once again inside the fort.

  As the shivering chicks huddled under their mother’s wings, Annika Mae headed up the hill in a hurry. She had some sweater hunting to do.

  “A hammer and two nails!” Beaver called from inside the fort.

  “Helloooo? Annika Mae. I need the hammer and nails NOW!”

  “Annika Maaae?”

  “Okay, okay, you can come inside if you really want to….”

  Beaver huffed out of the fort right as Hedgehog was walking past.

  “Hedgehog! You’re just in time. Annika Mae disappeared and I need help! Can you lend a paw?”

  Hedgehog looked Beaver straight in the eye.

  “Heyyy, those are my goggles!” Beaver exclaimed.

  Without a word, Hedgehog turned away and shuffled upstream.

  “Where are you going?!” Beaver yelled. But Hedgehog was already gone.

  Beaver sat on the bank, sulking, until the others returned. The chicks bobbled along in little sweaters that Annika Mae had borrowed from one of her dolls. They cheeped and leaped all over Beaver until his frown turned upside down.

  Mole, Owl, and Hedgehog arrived just in time to join the chicks in a Beaver tackle.

  Over time, the friends had learned that Beaver’s grumpy moods were no match for a big group hug.

  “That’s enough!” shrieked Beaver, hiding his happiness under a paw. “Everyone’s here—time to work on the fort!”

  “I’m afraid we have an urgent matter to discuss,” Owl cut in.

  “What could be more urgent than the fort?” Beaver fussed.

  “There’s another hedgehog in the hollow, and we need to find it.”

  “Another hedgehog?!” Annika Mae perked up. “How exciting!”

  “I agree,” said Mole, “but I’m not sure our Hedgehog feels the same.”

  Hedgehog retold the story of the doppelganger. And how, on one paw, she was curious,

  but on the other paw, she was frightened to meet another hedgehog.

  “I’m exhausted just thinking about it,” sighed Hedgehog, curling up on the bank.

  “It’s okay, tomodachi.” Mole put her paw over Hedgehog’s paw. “We will be there with you to meet this hedgehog.”

  “Will you help too, Beaver?” Hedgehog asked hopefully. “We can cover more ground in your raft.”

  “Of course he will!” Annika Mae piped in.

  Beaver turned to look at the partially finished fort. “But I was just about to install the door. Without the door, who will keep out intruders?”

  “Beaver!” squawked Owl.

  Beaver looked back at Hedgehog. She hadn’t helped him earlier. Why should he help her?

  “This could be Hedgehog’s family we’re talking about,” Owl pressed.

  “The fort will be in good hands while you’re gone.” Annika Mae grinned.

  “Okaaay,” Beaver sighed. “I will take you to look for this doppel-whatever. But let’s be quick so we can come back and finish the fort!”

  Owl, Mole, Hedgehog, and Mutty boarded the raft.

  “Bon voyage!” Annika Mae waved as they launched into the choppy river waters.

  “What are we looking for again?” Beaver asked as he began paddling.

  “Do you ever listen?” Owl hooted. “We are looking for Hedgehog’s doppelganger. Her look-alike.”

  “Is that why you were too busy to help with the fort earlier?” Beaver groused. “And why did you need my safety goggles?!”

  “What are you talking about, Beaver?” Hedgehog looked puzzled.

  “I saw you, Hedgehog. You were headed around that bend.” Beaver pointed past his dam.

  “Beaver, compadre, Hedgehog has been with us all morning. It couldn’t have been her,” said Mole.

  For a moment, everyone just looked at each other in confusion.

  “The doppelganger!” cried Owl. “It must have been the doppelganger.”

  “Are you sure it went that direction?” asked Mole.

  “Captain Beaver is always sure,” Beaver boasted.

  Owl rolled his eyes. “Let’s go!” he urged.

  Beaver worked hard to paddle upstream against the current. Hedgehog and Mole were huddled together, each gripping one of Mutty’s arms.

  As they approached the dam, Beaver called to the friends, “Time to get out and push!”

  “Push wha—” Owl began to ask.

  “No time for questions. Out, out!” Beaver ordered as he paddled his raft right up to the bank.

  “Ready, set, PUSH!”

  The crew pushed as Beaver pulled. Finally, the raft was around the other side of the beaver dam and back in the water.

  “Quivering quails, I’m beat!” Mole collapsed to the ground. The friends flopped down next to her.

  “It’s not that heavy,” chuckled Beaver. “Now come on, we better keep moving if you want to find this other hedgehog before dark.”

  They dragged themselves back onto the raft, and Beaver continued paddling as they entered unfamiliar forest.

  “I’ve never been up here,” Hedgehog called over the nois
y current.

  A movement in the distance caught Owl’s eye. “Beaver, steer toward that hedgerow,” ordered Owl.

  “Hey, who’s the captain here?” Beaver snapped, but turned the raft toward the long row of bushes.

  Owl took flight, circling the area once, twice, then thrice.

  “As I suspected,” Owl said when he returned. “There are hedgehogs behind the hedgerow. Lots of ’em.”

  Hedgehog’s stomach flipped. She held Mutty even tighter now.

  Mole noticed and put an arm around her shoulder.

  Swiftly and surely, they rowed straight toward the hedgerow.

  Beaver, Owl, Mole, and Hedgehog, who was clinging to Mutty, tiptoed toward the hedgerow.

  They peered through the leaves to see what was on the other side.

  “Afternoon, mates!” A raspy voice startled them.

  Hedgehog whirled around and found herself snout to snout with her own mirror image!