Hans My Hedgehog: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm

Good retelling of the Grimm tale. Attractive illustrations and design.

Excellent Author's Note in the back detailing origin of the story and what changes Kate Coombs made in her retelling and why. I like the way Coombs' text flows. John Nickle's art really worked well for the story although the people are kind of odd looking.

This book was an entertaining adaption of an old tale. The illustrations are rich and detailed.The story would be good for older children.

Lovely pictures--the hedgehog is quite cute, the image of him on the big rooster is wonderful, and seeing the pigs wearing the palace jewels is fun. The story has been modified from the original as noted in the back of the book to be much kinder and gentler. Still has the motif of giving princesses

Show More

away as if they were things, but the princesses here have some agency at least.

Show Less

The main action of the story revolves around Hans’ move to the forest. There he helps two Kings ind their way out of the forest in return for a repayment of the first thing they see when they return. In both cases it was their daughters. The first king refuses to give up his daughter while the

Show More

second pledges to keep his word. When Hans gets to the first King’s castle and the King refuses Hans his daughter Hans ransacks the place with his gang of pigs. When Hans goes to the second castle the King keeps his word and Hans is set to marry his daughter. The conflict of the story is both Hans physical nature as a half man- half hedgehog. Also the conflict is the fact that the first King refuses to keep his promise. Being a traditional tale, this book has a lot of value as a cultural piece of literature.Also, the fact that this is a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale adds more to the value of the book. The artwork and adjustments of this version made the story very cute and entertaining.

Show Less

Kate Coombs certainly chose to make Hans a more likable and less beastly character than he is in the original. She also chose to have him play the fiddle instead of the bagpipes. I think these choices certainly make this story more appealing to modern audiences, but I do wonder if sanding off the

Show More

tale’s rough edges also sands off some of its human truths. In the original Hans is beastly, not because of his hedgehog half, but because his parents reject him and the scars of not being loved make him treat others viciously if they hurt him. Hopefully our modern sensibilities reflect a society that is growing more tolerant of differences and less tolerant of cruelty.

Show Less

Traditional
The story of a half-boy, half-hedgehog who plays the fiddle. The author changed the story significantly, as is usually the case with Brother's Grimm fairy tales. This is a much more G rated version. It's better written than the Little Red Riding Hood book I also read. The illustrations

Show More

and design were very modern and clean looking.
I thought this was a cute book, and a pretty easy read, for beginning readers. The story was engaging and fast paced and just a little bit weird, which I think will keep kids' attention.

Show Less

The half hedgehog, half boy fiddle player is an upbeat Brother's Grim fairy tale. I appreciated that the hedgehog never really got down on himself, and ultimately was happy with who he is.

This story is well-told and has a positive spin on the original. I enjoyed how Hans My Hedgehog was positive, as were all other characters except the first king. Illustrations tie together traditional, authentic illustrations with silly, entertaining illustrations, including a hedgehog dressed in a

Show More

suit. This story is suitable for all ages.

Show Less

This story emphasizes the importance of sticking to your agreements, even if things do not go as you had hoped. There are a lot of teachable moments in this book. If the farmer had been more careful about what he said, he might not have had a son who was half a hedgehog. If the kings had thought

Show More

more carefully about the consequences of their agreements, they might have avoided the prospect of having their daughters marry a hedgehog. It also demonstrates the consequences of sticking to your word versus going back on it. Definitely a good story to discuss in connection with consequences and forethought.

Show Less

Hans My Hedgehog is a cute tale of good triumphing over bad, and as a reminder to always keep your word.. I found the story to have a good moral compass to it, and I thought the illustrations were great. While the book was in some ways a modernized telling of the original story by the Bothers

Show More

Grimm, the designer and illustrator of the book did a great job setting the story in the middle ages through the use of clothing, housing design, and an older looking script. The story told of two kings who had requested help from Hans, each promising as reward, the first thing that greeted him at his castle gate. When Hans went to collect, the first King took back his promise and did not give his daughter to Hans. As a result, Hans and his pigs took half of his riches. The second king was true to his word, and allowed Hans to marry his daughter, which was a union that was beneficial for all involved.

Show Less

This is the story of hans, he is a half hedgehog half boy. Hans was born to a family that was cursed and he was born half hedgehog. Hans fell in love with fell in love with music and played wonderfully but still no one would be friends with the poor boy, except his pigs. Hans decided to leave his

Show More

family and go into the forest to live. Hans was happy in the forest until a king became lost and hans help him find his way if only the king promised to give hans the first thing that greeted him when he returned to the castle. The king was greeted by his daughter but the king vowed that if hans came to collect he would not let him in. This happened two more time and when after the third king had returned home hans decided to come collet from the three. When Hans was refused at the first castle he and his pigs came in and took the kings gold. When they reached the third castle the daughter of the king decided to hold up their end of the agreement and marry Hans. At the wedding Hans was playing his music and suddenly he fall to the ground then as everyone looked, Hans had turned into a full boy and he lived happily ever after.

Show Less