A Lonely Hedgehog
In the quiet corner of a forest lived a little hedgehog named Henry. He had shiny brown eyes, tiny paws, and a coat covered in prickly spines. Henry was kind and cheerful, but he had one problem—he couldn’t give hugs.
Whenever his friends—rabbits, squirrels, and foxes—hugged each other after a game, Henry stood back. If he tried, they yelped, “Ouch!” and pulled away. Henry’s heart sank. “I’ll never know what a hug feels like,” he sighed.
Advice from the Wise Owl
One evening, as Henry sat under the oak tree feeling sad, Ollie the Owl swooped down beside him. “Why so glum, young hedgehog?” Ollie asked gently.
Henry sniffled. “I want to hug my friends, but my spines always poke them.”
Ollie tilted his head thoughtfully. “Every creature has a gift. Perhaps your gift is waiting to be discovered. Don’t stop trying.”
Henry nodded, though he wasn’t sure what that meant.
Finding a Way
The next day, Henry decided to practice. He rolled himself into a ball and wrapped soft autumn leaves around his spines. Then he waddled over to Daisy the Rabbit. “Would you like a hug?” he asked nervously.
Daisy tilted her ears. “Well… alright.” She leaned in, and instead of sharp spines, she felt the crunch of leaves. “Oh, Henry! That’s clever—it doesn’t hurt!” She smiled and hugged him back. Henry’s heart leapt.
News spread quickly. Soon, his friends gathered, each curious to try a “hedgehog hug.” Henry wrapped his spines with leaves, moss, even a little blanket that a kind squirrel had woven. For the first time ever, he shared warm, safe hugs with everyone.
The Warmest Hug of All
That night, Henry curled up under the stars, glowing with happiness. “Thank you, Ollie,” he whispered to the branches above.
From then on, whenever someone in the forest felt sad or tired, they would ask, “Henry, may I have a hug?” And Henry always found a way—sometimes with leaves, sometimes with moss, sometimes just by being there with his kind heart.
He learned that hugs weren’t only about touching—they were about showing you cared. And Henry gave the warmest hugs of all.
The End.
For advice on building a strong emotional connection with your child, see this Focus on the Family article. And if you’d like to help your little one explore their own thoughts and feelings, browse our Magical Books & Activities section for journals and creative sets.
