Jean-Luc Buquet

I thought this was a very interesting yet confusing book. I liked Herodotus due to his inquisitive nature. He wants to know if there is a Great Spirit for Hedgehogs like there is for the bears, sheep, and foxes. He learns some animals do not believe in a great spirit, whereas some animals say there is only one great spirit. Hedgehogs just believe in the sun rising and sun setting. Overall, I knew the message was about how we all have different religious beliefs, and sometimes people can't accept this, while others embrace it and respect their differences. The issue I have is how the story ended very confusingly. Even after re-reading it, I had no idea what to think. I also found the beginning a bit random and lacked cohesion. I also think the illustrations were well done in some respects, while others were bland and boring. The author, Jean-Luc Buquet, is French, and I wonder if the translation just wasn't the best, which could explain some of the missing meaning? This was the first book I've read fully aware it was an international book. I think Jean-Luc's ideas were fabulous, but I think if I was confused, kids would be confused too.

Genre: International Literature… (mais)

I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded great, and we certainly need more picture books that explore diversity of religion and beliefs. But the execution fell short, in my opinion. Maybe something was lost in translation from the original French?

The book felt long - it barely held my interest, so I can't imagine reading it to a group of young children. It was also confusing - I'm still not sure what to make of the part near the end where Herodotus closes his eyes, and "little lights danced behind his closed eyelids", and then the silence was broken by "crying, singing, the flapping of wings" which are never explained...

The illustrations are cute, and again I think the concept is a great idea, but the characters and story really fall short. I don't see myself likely to share this book with children anytime soon, unfortunately.… (mais)

Herodotus was a curious little hedgehog, one interested in the world around him and all of the creatures in it. When he overheard a bear praying to the Mighty Bear Spirit, he became interested in the spiritual beliefs of the various animals species. The foxes believed in the Great Fox and her two daughters, Wit and Prudence, while other species believed in a Great Spirit that gave them the best of qualities, whether that be intelligence (as the weasels believed) or love (as the sheep maintained). Herodotus conferred with his own elder, an ancient hedgehog named Venerable, and learnt that his own species believed less in spirits, but honored the rising and setting of the sun...

Originally published in French as Hérodote le hérisson, this philosophical picture-book looks to be author/illustrator Jean-Luc Buquet's debut. I picked it up with a keen sense of anticipation, drawn in by the beautiful cover and (I will admit) by the title. How wonderful, I thought, that here was a book about a hedgehog (a species I love) named Herodotus (an ancient author I have studied). Unfortunately, although I appreciated the story idea here, and the use of different animal species as a means of exploring religious and philosophical diversity, I didn't find the narrative itself particularly appealing or engaging, and thought that the conclusion was somehow a little too open-ended to be satisfactory. The artwork was similarly frustrating, in its uneven quality. Sometimes it was quite beautiful, and sometimes it looked unfinished and amateurish. Some of Buquet's animals were convincing, others not so much. Buquet is clearly a creator with interesting ideas, and I'll be curious to see what he does next, but Herodotus the Hedgehog didn't quite win me over.… (mais)