Product Description

Erethizon Dorsatum - better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine - is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though, perhaps he is - and more than just a little.)

Ereth knows his special occasion deserves a special treat - even if he has to get it for himself. And what treat could be more special than tasty salt? But the nearest salt is located deep in the forest, in a cabin occupied by fur hunters, who have set out traps to capture the Dimwood Forest animals. In one of the traps, Ereth finds Leaper the Fox - who, with her dying breath, begs the prickly porcupine to take care of her three boisterous young kits, Tumble, Nimble, and Flip. "Jellied walrus warts!" Ereth exclaims, but reluctantly agrees.

Certainly this day is not going as he planned - and it's only just the beginning! Not only does Ereth suddenly have a rambunctious new family to take care of, but he's being stalked by Marty the Fisher, the one creature in Dimwood Forest who can do him harm. And Bounder, the father of the three little foxes, remembers all too well the nose full of quills he got a while back from the grumpy old animal who now fancies himself the leader of the den. He too sets out to show Ereth who's boss. Throw in an unexpected snowstorm, and all in all, it adds up to one brithday Ereth the porcupine is never going to forget, not even if he lives to be a hundred and twenty-two!

01-02 Golden Sower Award Masterlist (4-6 Cat.)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1172297 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From Amazon.com
"Helping others!" Ereth the porcupine snarls viciously. "Being good! It's all broccoli bunk and tick toffee."

On a birthday that he suspects everyone has forgotten, the last thing this grumpy old porcupine wants is to get involved in a sticky fox family predicament. But just as he's about to take a mouthful of his favorite treat, salt, he hears a weak voice calling for help, and his conscience trumps his desire. Soon he's embroiled in his worst nightmare: leaving his comfortable home to act as caretaker of three energetic, chatty, newly motherless fox kits. His longing for his stinky log home next door to his best friend, Poppy the mouse, lessens somewhat as he gets down to the business of keeping the young foxes fed and safe. Meanwhile, another four-legged hunter has his eye on Ereth, and the fox kits' father is nowhere to be found.

Avi has struck gold again with the latest addition the Dimwood Forest series. Hard life lessons and hilarious gems from Ereth's prickly lips ("fish feather fruitcakes!" "puckered peacocks!") mesh to create an entirely engaging story. Fans of Poppy, Poppy and Rye, and Avi's other highly entertaining titles will welcome the chance to meet up with their old furry and spiky friends again. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Avi's (Poppy; Poppy and Rye; Ragweed) Dimwood Forest tales continue with this storyAequal parts humor and suspenseAthat puts a non-mouse character in the limelight for the first time. Convinced that his best friend Poppy and her family have overlooked his birthday, Ereth, a curmudgeonly porcupine, wanders off in search of his favorite treatAsalt. What he finds instead is an adventure he hadn't counted on: surrogate parenthood. He promises a female fox dying in a hunter's trap that he will look after her three kits until their father returns. Keeping the trio fed and out of trouble proves a Herculean task, one that teaches Ereth much about the ties that bind even as it softens some of his rough edges. His steadfast if grumpy devotion is rewarded when the three save him from an attack by a cunning fisher (a furry, four-legged creature with a hankering for porcupines). Avi delivers another crackling good read, one shot through with memorable descriptions (snow "sleeved tree branches in white") and crisp, credible dialogue. Above all, showcasing Ereth allows the author free range with his cantankerous character's trademark asides ("Babies. Nothing but poop and puke, puke and poop") and outbursts ("Sour snake sauce on spaghetti!"), many of which will have readers chuckling. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-Avi's Fourth Dimwood Forest tale (HarperCollins, 2000) comes to life in the deep, growly voice of narrator John McDonough which is just right for this story. Erethizon Dorsatum, better known as Ereth, the gruff and grouchy but good hearted porcupine of Avi's Poppy tales, thinks that he has been forgotten on his birthday and sets off in annoyance and disappointment in search of salt, his favorite treat. The nearest salt is located deep in the forest in a cabin occupied by fur hunters. The hunters have set out traps for the animals and Ereth finds Leaper, the Fox, caught in one. He reluctantly promises the dying fox to take care of her three rambunctious kits. Unaware that he is being stalked by Marty the Fisher who is the one creature in the forest that can do him harm, Ereth finds himself embroiled with three energetic and chatty fox kits while waiting for their father, who is nowhere to be found. The story is delightful, heartwarming, and humorous as Ereth's patience is continually taxed and he expounds his nonsense complaints and grumblings. It all adds up to one birthday Ereth will never forget. McDonough's telling is perfect, and this audiobook will be popular in school and public libraries.
Kristina Aaronson, Henniker Community School, NH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.