Hedgehog does magic tricks tries, anyway th the help of his animal buddies. First he hides Mouse under a kerchief and utters "abracadabra" to make Mouse disappear. Hmm. It doesn't work. Next he tries Rabbit, but he pulls Rabbit's ears too hard. Duckling courageously offers to be the third helper, but once inside the magic cardboard box, Duckling decides it's too scary and bolts. The sparse text only gives the very basics of the story, cleverly allowing for young readers to examine the illustrations to figure out the whole picture of what is happening. So, when the friends bring a cake and it "disappears," readers will see what Hedgehog doesn't mely that it was eaten out of existence. Paul's pencil and digital artwork is of the fuzzy, cuddly pastel variety, with each animal a smiling, bright-eyed wildlife friend. At its heart, this gentle story is about empathy ways a good lesson for kids learning the push and pull of a social world.

Hedgehog tries his best to perform some magic for his friends, but making volunteers from the audience disappear is harder than he thought. To make him feel better, his friends present him with a cake which easily disappears (with help from the audience). Sweet, delicately rendered pencil and digital illustrations add story elements to the tame, slight text.

In story and artwork as delicate as milkweed floss, Paul tells the story of young Hedgehog's tribulations as a budding magician. A little hedgehog gathers his friends--Mouse, Rabbit, Raccoon, Duckling, an unidentified creature in Bermuda shorts (possibly an Antipodean possum) and a handful of extras--for a magic show. The show consists of Hedgehog's disappearing/reappearing act--evidently, and sadly, his strong suit. He enlists the help of his friends. Look, here is Mouse. Drape her under the handkerchief and, abracadabra! Um, look, Mouse is still here. Then he tries to make Rabbit appear out of a hat by yanking on his ears. "Ouch," says Rabbit. Duckling decides against volunteering for the disappearing box. Hedgehog is crushed. But shortly, his friends return with a wheelbarrow. Abracadabra! From under the handkerchief a cake appears, from which Mouse jumps out. Unbeknownst to Hedgehog, who is mirthfully rolling around at Mouse's shenanigans, the others eat the cake. "I think I made the cake disappear," he gasps, and only the worst killjoy would contradict him. The word that pertains here is dear. The story has a sweetness that can't be denied, and the artwork is both delicate, as if painted on bone china, and transporting: For all its etherealness, you could take a bite out of the cake. A lovely lesson: If at first you don't succeed...then count on your friends to help get it right. (Picture book. 3-5)

PreS-K With his audience of friends watching, Hedgehog sets Mouse upon a top hat. He covers her with a blanket, waves his magic wand, and utters the word, "Abracadabara!" Pulling back the blanket, he reveals Mouse, who has failed to vanish. Hedgehog attempts again with another assistant, Rabbit, with no success. After a third failed attempt, a very despondent Hedgehog sits forlornly, his wand broken. Luckily, his friends soon save his magic show by way of a lovely cake that together they make disappear (thanks to some big appetites). The whimsical illustrations are rendered in watercolor, pencil, and digital media. A sweet story about the magic of friendship. Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ