Porcupine and Cactus

Praise

“Sometimes the best friend is the one who’s willing to listen. . . Bright, funny, cartoonish illustrations complement the bubbly text as the porcupine enjoys a picnic with the unresponsive cactus, performs magic tricks, and chats on, oblivious . . . Children will delight in the realization that they know more about the cactus than the porcupine does and will laugh out loud at the misunderstandings that ensue. A silly, entertaining tale of a very prickly friendship.”
–Kirkus

“Chatty Porcupine’s prickles are utterly tickled upon meeting Cactus during his lonesome travels through the desert .  . . . A melodramatic reunion is sure to leave readers giggling, but it also subtly provides a winking reinforcement about the importance of respecting one another’s boundaries, even at our most exuberant. The rubbery reticence of an inanimate cactus in the face of Porcupine’s friendly onslaught is a conceit cleverly amplified throughout the story, and Willmore’s mix of pencils, inks, and digital art create pleasing texture on barbed buddies and multicolored mesas alike. A heat-hazy sun moving across robin’s egg desert skies provides harmoniously energetic timestamps to the sheer duration of Porcupine’s cheerful abrasiveness. Readers who enjoy laughing alongside well-meaning but oblivious critters, will find this picture book a worthy pit-stop on their own travels.”
-BCCB


“On a scorching hot day in the desert Porcupine is on a lonely walk. He’s thrilled when he spots someone new to talk to, but when Porcupine does everything he can think of to get to know his new friend, Cactus doesn’t say a word.  A laugh out loud tale that will have young readers giggling as they realize what Porcupine doesn’t, Cactus is a plant. But maybe this could be the start of an amazing friendship after all.” —KidsBookshelf