Thank you NetGalley and VanitaBooks, LLC for this DRC.

I was not expecting this to be so emotional...I may have teared up a smidgen.
This is a story of a baby porcupine and is told in the first person by the porcupette.
This was super adorable, a little sad and all kinds of informative on porcupettes.
The little pocupette addresses loss, insecurity and love so well and in terms children and adults alike can relate to and understand.
I think this has been my favourite Vanita Oelschlager to date!

My heart was broken for Porcupette, the baby porcupine, when his Mom went out for food and never came home. Cold, hungry and terrified, he finally ventures out himself and crawls into a cave with a Mother Bear and her cubs. He’s taken in and loved unreservedly, even though he tests that acceptance by sticking his new Mom and stepsibs with his quills. Lovely illustrations and story about finding belonging in a new family.

Thanks to NetGalley and VanitaBooks, LLC for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

This book was great...but not for it's intended age group. The artwork made it good for a three year old, but the writing made it more for a six or seven year old. However, for a young child needing to understand adoption, the writing does give guidelines for a parent to "paraphrase" and help explain things.

What a beautiful and touching story about finding where you belong in life. The momma's out there will be brought to tears by this wonderful story, which was complete with adorable illustrations. I certainly recommend this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

A very, sweet, touching book about a young porcupine who loses his mother and how he finds a new family. It shows how it can be difficult to blend in with your new family amidst fears of being left and being unloveable. Beautiful illustrations to go with this story!

I cried buckets with this one, because I am such a child. In a good way - I don't think I'll ever stop being a child.. This is a sweet little story, which teaches values and knowledge using the most lovely, flowy illustrations.

This is an important book for anyone who has lost a parent for whatever reason - death, moving away or divorce and especially adoption.

"I was happy and I knew I was loved until one day my mother left me at home and went on her daily hunt for food. She had always come back before. But this day she didn't come back. I waited. I waited all night. I waited, and still no mother. I tried not to be scared. But I was."

This is all about finding family in other places. Porcupette finds a family of bears. But it's a little more complex than that - Porcupette pretends to be a baby bear and hopes the mother bear doesn't realise that she/he is a porcupine.

"I began to think that maybe she left me for something I did wrong. Or maybe she left me because of something she saw that was unlovable about me."

Porcupette begins to think that his mother bear would also leave him because there is something wrong with him. this is really common in adopted kids, and I notice it with my little brothers often. Porcupette is so afraid of being abandoned that he starts prickling his brothers and sisters, sure that his bear mother would leave him then. This doesn't make sense to the casual observer, but it makes sense in the context of the abused/neglected/abandoned.

"The cubs got very big, but I stayed small. They were soft and cuddly, but I was pirckly. When would she stop loving me and go away, or take her real babies and leave?"

I love how children's books have started to adopted more comprehensive and intricate topics. It's not just "there once was...the end" anymore. In the end...well it ends happily - beautifully.

"I realised that if I just stopped being afraid, I would stop hurting my new family. I could be loved. I would take a chance that this mother wouldn't go away. I would let this mother love me. And best of all, I would love them back.

This is a wonderful book for adoptive parents, or for parents/professionals of any child experiencing a sense of loss.

A big thank you to NetGalley and VanitaBooks, LLC for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. It is a cute story, with great graphics. Baby porcupine loss his mom but finds a new one. Learning about trust. I think most children would enjoy this book. It might also be good for early readers. I rate it a 4.

A little porcupine loses his mother and goes in search of a new one. He comes upon a mother bear and cubs. After he is accepted, he is afraid of losing his new family so he begins to act out.

This has nice pictures and a message that is sometimes
Difficult to understand. Can help some children deal with the hard feelings about being different especially due to adoption. It was a little long for really small kids, but early grade school would do okay. I like that net proceeds go to an adoption center.
#nethalley

This book touches on what a child may feel if they've lost a parent from death, incarceration or by choice. This is a nice simple story about emotions, feeling afraid and finding a family. It is accurate with behavior of a child who is scared and not certain about their future.


Recommend: Yes!!!

Porcupette Finds a Family is a sweet little book about the challenges of finding where you belong. It shares that people can love and care for each other even if they don't look alike.

Porcupette Finds a Family is a touching and heartbreaking story about adoption, loss, and attachment. Although this is a children's book there were times when I found it emotionally hard to read. It is an important read though for adoptive parents, and for those dealing with children that are lashing out it helps parents think about some of the reasons why their child may be acting that way. It is a great story for children who are struggling with attachment to see that they are not alone, how they are acting is a normal reaction to what has happen to them, and how they may be able to resolve some of those issues. This is NOT a "must-have" book for all children who are adopted but it's definitely a great story for children who are dealing with aggression, grief, and attachment issues.

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The link to the review will be added once the review has been finalised.

Porcupette's mother went missing, and he was left all alone. He found a new family that was a little different (a family of bears), and while the family accepted him for his differences, he never felt that he belonged. He was afraid and felt lost until finally he felt comfortable with his new family. This is a beautifully engaging story that was written for adoptive families, but it's also a great story of acceptance, belonging, and family in general. The illustrations are stunning.

Thank you to Vanita Oelschlager, Vanita Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This wonderful book made me cry like a little baby! The little porcupette that doesn't feel that he belongs anywhere really caught my heart.

This picture book is both heart breaking and heartwarming. It tells the hopeful story of a little porcupine who loses is mother but finds a new family: a bear and her two cubs. In a simple language for children it shows how you can find trust and love again. The illustrations are lovely and sweet. A very good book!

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.
Ohh. My. God. Where are my tissues!!!

THIS.....ohh im lost for words. This is so so good! It is a very emotional read and will pull at your heart so much. Its about love, abandonment, pushing others away from fear of thinking that they will leave and will not love you and finally, acceptance. Done as a childrens book this is by far not just for children. The beautiful illustrations are just right for the story being told. Its so painfull full of emotion and is so accurate to how humans behave and think, it makes it a very raw read for certain people.

The baby Porcupette (this is what a baby porcupine is called), finds that one day, while his mother is out looking for food, she does not return. The Porcupette is sad, scared, worried and unsure of what has happened to keep his mother from not coming back. Off in search of her, the Porcupette comes across a cave where a bear family live inside. Mother Bear with 2 baby cubs. Scared, Porcupette goes inside and cuddles up between the baby cubs while drinking milk from mother bear. This book tells of the relationship between the Bears and the Porcupette and how they became a family in the end.

There is so much love in this. It is such an amazing and important book for those who have ever had to deal with abandonment in their lives. This book will be like getting a hug and being told its ok.

I have now read 5 books from this author and I have given all of them 5 stars. Definitely one of my FAVOURITE AUTHORS! So a massive thank you to Vanita Oelschlager and the illustrator Mike Blanc whose illustrations I absolutely adore aswell.

I highly recommended this.

An arc was provided generously in exchange of an honest review via Netgalley.*

The illustrations are good, but the text really needs some editorial work. The whole story is told from the first person POV from a porcupette. I don't think that the first person narrator was at all needed. Not many can associate with an animal and the third person narrator would have been better in avoiding a "maid and butler" (I am porcupette and porcupette is a baby porcupine) moments at the beginning of the book. The book tries to send a good message if a little bit too hard. With some text editing it would have been a really good adoptive child story.

Firstly, the illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful. The story, however, we found to be to wordy and choppy for a young child. It is more suited to a school age child who can pay attention for a bit longer than my toddler. He was very interested in the porcupine facts at the beginning and struggled to say porcupine spurring us to look up more information about porcupines.

A sweet story about finding your place despite your differences, learning to trust and loving and being loved.

Wonderful story and sweet illustrations. Highly Recommend!