Fans of Henry the Hedgegnome bedtime stories about the little hedgehog in stripy socks will be pleased to hear that the eighth book in the series is now available.
And in this story, Henry visits the zoo. Dartmoor Zoo to be precise.
Plymstock children’s author Richard Heddington, the writer and illustrator of the picture book series, has just published the latest story. But there’s a story behind the story, and although there were already several new tales in the pipeline, this book ended up leapfrogging the planned titles to become the newest publication.
When Richard heard that Dartmoor Zoo was raising funds to build a hedgehog rescue centre (called the Prickly Hedge Lodge) his immediate thought was ‘what can I do to help?’
So, he arranged a meeting with Lynne Hodgson, the zoo’s head of fundraising to discuss some possibilities. The original idea was to donate sets of books for selling or raffling, and running a social media competition to raise awareness. But during the course of the meeting it was suggested that Henry the Hedgegnome should visit the zoo. The idea was met with great excitement around the table, and it was agreed that Richard would work on a story whereby Henry goes to Dartmoor Zoo.
After some weeks of trying various story ideas the book, ‘Henry the Hedgegnome and the poo at the zoo’ was complete.
“Part of the fun of writing this story was creating the new characters for Henry to meet,” said Richard.
“In all the previous books Henry had only encountered garden creatures such as Mr Snail and Mr Bee, but I knew instantly that animals like the rude monkey would be a hit with children.”
But it is the mention of poo that gets children laughing the most.
“It is something that children just naturally find funny. Although, to be honest, it makes me laugh too.
“During the original meeting at the zoo, I was talking about the hedgehog poo phenomenon, and I explained that anyone who has dealt with hedgehogs will tell you about the amount of poo they produce. For such small and loveable creatures, they are certainly very messy. It was partly this conversation that made me think it would be funny to see a hedgehog encountering someone else’s poo.”
The story sees Henry visiting his grumpy old Great Aunt Hogerty who is staying at the hedgehog rescue centre, but finding her is not easy. After a series of unfortunate encounters with some of the zoo’s animals, Henry ends up in deep trouble.
Signed copies of ‘Henry the Hedgegnome and the poo at the zoo’ can be ordered from the Henry the Hedgegnome website at www.hedgegnomes.co.uk. It can also be ordered from Amazon, Wordery, and all good book shops. To find out more about the Prickly Hedge Lodge, or make a donation towards Dartmoor Zoo, visit the zoo website at www.dartmoorzoo.org.uk
