School for Woodland Creatures

It’s the first day of school for Hedgehog and her forest friends in this cozy classroom caper about overcoming doubts and letting your light shine, with full-color art on every page from a beloved Caldecott Honor winner.

We all have different strengths and weaknesses, Our uniqueness is what makes us shine...

When the humans of Hedge Hollow head off to school, Hedgehog and her furry, feathery friends decide to start a school of their very own!

Owl will teach reading. Beaver will teach shop. Mole will teach geography. Hen will teach math. And Hedgehog... Hedgehog isn't so sure. After all, you have to be an expert to teach a class, don't you? Hedgehog doesn't feel like an expert in anything. Lucky for Hedgehog her friends are happy to lend a paw, sharing laughter and kind words as they figure out a solution.

From the award-winning author-illustrator of Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us comes a tale of overcoming doubts and taking pride in doing what you love.

Story Locale:Pacific Northwest, USA

Series Overview: Our Friend Hedgehog is a cozy and heartwarming series for middle grade and chapter book readers, with color illustrations throughout. All 3 books are now available in paperbook.

The Story of Us (Our Friend Hedgehog, book 1) A Place to Call Home (Our Friend Hedgehog, book 2) School for Woodland Creatures (Our Friend Hedgehog, book 3)

Author: An Our Friend Hedgehog Story Lauren Castillo
Publisher: Yearling
Published: 7/14/2026
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Trade Paperback
Size / Weight: 8.3 in H | 6.5 in W | 0.4 in T | 0.6 lb Wt
ISBN: 9780593898994


About the Author

LAUREN CASTILLO studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott Honor-winning book Nana in the City, as well as The Troublemaker and Melvin and the Boy. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, PA.

Visit her at laurencastillo.com Follow her on Instagram at @studiocastillo Follow her on Twitter at @studiocastillo

Author Residence: Harrisburg, PA