The Hedgehog’s Dilemma

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: The first in a series of witty, philosophical animal stories with whimsical illustrations -- for adult fans of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and His Horse!

We’ve all been there: When a lonely hedgehog hosts a party for his friends, he’s suddenly wracked by social anxiety and self-doubt...

The hedgehog is feeling rather lonely, so one day he decides to invite all the other animals for a party. But the hedgehog is also rather a shy, reserved animal, and is terribly worried about doing or saying something he shouldn’t, and about all the things that could go wrong.

What if nobody comes? What if too many of them come? What if the elephant shows up and breaks all the furniture? Will anyone be able to hear the hedgehog talk above the frog’s croaking? Maybe inviting the others over wasn’t such a good idea after all...

An international bestseller, with more than 1 million copies sold in the Netherlands, The Hedgehog’s Dilemma is the perfect gift for the shy, retiring ’hedgehog’ in your life. This lovely--and loving book--addresses deep emotional and philosophical themes with humor, kindness, and intelligence.

Toon Tellegen is one of the Netherlands’ best-loved authors. A retired doctor, he initially found fame as a children’s author, before beginning his hugely popular series of philosophical animal fables for adults, which examine deep questions about life and happiness through encounters between different animals. The series has sold more than a million copies in the Netherlands alone, and the books have also become international bestsellers, translated into 25 languages across the world.

David Colmer has won many prizes for his translations, including the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (precursor to the International Booker Prize), both with novelist Gerbrand Bakker. He also translated Hermans’ An Untouched House for Pushkin Press.