Hmmm… This gorgeous book has a story that goes too many places, and I'm not sure how it all hangs together. It's about a girl envious of the old lady next door's garden, although (a) she does get given some of the fruits from it, and (b) her parents are actually quite the pair of eco-warriors. She finds good in nature, and bad in thunderstorms, nasties from fairy tales and spiders. So when she hears something ominous on a dark and stormy night, she has to go outside and see what's what…

What's what is the other title character turning up rather too late in the proceedings, offering some mild assurance and leaving. I like there's a mystical side to where she leaves to, but the advice isn't the firmest and that way it's only in keeping with the rest of the story. Millie loves the environment, but is too small and young to do much for it, her parents love the environment but don't do enough, to some eyes, and the whole is quite the patchy affair. I think it could be about the small baby steps needed to be green, or a lesson in how nature can look after itself, but it certainly doesn't feel direct enough in any one message to fully appeal to the young audience. The craft in the visuals cannot be denied, so perhaps it does deserve three stars, but it wasn't for me.

This book didn’t quite hit the messaging I think it was going for. The hedgehog was such a small, short part of the story; the parents were portrayed as neglectful and like the planet was more important than Millie; and Millie didn’t seem to learn much from the lovely neighbor who gardened, yet did from the hedgehog that called himself a person. Ultimately my three year old lost interest half-way through, though we did come back to finish the story a few days later.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is very wordy for a picture book. It feels more like an in-between picture and chapter book. The art is beautiful and the story is cute.

4 stars

This picture book has beautiful dreamy pastel illustrations, but the story lacked focus and tried to make too many points. Millie's parents are activists who are trying to save the world. However they spend so much time caring for the environment that they neglect Millie, leaving her lonely and anxious. Her busy parents don't have time for her and she spends her time reading fairy tales and visiting with a friendly elderly neighbor has a garden and gives her three potted plants for her own patio garden. I wish that the hedgehog was all day long instead of midnight. Late at night she meets a wise hedgehog who tells her that Fairytales help us tell good from bad. He tells her that by tending a garden, she is helping the environment too. All these points are great, but I think that children reading this book would end up as anxious as Millie.

Truly a bizarre story. Dad doesn't get headaches because he's good at solving problems? I understand that the end of the story was meant to be comforting, but honestly, I feel like reading this story to your child would simply make them more anxious. On a technical note, the saturations of words per page makes the story difficult to read in a story time setting. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read!

Even though I’m not the target audience for this book I was happy to be approved for it on NetGalley as I love hedgehogs so much. The illustrations are so beautiful! But as this is a children’s book the message within its pages is a lot: climate change, the ending of the Earth, activist parents who neglect their child, Millie is a lonely child. That’s a lot of sad stuff in a kids book! One positive message is that every little bit we do )like growing tomatoes and beans in a pot) can help our world. I wish the hedgehog had a bigger presence in the story. This was beautifully illustrated though the story was a bit tough.

**Thanks to the author and NorthSouth Books for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**

Millie and the Midnight Hedgehog, written and illustrated by Bernadette Watts, is a sweet picture book about a little girl named Millie who is lonely. Her parents care tremendously about saving the planet, but in their efforts to do so, they often overlook that Millie would like to spend time with them. She instead reads fairy tales and visits with her elderly neighbor, who likes to garden. Millie finds solace in her own little garden and gets words of comfort from a tiny hedgehog one moonlit night.

This is a very touching story, with artwork reminiscent of that of Patricia Polacco. The story is simple enough for little children but layered enough to offer conversation starters about more complex topics such as how we define personal priorities, the value of family, and the environment/climate change. It's a perfect tale for families to read together to remind them of the importance of time together and the simple pleasures of growing food and flowers.

Many thanks to the author/illustrator and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

"Fairy tales teach us to know good from bad."
Gracie reads fairy tales in bed and sometimes is frightened. Mom and dad work very hard to save the planet but sometimes they undervalue Gracie's concerns. Fortunately, there is a neighbor to help her as well as a very kindly hedgehog.
I feel that the age suggestion is only valid if read together, because of the somewhat high word count and expectations.
The illustrations by the author are simple, imaginative and add much to the story in simple figures and bright colors.
Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on Thorium PDF from NorthSouth Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Oct 21, 2025 #NetGalley
#MillieandtheMidnightHedgehog by Bernadette Watts @northsouthbooks @childrensbookcouncil @goodreads #kidsbook #picturebookart #kidlit #picturebook #illustration #childrensbooks #imagination #littlefreelibrary #savetheplanet #childhoodfears #readwithme #littlefreelibrary

Great book. Ended up not being something my child was super interested in, but I can see this being a staple book in other homes!

Bernadette Watts’ Millie and the Midnight Hedgehog aims to deliver an environmental message through a children’s picture book but it felt like a haphazard tale that isn't quite suited for young readers. For the most part, we follow Millie and her fear of climate change exacerbated by her parents' fixation on it.

The narrative is frustratingly scattered, lurching between Millie’s interactions with a neighbor, parents and lastly a hedgehog. It's pretty scattered and this lack of focus makes the story hard to follow, especially for children, and squanders its chance to convey a meaningful message.

The tone is depressingly heavy, fixating on the doom and gloom in a way that feels inappropriate for a children’s book that risks leaving young readers anxious or disheartened.

Watts’ illustrations are the sole bright spot, with the characters' cute, whimsical design and soft, inviting colors showcasing her signature charm. Yet, these cheerful visuals clash with the story’s somber narrative, creating a tonal disconnect that undermines the book’s impact. The illustrations promise warmth, but the story delivers gloom. One star.

I was invited to read a DRC from NorthSouth Books through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest opinions.

I definitely felt like this story was a bit all over the place. It was slow, not very engaging, and had a lot of different plots. I don’t think this would be a great book for a child.

This children's book tries to be many things: a story of a lonely little girl who lives with busy parents, a story concerned with the state of the environment, a tale of a child making connections with the natural world around her, and a story with fairy tales and hedgehogs. The illustrations give the story a gentle feel with hidden things to find while reading. While the story feels hopeful, it is a bit sad as well. This book will give caregivers and children a chance to discuss weighty topics like the environment and busy parents. It might also encourage a child to plant a few seeds to start a garden of their own. The little hedgehog shows up at the end and leaves me wanting more of his story.

I feel like this book tried to tell too many stories. It emphasized that Millie felt alone a lot, and that her parents were always busy. It also tries to tell a story about thinking of the planet. And for some reason there's a little hedgehog just shoved in there at the end for good measure.

I don't think children would be fully engaged by this, and I don't think it tells a straightforward story. It seems this one needs some more work.

This story is heartwarming while teaching the valuable lesson that small children are able and can contribute to caring for our planet. It also showcases a beautiful friendship between the girl and an older lady teaching a valuable lesson that both of these demographic groups are important.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t resonate with us. Both my 8-year-old and I found the story a bit too heavy for the age group it’s aimed at. The pacing felt slow, and the plot wasn’t very engaging, which made it hard to stay interested. We were hoping for something a bit more exciting or uplifting.

The illustrations are lovely and put you into a feeling of a dreamy state. The story was cute, but I wish there had been more about the hedgehog and less about her parents, what they do, etc.
I think you can talk about saving the planet, etc, without having it in every portion of the book
I was just a little bit confused, but I did enjoy the book.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.Thank you to North South Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#MillieandtheMidnightHedgehog #BernadetteWatts #NetGalley #NorthSouthBooks

While this is a gorgeously illustrated [with dreamy, watercolor-y illustrations], and I absolutely loved the relationship that grows between Millie and her neighbor Mrs. Periwinkle [I really wish this had been fleshed out more as this was literally the only relationship has, and seeing how Mrs. Periwinkle mentors and loves the young girl would have made for an amazing read], overall, this was one of the most depressing children's books I have ever read [and that includes 'The Giving Tree', which I absolutely despise], and I was in tears by the end of this one for that poor lost, neglected, lonely child. The hedgehog in the title doesn't show up until the very end and really feels more like a footnote that anything significant to the story and I was pretty disappointed about that. The end is also very abrupt and that was a bit disconcerting.

Millie is a sad, lonely child who is all but ignored by her activist parents and in the end, I just wanted to hug her [as well as smacking her parents upside the head], and I was glad when it was over.

Because of all of this, I cannot in good faith recommend this book. :-(

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books INC/NorthSouth Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute and whimsical. I don’t understand why the parents had so much backstory, and I felt like the author was over emphasizing saving the planet, secondhand stores, etc. but the garden was cute.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A cute story about managing fears and saving the planet; yet, I felt like the two theme of the story did not mesh well and were disjointed. I enjoyed the illustrations and the theme of overcoming fear. Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Millie and the Midnight Hedgehog is an introduction to environmentalism and climate change for very young readers. Millie's parents are environmental activists working hard to protect Earth. Their concern and anxiety transfers to Millie who if left to ponder these things on her own while her parents work. Enter Mrs. Periwinkle who tries to ease Millie's worries but having her help in her garden. She also gives Millie three potted plants to take care to take her mind off of her worries. After a sudden storm, Millie goes to check on her plants and meets a special little hedgehog. While the premise of this story seems sweet, the feel of the story is thrown off a bit for me as the parents are there but not really. They exist around Millie but always seem too busy to spend time with her. I also wish there was more about the hedgehog as it only appears for a brief moment near the end of the book, It was hard for me to connect with the story for those reasons. The illustrations throughout the book were beautiful and soft which I loved.

Thank you to Netgalley, NorthSouth Books, and Bernadette Watts for this e-ARC to review!