Description Children need time to get to know themselves, to search for who they are, and to cheer themselves on. Give children the chance to become their own biggest fan. —No In-kyung A New Picture Book from No In-kyung, One of Today's Most Celebrated Picture Book Artists No In-kyung is currently one of the most closely watched creators in the picture book world. After her previous work, Soso the Book Cleaner, earned her the title of Illustrator of the Year at the 2012 Bologna Children's Book Fair, she went on to win the Golden Apple Award at the 2013 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB) for Mr. Elephant and the 100 Water Drops—sweeping two of the most prestigious honors in the picture book world. Mr. Elephant and the 100 Water Drops has since been published in China, France, and Spain, reaching an even wider range of readers. Known for her fresh storytelling and distinctive visual style, No In-kyung's latest work tells the story of a cheerful, spirited hedgehog. Even more emotionally engaging for young readers than her previous books, Hedgehog X is a lively picture book that uses an intriguing premise, a solid narrative structure, and delicate, warm illustrations to capture the true essence of growing up. Every street hums with a gentle anthem playing from speakers, and every house hears the truck delivering "Soft Spike Soap." This is morning in the city where I live—the city called "All." Open the book, and the very first thing you see on the endpapers is a round ball of yarn, strangely placed upon a vast open land. Wound tightly and seamlessly in pink thread, this ball of yarn turns out to be "All," the perfect city that hedgehogs have spent generations carefully building. In this city, completely sealed off from outside dangers, citizens value refinement and order above all else. Since sharp spikes are no longer needed, anything sharp is strictly forbidden. Every morning, citizens smooth down their spikes according to "The Refined Hedgehog's Code of Conduct." But our hero doesn't mind the few spikes that stubbornly stick up even after grooming. Even after failing the spike inspection on the way to school and being sent back for more "refined spikes" lessons, even after being punished with library cleaning duty for startling classmates during recess, our hero dashes happily between the bookshelves shouting, "Woo-hoo! I really am something!" No matter how firm the fences of control may be, our hero never loses confidence—because there are simply too many things to love, too many things that are exciting, too many things to want to do. Oh wow, how cool. I'm going to get pointy! While serving cleaning duty as usual, our hero discovers a forbidden book tucked among the tightly packed shelves—a book bound with thread and sealed with a lock. Curiosity gets the better of our hero, who unravels the thread and is pulled into the story within. Finally closing the book, our hero sheds a single tear of emotion and cries out, "Yes! This is it!" From that day on, our hero begins a project: to grow pointy spikes. From the moment of waking to the moment of sleep, the training never stops. At last, our hero learns to make the spikes stand up at will—but in a city where everything sharp is forbidden, the road ahead is anything but smooth. Now that our hero has finally found the truest version of themselves, what choice will they make? X: The Unknown, Full of Possibility With its wonderfully imaginative world, its exhilarating narrative, and its clever touches of humor scattered throughout, this story pulls readers along at a breathless pace right alongside the hedgehog hero all the way to the end. After the thrilling sprint, the scene readers finally arrive at is pure, overwhelming emotion. Children's literature critic Kim Ji-eun described Hedgehog X as "a picture book that cheers children on so they can fearlessly meet the future self they haven't yet encountered." She notes that it isn't easy to portray, with such clarity, the trials a child must go through to grow into themselves, the exhilarating moment that follows, and the lonely yet beautiful essence of growing up. The list of things forbidden to children grows longer every day. Adults try to raise children within a narrower and narrower world by adding more and more "don'ts." But no matter how soft the yarn wrapped around a child may be, a child can never grow into an independent person within a closed-off world. We must unravel the yarn, let children go out into the world, and...