Hugh Pine and Something Else [Hardcover]

Janwillem Van De Wetering (Author), Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Hugh Pine, a porcupine, takes his first vacation when he accompanies his human friend, Mr. McTosh, to Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From the creators of Hugh Pine and Hugh Pine and the Good Place comes another fond story about that curmudgeonly, upright-walking porcupine. When Hugh's friend Mr. McTosh describes his vacation as "Something Else," (meaning something other than the dull, daily routines of non-vacation time), the porcupine decides that he, too, needs one. So he travels to New York City to stay with Mr. McTosh's sister (who keeps calling Hugh "nephew"), meeting the household pets, Fong and Nya, and a neighborhood bulldog appropriately named Bully. Hugh, Mr. McTosh and readers will be equally relieved to get back to the Maine woods . In this book, Hugh's wisdom lacks a little of the pungency on which his reputation is based. However, there are singular delights among the pages, not the least of which is Hugh's succinct clobbering of the Pekingese, Fong. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Mr. McTosh takes his child-like porcupine friend, Hugh, on vacation to the big city, where Hugh is astounded to learn of all the "something else" outside his happy woodland/village home. They visit a fast-food restaurant, ride an elevator, climb into a skyscraper, visit a museum, and stay in a city apartment. Hugh meets a spoiled dog, cat, and parrot, all of whom are hostile to his intrusion into their comfortable home. They become friends, but insist that Hugh foil the bullying bulldog and crows in the neighborhood. True to his nature, Hugh will not be pushed around, but he knows that the best way is peaceful. He wisely teaches the pets the value of diplomacy and friendship before happily resuming life in his tree, having been enriched by his trip but glad to be home. Some readers may find the overwhelming sweetness and easy solutions cloying, but the book does continue to explore Hugh's delight in the world's wonders from a five-year-old's perspective. --Anne Osborn, Riverside Public
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Juv) (September 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395492165
• ISBN-13: 978-0395492161
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,496,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read them all!, February 8, 2002

By 

gidonb "gidonb" (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hugh Pine and Something Else (Hardcover)

A sweet tale on Hugh Pine the Porcupine and his "big" adventure in New York. It should be good entertainment for the target audience: children at all ages of elementary school. The issues at hand (what is a vacation; what is a big city and how does one solve a dispute) are enough to occupy any young reader. Still, this book is less far-reaching than the first two in the series. In the first book, "Hugh Pine", the porcupine - who only wants to be left alone - finds his red hat, he receives his name and he saves all his fellow-porcupines first from accidents and then from hunger. In the following book, "Hugh Pine and the Good Place", this clever but unfriendly porcupine undergoes a major personal change - from the seeking of solitude to the seeking of company. My advice: read all Hugh Pines in the order of appearance!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Look out big city, April 8, 2007

By 

Linda W. (Kennesaw, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hugh Pine and Something Else (Paperback)

I love Hugh Pine. His transformation to a poor man's Paddington Bear was handled beautifully in the first book, "Hugh Pine."

The second book, "Hugh Pine and the Good Place" was still magic.

I'm sorry to say, that "Hugh Pine and Something Else" is slightly disappointing. The story starts out promisingly, with Hugh "tricking" his friend, Mr. McTosh into taking him on vacation to the 'big city.' The trip is described amusingly, and Mr. McTosh's sister is a hoot, calling Hugh "nephew."

My problem is with how the author handles the house pets. Dogs, cats and parrots shouldn't be allowed outside the house alone, or indeed, sometimes not at all. The fact that Hugh tames the neighborhood "bully," another pet who is allowed to roam the street alone does not improve this premise.

The sightseeing, the sister, visiting in someone else's home are all gems, but the pet storyline is WRONG.

Still highlighted with lovely drawings, I hope the author finds his way back to the Hugh Pine stories we know and love.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If on a winter's night a traveler, June 14, 2000

By 

courtney J angermeier - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hugh Pine and Something Else (Hardcover)

The subjects as listed for this book by trusty ole' amazon.com are as follows: porcupines, fiction, vacations, friendship, and Brooklyn. Whereas fiction, friendship, and Brooklyn are subjects in my life that I am realitively comfortable and familiar with, I am only vaugely acquainted with vacations and am completely in the dark on the porcupine thing. So, when I received Hugh Pine and Something Else for Christmas several years ago, I was looking foreward to expanding my knowledge in these two rather mysterious arenas. There was, however, a slight problem. The Something Else in my copy of Hugh Pine and Something Else was the fact that in my copy, the first signature was repeated over and over for the entire book. A Calvino-like quest ensued. I followed the trail of Hugh Pine to several bookstores and libraries. I riffled through shelves and placed orders. I finally did found out out more about vacations and porcupines. I have yet to discover the Something Else that happened to Hugh Pine, but perhaps I have, do to this most metaphysical children's book experience ever, touched the hem of the Something Else that happened to me.