We caught up with author ASHLEIGH BARTON about Hedgehog or Echidna?, a fun rhyming picture book with bright and engaging illustrations that teaches children about animals who look similar, but have unique differences.

Where did the idea for Hedgehog or Echidna? come from?

The idea for this book came from a conversation with my toddler who wouldn’t believe me that the alligator representing the letter A on his alphabet toy wasn’t a crocodile. It got me thinking about other animals that are easily mixed up and I thought it would make for a fun picture book.

What can you tell us about your collaboration process?

While a picture book is a joint effort between the author and the illustrator (and the publisher, editor and designer, of course), collaboration takes place pretty independently. There’s an opportunity to give feedback on early sketches (called ‘roughs’) and final illustrations but it all goes through the publisher with no back and forth between the author and the illustrator. In my experience, illustrators are so clever and talented and leaving them to interpret and imagine the story in their own way results in something really special. I usually leave some illustration notes in my manuscript to clarify what I was picturing when I wrote a particular scene, but I didn’t do this with Hedgehog or Echidna so every illustration you see is completely Amandine. She did such an incredible job and I love what she has added to the story with her beautiful illustrations.

What are some of your favourite animal lookalikes?

It’s pretty hard to pick a favourite especially when Amandine has illustrated them so beautifully, but perhaps our hero characters – hedgehog and echidnas. I can’t remember why I picked these to be the main star of the story, but it has ended up a nice little inadvertent nod to my Australian and English heritage.

Of all the animal lookalikes featured in a book, the ones that trip me up the most would probably be cheetahs, leopards and jaguars. I definitely couldn’t pick them out of a line-up even after writing this book.

What are some of the key differences between a hedgehog and an echidna?

Despite looking quite similar with their distinctive spines, hedgehogs and echidnas are very different animals. For a start, echidnas are one of only two remaining monotremes (mammals that lay eggs) and are found only in Australia and New Guinea. Hedgehogs are found in Europe, Asia and Africa (and New Zealand by introduction). Echidnas have long tongues which they use to slurp up ants, termites and worms, while hedgehogs are opportunistic eaters who use their keen sense of smell to find insects, mice, snails, lizards, frogs, eggs, snakes and fruit.

What was the most interesting fact you learned during your research for this book?

I uncovered so many interesting facts researching this book. For example, sealions have ears while seals only have holes and sea snakes are cylindrical while eels are flat bodied. It was also interesting to discover animals I’d never heard of before like the tuatara, a lizard-like animal that has been around since the dinosaurs, the rhea which is another big bird like an emu or ostrich, and the caiman which didn’t make the book but is similar to an alligator.

I was also pretty surprised to learn that hedgehogs are sadly in serious decline in the UK. They are listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Some species of echidna are also critically endangered.

What was your favourite part of creating this book?

I am a bit of a research nerd so I really loved all the research I had to do to create this book. Compressing the facts into rhyming verses was, although challenging, also a lot of fun.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amandine Thomas is a French award-winning author and illustrator based in the leafy Dandenong Ranges, near Melbourne. In her stories and illustrations she explores the themes she is passionate about – such as our environment and the many ways it can inspire and amaze us. Her vibrant watercolour illustrations have featured in children’s books and magazines around the world.

Visit Amandine Thomas’ website