A Handful of Happiness: How a Prickly Creature Softened a Prickly Heart

This tender tale of an Italian veterinarian and his pet hedgehog begins as many modern pet stories do—with a selfie. Vacchetta was working part-time at an animal clinic in 2013 when one day a woman brought in a newborn hedgehog that she found in her garden. After feeding the tiny creature goat milk from a syringe, Vacchetta and his boss, Andrea, spent the afternoon taking selfies with the tiny critter. Vacchetta was recently divorced at the time and feeling emotionally adrift and unsure of what he wanted from life, yet he was immediately fond of this tiny hedgehog. He took it upon himself to care for the animal he named Ninna. The book follows along as Vacchetta builds Ninna a little house, takes her to the beach, and frets over how much to feed her. Inspired by his prickly companion, Vacchetta opened La Ninna Rescue Center for hedgehogs in the city of Novello, in northern Italy. This sweet tale of companionship is sure to resonate with animal lovers.[em] (July) [/em]