How Do You Hug a Porcupine?

Isop, winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest, makes a solid debut with this sweet musing on taking up with the ostensibly unembraceable. It's a particularly nettlesome issue for the protagonist, because all his friends are doing just fine with other animals: "A dog or cat is not so hard./ Just hug them in your own backyard./ Hugging bunnies is just divine./ But how do you hug a porcupine?" Millward's (The Bog Baby) pert mixed media drawings, coupled with a strategic use of white space, give the verse a sense of timing and subtle comedy; much of the fun comes from the interplay between the flummoxed boy and the suspicious porcupine, and all the other clutches that are advancing with varying degrees of enthusiasm and ingenuity (the bunnies can't get enough, the elephant offers its trunk, and the cat looks dubious). It's a lighthearted lesson in trust and letting down one's guard%E2%80%94once the porcupine is convinced of the boy's friendship (an offering of marshmallows smooths the way), a hug seems like the most natural thing in the world. Ages 3%E2%80%93up. (July)