The Hedgehog Who Cancelled His Own Party: A Hilarious & Heartfelt Review of The Hedgehog’s Dilemma by Toon Tellegen

Book Review: The Hedgehog’s Dilemma by Toon Tellegen Illustrated by Annemarie van Haeringen

(AKA: The ultimate comfort read for overthinkers with trust issues and a soft spot for small animals.)

Let me introduce you to the most dramatic creature in the forest: a hedgehog with the social energy of a doorbell that rings and instantly regrets it. It’s basically what happens when Winnie-the-Pooh goes to therapy.

This book begins with a simple, sweet idea: the hedgehog wants to throw a party. Just a casual gathering. Nothing fancy. Maybe some cake, a few forest friends, and a polite “bring your own nuts” situation.

But oh, the spiral begins.
What if no one comes? What if everyone comes? What if the elephant forgets his manners? What if the bear eats all the jam? What if the tree falls? What if the chairs don’t match? What if everyone gets along too well and leaves him out? And… what if the party goes perfectly and they expect him to host again?

If overthinking were an Olympic sport, this hedgehog would be a gold medalist.

I swear, at one point I was reading and thought, “Wait, is this a hedgehog or ME before every social event ever?”

This tiny, prickly creature is the poster child for introverted overthinkers everywhere. The book is essentially a masterclass in social anxiety, dressed up in a whimsical coat of forest charm and philosophical musing. Every scenario the hedgehog imagines is more ridiculous than the last and yet completely believable—because haven’t we all over-planned ourselves into emotional exhaustion?

Toon Tellegen’s writing is dry, dreamy, and quietly hilarious. The humour here isn’t loud or slapstick—it’s the soft, sneaky kind that makes you pause and snort into your tea three sentences later. You’re laughing not at the hedgehog, but because the hedgehog is you. His dramatic internal monologue is your late-night brain at 2 a.m. wondering if your friends actually like you or are just being polite.

And then there are the illustrations by Annemarie van Haeringen—chef’s kiss. Soft pastels, gentle lines, and that look of perpetual panic in the hedgehog’s eyes? Iconic. Frame-worthy. This is the kind of book you want to hug after reading.

This book is for:

• For overthinkers who take their overthinking to Shakespearean levels
• The socially anxious,
• The introverts with five drafts of a text they’ll never send,
• Anyone who’s ever cancelled a party… they never threw,
• Or just people who want to laugh, cry, and contemplate life with a
• small, anxious animal for company.

The titular dilemma actually comes from a concept by Schopenhauer: hedgehogs want to huddle together for warmth, but their quills keep poking each other. So they stay apart, not out of dislike—but fear of hurting or being hurt.

Whew. That hits hard, doesn’t it?

Final Thoughts:

This book is perfect for adults who love children’s books, children who feel too many things, and anyone who’s ever sent a text, deleted it, rewrote it in lowercase, and then never sent it at all.

It’s charming, funny, soulful, and surprisingly therapeutic. Also, the hedgehog might be the most relatable main character of 2025. Sorry, Sam from You’ve Reached Sam; you’ve been dethroned by a neurotic ball of spikes.

/10 cups of herbal tea spilled in panic
/10 party invitations written and burned
/10 forest friends waiting for a hug they’ll never get (but still hoping)

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