Ereth's Birthday

Written by Avi

Narrated by John McDonough

Belching beavers, this is the worst birthday ever for Ereth, the prickly old porcupine! Even his best friend, Poppy the deer mouse, seems to have forgotten about him. If Ereth wants a present, it looks like he'll just have to get it for himself. But when his quest for salt leads him instead to foster parenthood of a litter of boisterous fox kits, a bad birthday becomes the least of Ereth's worries. Return to the Dimwood Forest setting of Poppy and Poppy and Rye for an adventure that's pure fun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470354022

Avi

Avi is the award-winning author of more than eighty-two books for young readers, ranging from animal fantasy to gripping historical fiction, picture books to young adult novels. Crispin: The Cross of Lead won the Newbery Medal, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Nothing but the Truth were awarded Newbery Honors. He is also the author of the popular Poppy series. Avi lives in Denver, Colorado. Visit him online at avi-writer.com.

Reviews for Ereth's Birthday

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ereth happens upon a mother fox caught in a trap who pleads with him to look after her kits. After she dies Ereth, much to his chagrin, accepts the task but unbeknownst to him he is being stalked by Marty the Fisher. This is top-notch animal fantasy, it doesn't get much better than this! The fourth in a series is just as incredible as the previous entries. This book can also be read independently from the series (or out of order) as it revolves around a different character than the others. The 7yo was captivated with this book, he couldn't wait each day for our reading and I was cajoled into reading 3 chapters a day instead of our usual two. We laughed, we cried, we highly recommend this book!

[themulhern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Avi mixes the anthropomorphic bits with the realistic bits very well in this book. It's a nice change from "Ragweed" in that way. There are some parts which are actually quite funny, and others which are sad. And, as is usual with Avi, there is some gooey sentiment and awkward phrasing. Oh, well. I was prompted to look up all sorts of interesting facts about porcupines, fishers, and now foxes as a result of reading this book.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A little simple at first, got more interesting further on. Very quick read.

[galc2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ereth’s Birthday by Avi is the fourth tale in the classic children’s series, Tales from Dimwood Forest. The book has been a Children’s Choice Nominee several times and was a Parent’s Guide Outstanding Achievement Winner in 2000.Ereth Dorsatum, the crotchety, self-centered old porcupine, is having yet another birthday. With his best friend nowhere to be seen, Ereth attempts to fetch a block of salt to cheer himself up, but ends up with far more than he bargains for. A young fox mother is caught in a trap, and begs Ereth to look after her three kits—Nimble, Tumble and Flip—just until their father shows up to take them. Bad-tempered Ereth could not be less suited to parenthood—isn’t he? But who could be better to teach the kits the ways of forest, and not to eat poor little field mice? Slowly Ereth learns to be a caring mentor to the kits, and they learn to appreciate him too. The porcupine is angry and brokenhearted when the kits’ father throws him out in a painful, touching scene. This lonely old porcupine will steal readers’ hearts as he admits his feelings and realizes the importance of honesty and family. Descriptive text and Ereth’s amusing dialogue are interspersed with detailed charcoal illustrations. Children will treasure Avi’s classic tale for generations to come.

[jepeters333 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Animal story - porcupine takes care of some foxes.

[bettyjo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Avi's Dimwood Forest series and I think Ereth's birthday is my favorite. I read this aloud to two of my boys and we laughed out loud at the scene with ole' Ereth and the hunter on the snow mobile