For an album view of the story, please click the first image. Many thanks to P.D. Eastman.
A mother hedgehog sat on her egg. The egg jumped. 
“Oh no, my baby will be here. I must get something for my baby hedgie to eat,” she said. “I will be back.” 
The egg jumped. And jumped. And jumped. “Where is my mother?” the baby hedgie asked. He looked for her. 
He looked up. He did not see her. 
He looked down. And down. And down. 
Down, down down. It was a long way down. The baby hedgie could not fly. But he could walk. “Now I will go and find my mother,” he said. So away he went. 
He did not know what his mother looked like. He came to a wicked oni. “Are you my mother?” he asked. The wicked oni did not say a thing. He just looked and looked. 
“Where could she be?” he wondered. He came to the Spirit of Ecstasy. “Are you my mother?” he asked.
“I am not your mother. I am the Spirit of Ecstasy,” said the Spirit of Ecstasy.
So the baby hedgie went on. He came to a headless lady. “Are you my mother?” he asked.
“How could I be your mother?” said the headless lady. “I have no head.”
So the baby hedgie went on. He came to a baby duck. “Are you my mother?” he asked.
“No,” said the baby duck. “I am a baby duck. But I will be your friend.”
The baby hedgie and the baby duck went on. They came to a big duck. “Are you my mother?” asked the baby hedgie.
“No,” said the big duck. “But I am the mother of your friend.”
“Hello mommy,” said baby duck. “I will stay with you,” and mommy duck wrapped her wings around baby duck. 
“I’m sorry,” said baby duck. “I will stay with my mother. I hope you find your mother soon.” 
Baby hedgie came to a robot. “Are you my mother?” he said to the robot. The robot did not say anything. 
Baby hedgie was very tired. He came to a dog. “Are you my mother?” he asked the dog, and leaned on the dog’s leg. 
“I wish I were,” said the dog. “You look like a nice baby hedgie. But I am loyally waiting for my master.” 
Baby hedgie asked a kiwi monster if she were his mother. 
Baby hedgie asked a race car if it were his mother. 
“Hello baby hedgie,” said a voice. It was a baby bear.
“Hello baby bear,” said baby hedgie. “I suppose you’re not my mother.”
“But will you be my friend?”
“Sure,” said baby bear. “Let’s look for our mothers.”
They climbed inside a little room. 
They looked, and looked. But there were no mothers. 
They came to two little jizos. “Are you our mothers?” they asked. 
“No, we’re not your mothers,” said the little red jizo. “We’re little jizos.” 
They saw two shoes sticking out from under a lantern. 
“Are you our mothers?” they asked the two shoes.
“No,” said the two shoes. “I am the Wicked Witch of the Far East.”
“Oooh, that be bad,” said baby hedgie.
They went on. “Are you our mother?” they asked a little Pikachu. 
“How can I be your mother,” said Pikachu. “I’m Pikachu.” 
They came to a McLaren. “Are you our mother?” they asked the McLaren.
“How can I be your mother,” said the McLaren. “I have a carbon fibre frame.”
“Wait!” said Dr. Geoff-Geoff. “How can a carbon fibre frame have structural integrity?” 
“$196,000 gives me structural integrity,” answered the McLaren. “Besides, you’re speaking out of script.” 
Just then, baby hedgie and baby bear saw a little white thing. This must be their mother. “There she is!” said baby hedgie. He ran up to it. “Mother, mother, here I am,” he said to the little white thing. 
But the little white thing just said “whiz.” “Oh, you must be Whiz,” said baby hedgie. “I must get away.” But baby hedgie could not get away. Whiz went up. But where was Whiz going? 
Just then, Whiz cam to a stop. Baby hedgie jumped out. And Whiz went to get baby bear. “Where am I?” cried baby hedgie. “I want to go home.” 
Just then the mother hedgie came back to the tree. “Do you know who I am?” she said to baby hedgie.
“Yes, I know who you are. You are my mother.”
“Are you my mother too?” asked baby bear.
“No,” said mother hedgie. “I am a hedgehog and you are a bear. But I will feed you and take care of you and love you, just as if I were your mother.”
Sophie Wore Blue 