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Horatio's One Wish
"Gently inspiring prose in the style of Charlotte's Web," raves The Midwest Book Review. "A touching tale with kindness, empathy, and courage." "Delightful." "Unforgettable."
"Amiable traveling companions" take you on "a journey with considerable suspense," writes Publisher Weekly.
"All the right elements for an epic read-aloud adventure," says Seattle Child's Magazine.
Horatio has lived alone as long as he can remember. His only friend is a river otter named Rollic, who visits him nearly every day. But when Rollic goes missing, Horatio knows he must try to find him. With the help of hamster twins, Whisklet and Whimser, Horatio embarks on an adventure beyond anything he could have dreamed. Along the way, Horatio meets Leala, a champion archer from the hedgehog village--a village Horatio never knew existed. Leala opens a door to a home Horatio has yearned for all his life. Will Horatio continue on and risk his life to rescue his friend or will he follow Leala back to his long-lost home?
Horatio's One Wish takes you on a journey full of magic and mystery, into a world of woodland creatures and strange beasts--an uplifting story that shows what true friendship means.
"Amiable traveling companions" take you on "a journey with considerable suspense," writes Publisher Weekly.
"All the right elements for an epic read-aloud adventure," says Seattle Child's Magazine.
Horatio has lived alone as long as he can remember. His only friend is a river otter named Rollic, who visits him nearly every day. But when Rollic goes missing, Horatio knows he must try to find him. With the help of hamster twins, Whisklet and Whimser, Horatio embarks on an adventure beyond anything he could have dreamed. Along the way, Horatio meets Leala, a champion archer from the hedgehog village--a village Horatio never knew existed. Leala opens a door to a home Horatio has yearned for all his life. Will Horatio continue on and risk his life to rescue his friend or will he follow Leala back to his long-lost home?
Horatio's One Wish takes you on a journey full of magic and mystery, into a world of woodland creatures and strange beasts--an uplifting story that shows what true friendship means.
214 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2013
14 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Kriesberg
4 books5 followersJoshua Kriesberg lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and two sons. His sons were willing listeners to countless "make-up" stories, which eventually formed the novel Horatio's One Wish. Kriesberg has written for most of his life. He has an affinity for animal characters in fiction.
"Although I wrote the book for children," says Kriesberg, "the story's characters and universal themes of friendship, family, loyalty, and courage can appeal to all ages. The story is really about how a lost and lone creature, Horatio, ventures out into an unknown world and overcomes great odds to find his true home. A journey all of us can relate to."
"Although I wrote the book for children," says Kriesberg, "the story's characters and universal themes of friendship, family, loyalty, and courage can appeal to all ages. The story is really about how a lost and lone creature, Horatio, ventures out into an unknown world and overcomes great odds to find his true home. A journey all of us can relate to."
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 19, 2013
Anthropomorphism: Animals play out human challenges and triumphs
Reading Joshua Kriesberg's charming story, HORATIO'S ONE WISH, recalls the magic of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 classic of children's literature THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. And, Mr. Kriesberg, in this reader's opinion that is a high compliment! This little easy to read but deeply involving tale captures the imagination with characters who (for the most part) are absolutely lovable and credible, so much so that their speaking voices become ours (with the possible exception of the little snail with a speech impediment). It is full of suspense and adventure while being very warmly humorous.
Quickly summarized, this is the tale of the solitary living Horatio the Hedgehog and his best friend Rollic the otter and how when Rollic goes missing Horatio engages all of his new found friends to not only help him find the missing Rollic but to also discover the home he thought he never had.
Kriesberg warmly explains his choices for his created characters in an interview that aids parents in seeing the importance of adding this book to their children's library. And his words deserve quoting: `Horatio is set apart in the story. He's been separated from his home and he lives alone. I wanted to choose an animal that was physically separate and distinct from other small mammals as well. In the case of a hedgehog, the physical difference which makes it stand apart is its quills. I also wanted to choose a small mammal, as opposed to a larger animal, because I wanted the main character to be vulnerable. The predator-prey relationship is a strong theme in the story. It creates immediate tension because the character that is the potential prey can be attacked at any time. I chose the name Horatio because that sounded like a heroic name to me; it reminds me of the word 'hooray', so it has an upbeat sound to it. I came up with the names of Whisklet and Whimser [the hamsters] because I wanted somewhat light and whimsical names. The main nemesis of the story, Scarretchen, needed to be a threatening sounding name, so I combined the words 'scar' or 'scare' with the word 'wretched' to make the name 'Scarretchen'.
In addition to the characters already mentioned by Kriesberg we meet Graysent the owl, Francis Hopper the wise old bullfrog, the snails Mish and Mosh, and the champion female hedgehog archer Leala who not only adds drama to the action, but also invites Horatio to understand that he indeed does have a family and need not be alone. Wands, magic rocks, surprises, and tests of courage all triumph in the end - as well as a lot of lessons about friends and family and working together. This is a charmer of a book, beautifully illustrated by pen and ink drawings by James Bernardin. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp
Reading Joshua Kriesberg's charming story, HORATIO'S ONE WISH, recalls the magic of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 classic of children's literature THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. And, Mr. Kriesberg, in this reader's opinion that is a high compliment! This little easy to read but deeply involving tale captures the imagination with characters who (for the most part) are absolutely lovable and credible, so much so that their speaking voices become ours (with the possible exception of the little snail with a speech impediment). It is full of suspense and adventure while being very warmly humorous.
Quickly summarized, this is the tale of the solitary living Horatio the Hedgehog and his best friend Rollic the otter and how when Rollic goes missing Horatio engages all of his new found friends to not only help him find the missing Rollic but to also discover the home he thought he never had.
Kriesberg warmly explains his choices for his created characters in an interview that aids parents in seeing the importance of adding this book to their children's library. And his words deserve quoting: `Horatio is set apart in the story. He's been separated from his home and he lives alone. I wanted to choose an animal that was physically separate and distinct from other small mammals as well. In the case of a hedgehog, the physical difference which makes it stand apart is its quills. I also wanted to choose a small mammal, as opposed to a larger animal, because I wanted the main character to be vulnerable. The predator-prey relationship is a strong theme in the story. It creates immediate tension because the character that is the potential prey can be attacked at any time. I chose the name Horatio because that sounded like a heroic name to me; it reminds me of the word 'hooray', so it has an upbeat sound to it. I came up with the names of Whisklet and Whimser [the hamsters] because I wanted somewhat light and whimsical names. The main nemesis of the story, Scarretchen, needed to be a threatening sounding name, so I combined the words 'scar' or 'scare' with the word 'wretched' to make the name 'Scarretchen'.
In addition to the characters already mentioned by Kriesberg we meet Graysent the owl, Francis Hopper the wise old bullfrog, the snails Mish and Mosh, and the champion female hedgehog archer Leala who not only adds drama to the action, but also invites Horatio to understand that he indeed does have a family and need not be alone. Wands, magic rocks, surprises, and tests of courage all triumph in the end - as well as a lot of lessons about friends and family and working together. This is a charmer of a book, beautifully illustrated by pen and ink drawings by James Bernardin. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp
May 18, 2013
This is an engagingly told story of Horatio the hedgehog who sets upon an adventure to find his missing best friend, Rolic. Along the way he befriends many other creatures and faces a great foe, while discovering the truth about his past and hidden talents. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this chapter book aloud to my seven-year-old daughter - most chapters are easily read as part of a bed-time reading routine. One chapter was a bit wordy and difficult to read aloud, but otherwise the tale kept us going and ALL NIGHTS she clamored for me to read more - many I actually found myself agreeing and reading "just ONE more chapter :)." I loved watching her reactions the final 1/3 of the book - obviously the conclusion was well-predicted by myself but not by her and every chapter brought dramatic "OHHHHS!" to her face. Very delightful! I suspect the author is a vegetarian (?) and wonder if one of the final scenes will lead to thought-provoking conversations between parents and children about the eating of mammals... this scene went completely over my daughter's head at this time so I'm left to wonder. Well-told and thoroughly delightful quest/adventure/friendship/hero story!
July 29, 2013
My 8 year old son and I read this book together. This is a wonderful read for young and old. I enjoyed the story as much as my son did and highly recommend this book to others. A charming gem of a book about friendship as Horatio searches for his best friend Rollic. A 5 star read!
May 20, 2013
I won this book and read it before i gave it to my friends kid i think she will really like it. :)
April 25, 2013
Cute book. Read this to my daughter. Bits of adventure, friendship, and mystery.
September 27, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book to my 5 year olds. They loved it and have acted out some of the scenes. Great for elementary school readers.
January 29, 2014
It's sweet, hilarious and suspenseful. One of the best read out loud books enjoyed between my son and I. Love it!!
September 1, 2017
What an engaging and enjoyable story. I read this to my grandchildren and they thoroughly enjoyed it. They couldn't wait each day for the next chapter to be read. And, when I finished, they wanted to know if there are any more Horatio stories. Needless to say when I told them that there aren't they were quite disappointed.
July 10, 2017
Read it with my nieces and they gave it four stars
May 31, 2016
This was a really cute children's book. It had all the right elements of right vs wrong and great little life messages. The adult in me had to roll my eyes at a few things but I think young kids would love it and learn a lot from it.
Horatio the hedgehog's otter friend vanishes suddenly. Horatio feels his friend calling to him and sets of to find/save him. Along the way he meets other friends to help and learns of secrets from his own past.
Horatio the hedgehog's otter friend vanishes suddenly. Horatio feels his friend calling to him and sets of to find/save him. Along the way he meets other friends to help and learns of secrets from his own past.
June 18, 2014
A good adventure book about hedgehogs and friendship
It was good but moved a little slowly at times. The ending was very abrupt, we actually paged back to make sure we read it all.
It was good but moved a little slowly at times. The ending was very abrupt, we actually paged back to make sure we read it all.
April 29, 2015
A kids version of Lord of the Rings. Loved it!
Great story with fun characters. The kids enjoyed it and we all thought the book was the right length and depth for them (8 and 5)
Great story with fun characters. The kids enjoyed it and we all thought the book was the right length and depth for them (8 and 5)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews