Willow the meowing hedgehog is the 16th book by Martine Sombrun, an animal lover based in Périgueux. He has just received the “Fernand Méry Illustrated Prize 2021” from the Groupement des Ecrivains and the Académie des Vétérinaires de France. Moreover, Martine Sombrun fully shares the philosophy of Fernand Méry, this veterinarian who has written a lot about animals and remains a reference in his field “Know them to understand them, understand them to love them, love them to defend them” .
Animals as inspiration
Martine Sombrun almost lives in a Noah’s ark where dogs, cats, birds and chickens rub shoulders. Moreover, this is not the first time that animals have brought his story to life. We can remember Feathered, furry and quilled stories, Jo and the secret of the old horse or And the dogs, then? …
Willow, hedgehog or cat?
Warning, spoiler… Willow is a cat! But he was first mistaken for a hedgehog, and it stuck with him. This is a true story told by Martine Sombrun. One summer evening when she is walking after dark, her dogs rush on a small black ball in the grass. Martine shouts “let’s hold back the dogs, they have raised a hedgehog”. And there, the little hedgehog mewed!
This book is the story of the first cat that Martine had at home, when she was not at first a fan… She learned to love these balls of fur and to understand them.
Willow tells us about her life, from her birth in the bushes of a feral cat, until her death at the age of 19.
Do you like cats ? Do you like love? You will like Willow the hedgehog who meows by Martine Sombrun!
– Martine Sombrun