The story of Ebenezer Bristles

With the approach of winter, Ebenezer Bristles, the hedgehog, curls up in a ball and goes to sleep. Then, when all the woodland is bursting into new life Ebenezer unrolls, stretches, yawns, and decides that it must be time to get up. Ebenezer is very hungry so, without further ado, he climbs out of the ditch where he has been sleeping and sets off down the path on the look out for his first meal of the year. Ebenezer picks up various odds and ends in the way of things to eat – seeds and acorns from the previous autumn; but there isn't much, for nearly everything has been eaten by the other woodland folk. “They haven’t left much for me, things seem to get worse instead of better,” he complains as he goes along.

He is in this discontented state of mind when he comes upon something that causes him to open his eyes wide in astonishment. Sitting under the shelter of a hedgerow is a strange little person, the like of whom Ebenezer has never seen before. For a minute or two Ebenezer regards the figure in silence before speaking, but the stranger doesn't reply. Bless my stars and garters thinks Ebenezer I know what this is – it’s a baby scarecrow!







The story of Ebenezer Bristles written and illustrated by Ernest Aris published by Ward Lock in 1921.

The story of Ebenezer Bristles is now sold, thank you for your interest.