Elsie's Anxious

I wrote Elsie's Anxious during the middle of the night when I could not sleep because of my anxiety. My boyfriend adopted a hedgehog and gave the hedgehog to me for Christmas because I have wanted one since I met him because he is really into exotic animals that are not necessarily found in the US. If you asked me years ago if I ever thought I would have a hedgehog to take care of, I would have laughed and said no way! I named my hedgehog Elsie because I really like the way it sounds. I think it is very cute! The title of my book is Elsie's Anxious because Elsie is anxious just like me. She gets really nervous and scared when there is no reason to be those things. She is just like me! Hedgehogs have quills, and when their quills go up, it means they are anxious in some way. I feel that a hedgehog is a perfect animal to represent anxiety in a children's book.

-- Jenna Nicole Alessi