A PIG IN THE PALACE

An invitation to the palace causes a piggy pickle.

Bobo the warthog is happily rolling in the mud floor of his hollow tree home when he gets a surprise: an invitation to dinner with the new queen. Certain it’s a mistake—he’s usually covered with mud and fleas—he lies awake all night worrying he won’t fit in. In the limo the palace provides the next day, he learns no one’s ever seen the queen; this will be her big reveal. When he arrives at the palace, the other guests (humans all, diverse in both race and gender) are wearing fancy clothes. Bobo thinks about covering up, but the tablecloth he uses makes a mess…then his fleas start acting up. Soon the guards are after him, trying to throw him out. The ensuing chase wrecks the palace. “Who made this mess?” shouts the queen from her palanquin. Shamefacedly, Bobo confesses. With a squeal of delight, the queen (also a warthog) shouts “WELL DONE!” Suddenly everyone is free to have fun and be as messy as they like, even the stuffy palace guards. Bahrampour’s text and watercolor cartoons are neatly in sync, Bobo’s bewilderment yielding to a determination to stay for dinner as the foolishness proceeds. The hoggy hijinks of the chase through the palace and the messy finish will appeal to little listeners, who will hope for an invite to the queen and Bobo’s next party. The cartoon illustrations show a (human) cast of many hues. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 61.2% of actual size.)

A pleasing porcine parable.