THE PIG IN THE POND

Watching the ducks and geese in farmer Neligan's pond, the pig ``didn't go in, because pigs don't swim.'' Finally, though, the hot day overwhelms her and in she splashes, cavorting with such glee that the others are driven out. With Waddell's comical, deftly cadenced text and Barton's joyfully ebullient illustrations, this might be enough, but no: word passes from animal to animal and Neligan himself appears, removes his delightful attire (formal bowler and jacket, red vest, Wellies), and plunges in—an example followed by his entire menagerie, last seen complacently dripping in the shallow water. A perfect hot- weather book, sure to create demands for a swim. (Picture book. 3-7)