PIGGY

Trips through the washing machine mean big change for a plush pig.

Piggy, a “pink and plump and…PERKY!” creature with a short yet prominent snout and semicircles for ears, is an unnamed, light-skinned child’s clear favorite. Piggy joins the little girl for naps, trips to the playground, and meals. After one too many activities, though, Piggy’s a mess. So it’s time for a bath—into the washing machine and then the dryer! Over time, frequent washings leave Piggy clean but a little worse for wear. Still, Piggy lives life to the fullest, and though our hero’s no longer “pink and plump…and PERKY,” Piggy becomes something better: one who has “been loved all the way to beautiful!” Hood and Quaranta have crafted an open-hearted, slightly subversive testament to both body positivity and the first important, independent relationship that many tots make. Hood’s matter-of-fact text, mainly composed of short sentences, gently points out that even when those we adore don’t look their best, they are no less worthy; indeed, Piggy is a lovely physical manifestation of this child’s affection. Quaranta’s exuberant illustrations, rendered in watercolor, colored pencil, and digital art, humorously chart the toy’s physical transformation from clean and new to discolored and faded, with multiple sutures and a droopy eye.

Out with the new and in with the old—an ode to early childhood bonds and the beauty of a well-loved toy.