Whole-hog fun.
Piggle the Pig tries—fruitlessly—to clean up his home before his parents visit.
Text rendered in black stylized lettering on a stark white page—accompanied by an image of the titular character snoring near a red telephone—declares: “Piggle the Pig was quite busy with his usual morning routine when his phone rang.” From the get-go, the simple, thick-lined, colorful art suggests that the words in this tale will not exactly match the almost prosaic but quite sophisticated text. Piggle’s “busy” routine is, of course, sleeping in. The sweet, classically pink and rotund protagonist is awakened by a call from his parents, similar in appearance except for his father’s mustache and his mother’s round spectacles. Unfortunately, Piggle’s attempts to tidy up before his parents arrive are all stymied, either by his recognizable rationalizations for procrastinating or by his adorable ineptitude. Examples of piggish behavior—gluttony, laziness, sloppiness—add to the fun. Little ones won’t be able to contain their giggles as the silly swine accidentally uses permanent “goose turd green” paint instead of shampoo as he tries to wash up. This event occurs shortly after he makes a note to use a clean rag on his walls next time. Piggle does experience some panic—particularly when the doorbell rings—but the ending perfectly completes a tale with uncompromisingly dry wit and uproarious art.
Whole-hog fun. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593691618
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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