PIGGLE THE PIG

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.