SWINE DIVINE

Rosie the pig hogs the stage in this comic, farmyard farce from Carr (Dark Day, Light Night, 1996). Pigs love mud, and Rosie is no exception. So when Luke scrubs her up and drags her to a photo shoot, she is one grumpy pig. After a few portraits, Rosie is fed up with her moment in the limelight—it’s a tutu that sends her over the edge. She knocks over the studio cameras, topples the lights, and scatters a rack of costumes, running hog wild through traffic. Rosie soon sheds her tutu, hurrying back to her familiar farm and a muddy piece of hog heaven. The pig-out-of-its-element plot makes for funny antics with a few laugh-out-loud moments. Bender’s fuzzy illustrations pose Rosie in the pink, amidst earth tones, shining a light on the humorous, bewildered expressions of one pig with a mind of her own. (Picture book. 4-8)