PIGGY BUNNY

Another entry in the well-populated genre of animals that experience an existential crisis features a pig who wants to be the Easter Bunny.

Liam the piglet practices hopping and delivering eggs. He tries to like salad. And he copes with his siblings, who tease him, and his parents, who offer lots of advice about what a perfect piglet son he is, without any need for change. His grandparents, however, are more supportive of his unusual ambition, and they provide him with an Easter Bunny suit. (They order it from the Internet, as they are modern grandparents who don’t do homemade costumes.) The costume isn’t perfect, but it gives Liam the confidence to believe in his transformation, and others then accept his new role as well. The understated conclusion could even be interpreted to mean that Liam becomes the Easter Bunny, but each reader can decide what Liam’s role really means. Simple cartoon-style illustrations with thick black outlines are set off against bright backgrounds with lots of pink accents playing up the porcine premise.

Though the believe-in-yourself theme has been told in many ways, Liam holds his own with his quiet determination. Who can resist a piglet who introduces himself with “Hello, my name is Liam and I’ll be your Easter Bunny”? (Picture book. 3-6)