SUPERSNOUTS!

Björkman goes whole-hog in this farmyard free-for-all, matching two burglars against a pair of porcine superheroes and their freshly minted sidekick. Young Hamlet spots two men in black heading for the farmhouse one night, and it’s “Code Curly Tail” for pen-mates Snoutbuster and Kernel Hog, who purposefully don colorful Spam® Dex tights and rocket packs before heading off to “fame, glory and maybe a nice mud bath when it was all over.” Those rockets turn out to be hard to control, but with Hamlet’s help, the Pig Patrol subdues the sinister sneak thieves at last, then heads back to the wallow; it's all in a night’s work for these portly protectors of the peace. Big, loosely drawn, exuberantly brushed watercolors, and a hand-lettered style of typeface give the episode a casual look nicely in tune with its fundamental daffiness. The old line “When pigs fly!” takes on a whole new meaning here. (Picture book. 6-8)