57. Piggle the Pig: The Perfect Pigsty

 

57. Piggle the Pig #1 The Perfect Pigsty. Dudolf. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [early reader, 5 stars]

First sentence: Piggle the Pig was quite busy with his usual morning routine when his phone rang. It was his parents, calling to tell Piggle that they were coming for a visit.

Premise/plot: Piggle the Pig is quite surprised that his parents are coming! He must clean immediately. It starts off well: one sock at a time. But soon Piggle is overwhelmed with the many, many, many things that remain to do. Surely a little nap after a planning session will help?! Will his parents be pleased with Piggle?

My thoughts: I definitely appreciated this one! It was fun and playful! Piggle was a delight! He might just have some attention issues....but he's always a delight all the same.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers

311. Perfect Piggies (Board book)

Perfect Piggies: A Book! A Song! A Celebration! by Sandra Boynton. 2010??? 2023. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Ba-ddo-bah Doink! Doink!

My thoughts (preview): If a board book is only good if you go to the YouTube channel and watch a video from the author's channel, then is the book really good????????

Premise/plot: Pig-themed entertainment for little ones. This book celebrates all things piggy.

My thoughts: Sandra Boynton has a YouTube channel. Perhaps not all books have accompanying videos. But her most recent ones do seem to [mostly] have videos. If you want the "song" and "celebration" of this board book to shine, you will need to watch the YouTube video. OR else be super-super-super musically inclined and creative yourself. The video has text that the book does not have. It is not a one-for-one correlation. So the video cannot read this book to your little one. 

I liked the video well enough. The board book on its own without the video falls a bit flat for me. Though I do like board books and picture books starring pigs. So I should like this one more than I do.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

140. Poppleton in Summer

Poppleton in Summer (Poppleton #6?) Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Mark Teague. 2023. [May] 64 pages. [Source: Library] [Early chapter book, Animal fantasy]

First sentence: It was summer. Poppleton loved lying on his roof in summer. It was his favorite way to relax.

Premise/plot: Do you know Poppleton? Poppleton is back in another early chapter book. These Poppleton stories are set in summer, of course. The three stories are "Pink," "The Jeep," and "The Rain." In Pink, Poppleton gets sunburned. But he doesn't let that stop him from living life and enjoying the company of friends. In "The Jeep," Poppleton (and friend) go to the country in a jeep. He gets a little carried away in this jeep! Good thing there are cows that don't mind helping out. In "The Rain," Poppleton enjoys the rain. 

My thoughts: Is this my favorite Poppleton collection? Probably not. Do I still enjoy Poppleton as a character? Yes. Definitely. Poppleton and friends are just fun to spend time with. I enjoy Cynthia Rylant as a writer; she creates memorable characters and series.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks

A Pig, A Fox, and Stinky Socks. Jonathan Fenske. 2017. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I am Fox. I am Pig. I am little. I am big. I have some socks. I like to play. I think I will trick Pig today.

Premise/plot: Fox hasn't changed all that much since the first book, A Pig, A Fox, and a Box. Fox still is trying to trick Pig. Fox has STINKY SOCKS this time instead of a box. (Otherwise, it's almost the same book.) There is a box in this one. (I wonder if it's the SAME box?)

My thoughts: For early readers that loved the first book, this one may prove equally enjoyable. I personally find it a bit funnier. (The first book was a bit boring in my opinion.)

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

A Pig, A Fox, and A Box

A Pig, A Fox, and a Box. Jonathan Fenske. 2015. Penguin. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I am Fox. I am Pig. I am little. I am big. I have a box. I like to play. I think I will trick Pig today.

Premise/plot: Fox has a plan. He is going to trick Pig. Will Pig be fooled? Or will the joke end up being on Fox?! Fox plays two tricks in this one....

My thoughts: Did I enjoy reading A Pig, A Fox, and a Box? Yes and no. No, in that I'm not the intended audience for it, and, it wasn't quite my type of book. I didn't really "like" the illustrations. Yes, in that it was a good, solid book for young readers.

Readers meet two characters: Fox and Pig. Readers quickly see that Fox is tricksy. He is a kidder, a joker. He really, really WANTS to fool his friend, Pig. Time and time again, the joke is on FOX and not Pig after all. So it was FUN in a way.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Pignic

Pignic. Matt Phelan. 2018. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It's a perfect day for a pignic.

Premise/plot: A family of pigs set out to have a picnic pignic. Will things go smoothly?

My thoughts: This one has super-simple text and a fun story. Little problems never become big ones, there's a solution for every problem. For example, there's no wind to fly the kites?! But no worries! The "big, bad" wolf is there to provide some huffing-puffing wind! Those kites will fly after all!   Sometimes the best things that happen are unplanned.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Mercy Watson Goes for A Ride

Mercy Watson Goes For A Ride. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2006. Candlewick Press. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy. Every Saturday, Mrs. Watson makes a special lunch.

Premise/plot: Mr. Watson loves driving fast almost as much as Mercy loves eating buttered-toast. On Saturday, this father-daughter duo enjoy spending time together. First, they go for a drive. Mr. Watson drives. Mercy Watson rides. That is how it is supposed to go. But one Saturday, well, Mercy Watson gets the notion--reckless or not--that SHE is going to take Mr. Watson for the ride. She wants to be the one DRIVING super-speedy-fast. That just happens to be the day that one of their neighbors decides to join in the fun...

My thoughts: Mercy Watson Goes For A Ride is the second in Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series for young readers. The books are short and funny. If you like quirky. Because even though these books may be for younger readers--a younger audience than Tales of Despereaux and Because of Winn Dixie and Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane--DiCamillo still brings quirky characters to life, still brings plenty of humor. I liked the introduction of Officer Tomilello. I think he is great fun!

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

Mercy Watson to the Rescue. (Mercy Watson #1) Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2005. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy.

Premise/plot: Can a pig save her human 'parents'? That is the question raised in Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson To The Rescue. Why do Mr. and Mrs. Watson need to be rescued? Well, Mercy herself--if she could do more than oink--might tell you if you could get her mind off food. You see, it all starts one night when Mercy becomes frightened. She runs and jumps in the Watsons' bed. And there the trouble starts. All three are sleeping, dreaming busy little dreams, unaware that danger is lurking!

What does Mercy dream of? Whether asleep or awake, Mercy's mind is always, always on food. In particular, her favorite food, lovely buttered toast. But can Mercy's weakness lead to some saving strength?

My thoughts: I enjoyed rereading this first book in the series. It has been nine years since I first read through the Mercy Watson chapter book series for young readers. Mercy is certainly a memorable character with a one-track mind. She loves, loves, loves buttered toast. If she can't have that treat, then another may do just as well.

I enjoyed meeting the neighbors as well. I liked that they inadvertently help save the day.   

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Marvelous, Amazing, Pig-tastic Gracie LaRoo

The Marvelous, Amazing, Pig-Tastic Gracie LaRoo. Marsha Qualey. Illustrated by Kristyna Litten. 2018. 128 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Gracie LaRoo was in the air.

Premise/plot: The Marvelous, Amazing, Pig-Tastic Gracie LaRoo is a collection of four early chapter books. It contains Gracie LaRoo at Pig Jubilee, Gracie LaRoo on the Big Screen, Gracie LaRoo Sets Sail, and Gracie LaRoo Goes to School. Each contains four chapters.

In the first story, Gracie Laroo at Pig Jubilee, readers meet Gracie LaRoo. She's the youngest member of a world-famous synchronized swimming team--the Water Sprites. The team is getting ready to perform at a global competition. Will they win? Will they lose? If they lose will it be Gracie LaRoo's fault?

In the second story, Gracie LaRoo is getting ready to make a guest appearance in her first movie. Will filming go as planned? The director has a definite vision of how the shoot is supposed to go...but things don't go all that smoothly. Can Gracie live up to expectations?

In the third story, the Water Sprites have a gig on a cruise ship. But will the audience love them or hate them? Will the team be fired after a very disappointing first performance?

In the fourth story, Gracie LaRoo is returning to her old school. Not as a student, mind you, but as a guest speaker. Will she be intimidated by her former principal and teachers? Or will she find a way to shine?

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I thought the illustrations were super-adorable. Some of the stories I loved, loved, loved. Others I liked well enough. Overall, I think the book has more strengths than weaknesses.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

A Piglet Named Mercy

A Piglet Named Mercy. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2019. Candlewick. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson lived in a house on Deckawoo Drive. Deckawoo Drive was an ordinary street in an ordinary town.

Premise/plot: A Piglet Named Mercy is a picture book prequel to Kate DiCamillo's early chapter book series starring Mercy Watson. It is the origin story, if you will.

My thoughts: Does loving A Piglet Named Mercy depend upon loving other titles in the series? I can't adequately answer that I suppose. I have not read all the books in the series. And what I have read was so long ago that I barely remember the details of the books. But what I do recall--though vague and fuzzy--is being charmed and delighted. I can tell you that reading A Piglet Named Mercy has me wanting to read--or in some cases reread--the chapter book titles.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Book Hog

The Book Hog. Greg Pizzoli. 2019. Disney-Hyperion. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The Book Hog loved books. And he had quite a few. He loved the way they smelled, and the way the pages felt in his hooves. He especially liked the ones with pictures.

Premise/plot: The Book Hog loves, loves, loves books. That means he loves to read, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Could the Book Hog have a secret?! If he does--and he does--this one may just have an oh-so-satisfying ending.

My thoughts: I loved this one. The Book Hog has a secret: though he loves books and stories he doesn't know how to read. But with a little help and some time he may just learn how to read. He may love books even more than before....

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Pig and Cat Are Pals

Pig and Cat Are Pals. Douglas Florian. 2018. Holiday House. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Pig and Cat are pals. Pig and Cat like to bike.

Premise/plot: Pig and Cat Are Palls is a new 'I Like To Read' book by Douglas Florian. Pig first appeared in Pig Is Big On Books. This early reader is friendship themed. Pig and Cat are friends. What will happen when Pig makes a new friend, Dog. Can Pig, Cat, and Dog be friends together. Or will Cat be sad and lonely?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. Perhaps I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Pig Is Big on Books and I just enjoyed Pig and Cat Are Pals. The words are very simple. (The book is Guided Reading Level C.) The theme is simple and basic as well. I think it is something every one of us--no matter how old or young--can relate to and identify with. The illustrations are unique in a way. They are crayon on manila paper. Not so unique for a child in elementary school writing his/her first story. But definitely not your traditional illustration style for a successful, accomplished author. I found the illustrations to be expressive and convey a lot of emotion.

Text: 3.5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3.5 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Happy Pig Day

Happy Pig Day. An Elephant & Piggie Book. Mo Willems. 2011. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Gerald!
Gerald!
I am so happy!
Today is the best day of the year!

Today is free ice cream day?

No. Today is...
HAPPY PIG DAY!

I am a big, big, big fan of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. I just love and adore these two characters. The series as a whole is practically perfect in every way. They're just that good, that charming, that FUNNY! With very few words, Mo Willems gives CHARACTER (life) to these two friends: Gerald, the elephant, and Piggie, the Pig.

Piggie is super-super excited about celebrating Pig Day. Pig Day is the best day to have a pig party, eat pig food, sing pig songs, dance pig dances, etc. But Gerald isn't quite as excited about Pig Day. He thinks that you have to be a pig to celebrate Pig Day. He thinks that Piggie is going to have all this fun without him. He feels sad and left out. Can Piggie show him what Pig Day is really all about?

So what did I think of Happy Pig Day? Well, I liked it. I really liked it. I wouldn't say that it is my favorite or best. I mean it's hard to top Should I Share My Ice Cream and We Are In A Book. (Those two are my favorites, which ones are yours?)

I Will Surprise My Friend
Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head
We Are In A Book
I Broke My Trunk!
Should I Share My Ice Cream?

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10


© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Pretty Princess Pig

Pretty Princess Pig. Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple. Illustrated by Sam Williams. 2011. Simon & Schuster. (Little Simon). 24 pages.

Pretty in pink is Princess Pig.
Her trotters are tiny. Her snout is big.
She loves to eat. She loves to dig.
Pretty Princess Pig.


At the first pink light of dawn, 
she snorts one enormous yawn,
then throws her flowered party dress on.
Pretty Princess Pig.

At first, I hated it. I'll be honest. The first few pages, I was like this book is NOT for me. It's too pink, too glittery, too rhyming. But I kept reading. I looked past the pinky-pinkness of it. I looked past the princess nonsense, and what I discovered was that it is actually a funny story about a pig who keeps getting messier and messier and messier as she prepares for a gathering of her friends--tea, cookies, scones, crumpets, etc. The messier she got, the messier her home got, the more I liked her.

So while I wouldn't say this book is a new favorite. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10


© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Babe: The Gallant Pig

Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith. Illustrated by Mary Rayner. 1995 (Reprint). Random House. 128 pages.

"What's that noise?" said Mrs. Hogget, sticking her comfortable round red face out of the kitchen window. "Listen, there 'tis again, did you hear it, what a racket, what a row, anybody'd think someone was being murdered, oh dearie me, whatever is it, just listen to it, will you?"
Farmer Hogget listened. From the usually quiet valley below the farm came a medley of sounds: the oompah oompah sounds of a brass band, the shouts of children, the rattle and thump of a skittle alley, and every now and then a very high, very loud, very angry-sounding squealing lasting about ten seconds.
Farmer Hogget pulled out an old pocket watch as big around as a saucer and looked at it. "Fair starts at two," he said. "It's started."

I love the movie. It's become so much a part of me, that I really can't remember a time when I didn't love it. It is just so good. So quotable. So true. So perfect. It's one of those meaning-of-life, beauty-in-simplicity movies. Anyway, I could gush for hours. How does the book compare? Well, the movie will always be better in my opinion. (Rare I know.) But the book was good. The plot is less complex. There are fewer characters, fewer conflicts. There is no "Rex" just Fly. There is no Ferdinand the duck to lead Babe into trouble. There are definitely no singing mice. It's good; it's enjoyable. But you really can't get better than the movie.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Will Surprise My Friend

I Will Surprise My Friend: An Elephant and Piggie Book. Mo Willems. 2008. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Look!
Hee hee hee!
What are you doing?
I am going to surprise my friend! Shhh... Here she comes! Boo!
Ha ha ha!
Ha ha ha!
Hee hee hee!
Hee hee hee!

Inspired by two playful squirrels, Gerald and Piggie decide to "surprise" each other by the big rock. But things don't go quite they way they planned! Oh, they end up surprised. But not in the way they thought they would be. When Gerald can't find Piggie, and Piggie can't find Gerald, Gerald begins imagining the worst. He must save Piggie! Meanwhile Piggie is a little worried about Gerald. But. Thoughts of lunch interrupt!

I Will Surprise My Friend is a funny book. It is part of the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. I would definitely recommend this series!!!

Other books in the series:

Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head
We Are In A Book

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

We Are in a Book

We Are In A Book! Elephant and Piggie Series. Mo Willems. 2010. September 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Piggie!
Yes, Gerald?
I think someone is looking at us.
Someone is looking at us!
Who is looking at us? A monster?
No. It is...a reader!
A reader is reading us!
How is a reader reading us?
The reader is reading these word bubbles!

I didn't just love this book. I love, love, loved it. I really, really LOVED it. As in, it getting instant favorite-and-best status. It is part of Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie series. (Yes, I do LOVE that series. I love some more than others. Some I just like. A few that I'm really super-excited about.) It stars two best friends: Gerald, the elephant, and Piggie, the pig. Now that these two are self aware--aware that they are the stars of the book--what will these two do? What fun is to be had? And what will Gerald do when he realizes that the book has to end because all books end? Can Piggie find a solution?

This book is funny. It is awesomely funny!!! (I wouldn't say I'm laughing quite as much as Gerald. But. It's close.)

Other books in the series:

Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head


© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Piggy Pie Po

Piggy Pie Po. Audrey & Don Wood. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.

Piggy Pie Po likes to dance
when he wears his party pants.
If he wears his rubber fins,
Piggy Pie Po swims and swims.
When he wears his yellow coat...

Piggy Pie Po is a picture book containing three stories starring Piggy Pie Po. In the first story, readers learn about some of the things Piggy Pie Po does. (Or more accurately, what clothes he wears when doing certain things...) In the second story, we learn how smart and clever Piggy Pie Po is. But even though he can count backwards ten to one and read every book upon his shelf...Piggy Pie Po can't do everything. In the third story, Piggy Pie Po goes to a friend's house for dinner--finding the friend absent--Piggy Pie Po eats the magnificent feast himself. With some predictable results!

I enjoyed the second and third stories best. While Piggy Pie Po isn't as memorable as some of the Woods' previous books, I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Am Going!

I Am Going! (An Elephant & Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages.

This is a good day.

I love Gerald and Piggie. I do. I find Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series to be one of the best, one of the funniest series ever. In I Am Going, Gerald, the Elephant, becomes distraught when he learns that Piggie, his best friend, is going. Where is she going? He doesn't know. He doesn't really care where. He just knows that she absolutely, positively can't leave him. Why if she left him, who would he "skip and play ping-pong in a silly hat with?!?!" Can Gerald convince Piggie to stay?

Read and see for yourself!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Mercy Watson Thinks Like A Pig

Mercy Watson Thinks Like A Pig. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2008. Candlewick. 80 pages.

Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy.
Mr. Watson, Mrs. Watson, and Mercy live together in a house at 54 Deckawoo Drive.
One day, Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson and Mercy were sitting on their patio.
Mr. Watson and Mrs. Watson and Mercy were drinking lemonade.
Mr. Watson said, "Mrs. Watson, this lemonade makes my lips feel puckery."
"I put an awful lot of lemons in it," said Mrs. Watson.
"That explains it," said Mr. Watson.

I finally got a chance to read this one, the fifth in the series. Last month, I read the other five Mercy Watson books. Fortunately, you don't have to read the books in order to appreciate Mercy Watson*.

What is this Mercy Watson adventure about? Well, it's about Mercy being Mercy. And Eugenia being Eugenia. Eugenia, for those that may not be familiar with the series, is a neighbor who DOES NOT like having a pig live next door. Not even a little bit. No, Eugenia is tired of the pig ruining everything. And she's had enough! She's calling animal control. Surely, they can send someone to take care of one not-so-little pig, right?

I love the Mercy Watson books because they are funny. I think you might like them too!

*Here are the other books:

Mercy Watson to the Rescue. Kate DiCamillo. 2005. Candlewick Press. 80 pages.
Mercy Watson Goes For A Ride. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2006. Candlewick Press. 80 pages.
Mercy Watson Fights Crime. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2006. Candlewick. 80 pages.
Mercy Watson Princess in Disguise. Kate DiCamillo. 2007. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 73 pages.
Mercy Watson Something Wonky This Way Comes. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. 2009. Candlewick Press. 96 pages.


© Becky Laney of Young Readers