Pig Is Big on Books

PreS-Gr 2--This entry in the series is perfect for beginning readers, with its pleasingly simple and repetitive text. A young porcine bibliophile loves "big books" and "small books," and he reads them at school, on the bus, and while sunning on the beach. One day the unthinkable happens--despite searching high and low, Pig cannot find a book to read. Taking matters into his creative hands, he writes one of his own. In a clever twist, his newly penned tome is the very one in readers' hands. Florian's distinctively naive watercolor, colored pencil, and collage artwork is created on brown paper bags and has the textured appearance of a freshly crayoned picture. The background scenes are full of eye-catching details, from the Alexander Calder-like lamp in Pig's mid-century modern home to his carefully stacked tower of books. VERDICT A perfect ode to the joys of reading and writing.--Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada