Animals – Pigs

Children’s Picture Book Review – A Pig in the Palace

A PIG IN THE PALACE

Written and illustrated by Ali Bahrampour

(Abrams BYR; $17.99, Ages 4-8)

 

A Pig in the Palace cvr

 

 

Have you ever received an invitation to dine with royalty? Me neither. And in these pandemic times of non-partying, I doubt one will be forthcoming any time soon. But if I did ever receive one, I’d be very surprised—and that’s exactly the situation in which Bobo the boar finds himself in A Pig in the Palace.

 

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Interior spread from A Pig in the Palace written and illustrated by Ali Bahrampour, Abrams BYR ©2020.

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The story begins with Bobo receiving an invitation to dine at the palace with the new queen whom nobody’s ever seen. Bobo is excited to go but since this is a very new experience for him, he makes several blunders while he is there which causes him to get into deep trouble with the guards who wish to throw him out. The chase is on to catch Bobo, who manages to keep eluding them until the moment the new queen is revealed in a surprising and very hilarious ending that I never even saw coming.

Readers will be rooting for Bobo throughout the story and while this humorous story is told in simple language, it is meant to be read in tandem with the illustrations. The crisp, highly detailed pictures, rendered in pen, ink, and watercolor, tell much of the story that is not told through the text, making this a wonderful book for a shared reading experience with a child as you point out and show what is going on.

 

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Interior artwork from A Pig in the Palace written and illustrated by Ali Bahrampour, Abrams BYR ©2020.

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So since going to real parties is out nowadays, instead, make yourself comfortable with your young reader and enjoy Bahrampour’s A Pig in the Palace. This picture book is perfect pandemic reading about going to a party, with all the fun and silliness of a celebration but without a touch of the preachiness about how to behave at one. It definitely delivers a much needed light-hearted diversion in these troubled times.

• Reviewed by Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili

 

Click here to order a copy of A Pig in the Palace or visit your local indie bookstore.
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Disclosure: Good Reads With Ronna is now a Bookshop.org affiliate and will make a small commission from the books sold via this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to help support this blog, its team of kidlit reviewers as well as independent bookshops nationwide, please consider purchasing your books from Bookshop.org using our affiliate links above (or below). Thanks!

Recommended Reads for the Week of 10/12/20

 

 

 

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Kids Chapter Book Review – The Case of The Bad Apples

THE CASE OF THE BAD APPLES:
A Wilcox & Griswold Mystery

Written by Robin Newman

Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

(Creston Books; $18.99, Ages 5-11)

 

badapples cover

 

Robin Newman’s third early chapter book in the wonderful Wilcox & Griswold Mystery series takes us to Ed’s farm as the mini-sized MFIs (Mouse Food Investigators), along with readers, try to solve The Case of The Bad Apples. For kids who crave seeing justice being served, the MFI’s motto, found on the opening end papers, is a rhyming reassurance: “Whatever the food, whatever the crime, we make the bad guys do the time.”

Fans of fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek detective-style fiction will find all they’re looking for in this latest installment featuring Detective Wilcox, a policemouse, and Captain Griswold. Porcini the pig has been poisoned and he believes it’s from the mysterious case of apples anonymously delivered to him. Of course, he finished most of the fruit, but his hefty appetite is nothing new, and likely not the reason he’s so green about the gills (or snout). Surely someone’s out to get him.

 

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Interior art from The Case of The Bad Apples written by Robin Newman and illustrated by Deborah Zemke, Creston Books ©2020.

 

Following standard MFI procedure and employing all the relevant vocabulary (defined in notebook paper style spot art) over the course of five chapters, the rodent pair conduct their investigation leaving no pigsty, truck, or stone unturned. To find the culprit, the MFI team must study all the clues and interview a few farm residents whose names arise as suspects. First, there’s Sweet Pea, the piglet next door. Then there’s Herman the rat, and finally, there’s Hot Dog who may provide a missing link to all the evidence. A few red herrings (or apples) thrown into the mix add to the rising tension. Who, the mice wonder, would want to harm Porcini? Could it be any of the animals who Porcini’s accused of stealing his food?

As Wilcox and Griswold collect the evidence they also rely on a cast of characters such as  Dr. Alberta Einswine (the best name ever) from Whole Hog Emergency Care, Fowler the Owl, Yogi the Goatee, and in forensics, Dr. Phil, the groundhog. Newman uses wordplay so well that young readers will LOL as they follow the case looking forward to reading whatever clever dialogue or description may appear on the page.

 

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Interior art from The Case of The Bad Apples written by Robin Newman and illustrated by Deborah Zemke, Creston Books ©2020.

 

Zemke’s illustrations add to the humor and suspense. There are maps, diversions and, clues aplenty for wannabe Poirots and Marples including me, and yet I still fell for the satisfying surprise ending. The art clearly depicts the action which can help newly independent readers discern the context.

Each book in the Wilcox & Griswold Mystery series can be read as a standalone, but once a child reads one they are going to want to read the other two. Just the facts.
I recommend The Case of The Bad Apples for beginning readers, reluctant readers, and for anyone who wants a fun, pun-filled farm and food-focused caper that will keep them on their toes (or hooves).  

• Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

 

Click here for an educator’s guide.

Website: www.robinnewmanbooks.com
Twitter: @robinnewmanbook
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RobinNewmanBooks/339179099505049 

 

 

Click here to order a copy of The Case of The Bad Apples.
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Disclosure: Good Reads With Ronna is now a Bookshop.org affiliate and will make a small commission from the books sold via this site at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to help support this blog, its team of kidlit reviewers as well as independent bookshops nationwide, please consider purchasing your books from Bookshop.org using our affiliate links above (or below). Thanks!

Recommended Reads for the Week of 9/14/20

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Celebrate the Chinese New Year With The Great Race by Christopher Corr

 

THE GREAT RACE:
STORY OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC
Written and illustrated by Christopher Corr
(Frances Lincoln Children’s Books/Quarto; $17.99, Ages 3-6)

 

 

A new retelling of The Great Race, a classic Chinese folk tale, comes to us from author-illustrator Christopher Corr. In this version of the Chinese zodiac story, the Jade Emperor, realizing he doesn’t know his age, creates the Great Race in order to start measuring time. The first twelve animals to cross the river get a year named after them. Each animal’s story ensues. For those unfamiliar with the animals, they are the rat, ox, horse, goat, monkey, dog, pig, snake, tiger, rabbit, rooster and last but definitely not least, the dragon.

 

Tiger and Jade Emperor interior images from The Great Race by Christopher Corr

 

This 32-page picture book contains an abundance of brilliantly colored illustrations. Shorter scenes are set in oval shapes against bright white backgrounds. In visually exciting two-page spreads, the Jade Emperor interacts with various animals; black text is subdued into the art. Corr “works in gouaches, painting on Italian and Indian handmade papers as though he’s using a pen” and “takes a great deal of inspiration from his travels—to India, North Africa, and New England, for instance.”

 

Interior artwork from The Great Race by Christopher Corr

 

All told, The Great Race: Story of the Chinese Zodiac is another wonderful way to enjoy the stories of the twelve animals representing the Chinese zodiac.

All artwork provided courtesy of Frances Lincoln Children’s Books/Quarto Books ©2018.

  • Reviewed by Christine Van Zandt

Writer, editor, and owner of Write for Success www.Write-for-Success.com

@WFSediting, Christine@Write-for-Success.com

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The Case of the Poached Egg: A Wilcox & Griswold Mystery by Robin Newman

THE CASE OF THE POACHED EGG:
A WILCOX & GRISWOLD MYSTERY
Written by Robin Newman
Illustrated by Deborah Zemke
(Creston Books; $15.95, Ages 4-8)

 

 

You’re eggspecting me to make yolks about this book, right? So here goes!

Eggceptionally funny, Robin Newman’s second Wilcox & Griswold mystery called The Case of the Poached Egg, will completely satisfy fans who’ve been hungry for a new installment following the duo’s Kirkus-starred first caper, The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake.

The trench coat garbed Captain Griswold and the narrator Detective Wilcox are mice on the move. MFIs (Missing Food Inspectors) have to be. It’s an animals steal food kind of world. Always seeking justice for the over 100 creatures on Farmer Ed’s Farm, this pair will stop at nothing to crack a case. So, after taking an urgent call from Henrietta Hen upset over the apparent egg-napping of her “precious Penny,” Wilcox summons his superior to accompany him to the crime scene.

This 48-paged early chapter book not only breaks down the tale into six easily readable chapters, it also cleverly divides actions/events into time and place. For example, Wilcox and Griswold begin their investigation at 10:30am, at the Chicken Coop. There they not only encounter a distraught Henrietta, but an unusually written ransom note too. The game is afoot! I mean an egg! I mean, read on!

The determined MFIs uncover a motive and eventually a culprit, just in the nick of time, using the process of elimination, mounting clues such as a bunch of farm animals oversleeping, a red goose herring (!), thorough questioning of witnesses and possible suspects, and hand writing analysis. All this, which takes place against the backdrop of Farmer Ed’s Big Speggtacular, plus, the cast of colorful characters caught up in the shenanigans including Gabby Goose, Colonel Peck, Miss Rabbit and Porcini Pig makes for amusing dialogue as readers try to solve the mystery along with Wilcox and Griswold. And though, as an adult, I solved the case early on, kids will eat up the chance to play detective and read between the lines, something the format of this clever police procedural actively encourages.

I’m always pulled into a story when there’s a map included, and illustrator Zemke’s created a super one. Her expressive illustrations work wonderfully to add action and emotion to this humorous and accessible story, while also making the thought of reading a chapter book not as daunting for the younger crowd! NOTE: Parents who may read this book aloud should not miss the legal disclaimer on the front endpapers or the author’s note beginning with  “No eggs, chickens, geese or roosters were harmed …”  I’m ready for another serving of Wilcox & Griswold, yes, ready indeed!

 

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

 

 

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The Year of the Rooster: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac

THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER:
TALES FROM THE CHINESE ZODIAC
Written by Oliver Chin
Illustrated by Juan Calle
(Immedium; $15.95, Ages 3-8)

 

Cover image from Oliver Chin's The Year of the Rooster

 

In The Year of the Rooster: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac, author Oliver Chin explains how “the Chinese culture has organized time in cycles of twelve years.” Based upon the movement of the moon, the Chinese calendar matches animals’ personalities with those of individuals born in a specific year.

 

Interior artwork from The Year of the Rooster: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin with illustrations by Juan Calle, Immedium ©2017.

 

This final picture book, #12 in the series, features a bilingual translation in simplified Chinese and introduces readers to Ray, a plucky young rooster and his loyal pal, Ying, the farmers’ daughter. After bumping into a pig who claims to have found a fantastic phoenix feather, the pair embark on a quest to find the elusive creature.

 

Interior artwork from The Year of the Rooster: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin with illustrations by Juan Calle, Immedium ©2017.

 

On their journey Ray and Ying also encounter a rat, an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a horse, a snake, a sheep, and a monkey who share their insights on the colorfully plumaged phoenix. As the friends hunt far and wide, Ray is also learning to perfect his crow, something his father has demonstrated early in the story. The significance of meeting a phoenix is raised by the snake who tells the youngsters that “seeing the phoenix is good luck. If you find her, your quest will be well worth it.” But how long must the two travel when it seems that every new animal they meet requires them to trek even further? And if they do eventually find the phoenix, will their quest truly have been worth the effort?

 

Interior artwork of phoenix, Ray and Ying from The Year of the Rooster
Interior artwork from The Year of the Rooster: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin with illustrations by Juan Calle, Immedium ©2017.

 

Along with its playful text and easy to follow storyline, The Year of the Rooster’s  dazzling illustrations by Juan Calle offer children adorable cartoon-like characters to connect with. As the need for diverse books remains strong, Chin’s book is an important reminder of how invaluable reading and learning about other cultures and traditions is for growing young minds. The Chinese New Year is always a great entrée into the Chinese culture and Chin’s books, as well as all of Immedium’s titles, continue to provide this engaging content. Wishing you all a very Happy Year of the Rooster!

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
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Peddles by Elizabeth Rose Stanton

PEDDLES
Written and illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
(A Paula Wiseman Book; $17.99, Ages 4-8)

 

Peddles by Elizabeth Rose Stanton book cover

 

Today we’re heading off to the farm with Elizabeth Rose Stanton’s charming picture book, Peddles. Peddles is not an ordinary pig. Your regular old run of the mill pig doesn’t have big ideas and it’s these big ideas that will make kids eager to read on. Peddles certainly does all the things – and I do mean all – that pigs are wont to do, but for Peddles, the routine pig stuff isn’t enough for this dreamer.

Interior artwork from Peddles by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Interior artwork from Peddles written and illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books ©2016.

 

Thoughts of pizza, taking to the sky like a bird or into space like an astronaut fill his head.

 

Interior artwork from Peddles by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Interior artwork from Peddles written and illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books ©2016.

 

To his porcine pals he may seem to have his head in the clouds, but it’s really just Peddles yearning for something different, something more. And then one day, more arrives in the form of a barn dance. Suddenly this little porker is determined to boogie on down just maybe not with the people he sees. The catch is Peddles thinks all he needs is the fancy footwear to dance the dance. But when it appears he’s got four left trotters, it turns out he really requires more than just a pair of cowboy boots. He needs his pig community to help him realize his dream.

 

Interior artwork from Peddles by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Interior artwork from Peddles written and illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books ©2016.

 

Stanton’s sparse language coupled with the soothing pale palette of her fresh and exuberant pencil and watercolor artwork create a more than satisfying read. There’s something so wonderful about the way she uses a lot of white on many of the pages so the reader’s eyes get right to the good stuff. Maybe the best way to describe it is dreamy just like her adorable main character, Peddles! If you know a child who follows his heart and not the crowd, Peddles is a celebration of that admirable individuality.

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
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Peppa Pig and the Day at the Museum by Candlewick Press

 

PEPPA PIG AND THE DAY AT THE MUSEUM
(Candlewick Press; $12.99, Ages 2-5 )

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I haven’t yet met a 2-5 year old who doesn’t know Peppa Pig. She’s becoming as popular here as she is in the U.K. and it’s no surprise. The show, which airs on Nick Jr., is its number one program for this age group, reaching over 30 million viewers every week!

Come along and join Peppa Pig and her younger brother George on their first trip to a museum with their parents. This museum is full of terrific treasures including gowns, crowns and even a royal throne that once belonged to Kings and Queens. Peppa pictures herself as a Queen, but George would much prefer checking out the “dine-saw.”

George sees a big dinosaur.
“Don’t worry,” says Daddy.
“Those are just dinosaur bones.”
They may just be bones, but they are VERY BIG.

The dinos on display provide fodder for George to imagine himself as a dinosaur, finally bigger than his sister. It also gets everyone’s tummies growling meaning time for a café cake break.

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PEPPA PIG AND THE DAY AT THE MUSEUM. © Astley Baker Davies Ltd/Entertainment One Uk Ltd 2003. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

After a snack it’s onto the space exhibit where the Pig family bumps into George’s elephant pal Edmond, an outer space afficionado. It’s time to take a pretend trip to the Moon including some serious lunar bouncing. Why?

“There’s less gravity!” yells Edmond.

Typically the Peppa Pig series of stories are brief, light-hearted introductions to the various activities, some new and some old, that fill a pre-schooler’s life. Here it’s an outing to a museum where sharing a good time with the family can be as much fun as learning about all the wonderful objects they’ve seen, or in Dad’s case, the snacks he’s eaten!

You can find out more about the Peppa Pig books by clicking on the links below and by visiting www.peppapig.com

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

 

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