Piggypine

As a narrator endeavors to tell a simple story entitled "My First Dog," an endearing "piggypine" (part pig, part porcupine) attempts to insert itself into the tale. Appearing at the end of one story, the snout-nosed creature makes its way onto the page, looking for a spot of its own. Explaining "you're an idea that never got finished," the unsympathetic speaker notes that another story's about to start, then kicks off the tale of Ruby, a pale-skinned girl who loves dogs. As Piggypine insistently disrupts the telling, the increasingly frustrated narrative voice coldly informs, "There's no room in this story for a piggypine." That verdict remains unchanged even after the creature offers more about itself (favorite food: "paper towels and honey"). But as the narrator attempts to kick Piggypine off the page, Ruby comes to the rescue, highlighting the way sometimes even a writer doesn't know where things are going. Morris's polished dialogue and Santoso's emotive, colored pencil--like digital drawings tie together the narrative tug-of-war. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)

Piggypine is definitely not invited to be part of this story. Someone drew poor Piggypine--who's part porcupine and part pig--on a scrap of paper and shoved him inside a book that isn't even about him. It's supposed to be about a pale-skinned, pigtailed young girl named Ruby and her search for a pet dog. But roly-poly Piggypine likes this new story and demands to be included, much to the unseen narrator's dismay. The story of Ruby and the dog goes off the rails as Piggypine makes a case for why he deserves to be in this tale. He can spell the wordcat--"W-A-F-F-L-E!" His favorite food is paper towels soaked in honey! He can fly…well, not quite. Just when it seems like there really is no place for Piggypine, Ruby decides that instead of a dog, she wants a pet piggypine. This laugh-out-loud interactive picture book consists of several voices--those of Piggypine, the narrator (who relates Ruby's story while also pausing to interact with Piggypine), and Ruby--all identifiable by different type styles and careful text placement. Digital illustrations with a sketched colored pencil feel rely on a spare layout that leaves room for sweet, chubby-cheeked Piggypine to shine without creating confusion among the alternating voices. Half pig, half porcupine, and all personality--this prickly protagonist is sure to become a storytime star.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.