What This Story Needs Is a Bang and a Clang (A Pig in a Wig)

Virjan's wig-wearing pig returns in her fourth picture book, a noisy outing that gets underway after the pig builds a bandstand and attracts an outfit of instrument-playing animals. As in the previous books, there's raucousness to spare in Virjan's punchy rhymes ("This story also needs a twang, a tootle, a ping, a boom, / a brup, a jingle, and a doom-doom-doom"), and children can easily match up the various instruments with the sounds they make, from the "tish" of an elephant's cymbals to the "bwap" of a monkey's trombone. The Pig on a Wig Band's music gets temporarily disrupted when a mouse with a (tiny) tuba frightens an elephant, but it isn't long before they are up, running, and attracting applause. It's good, boisterous, musical fun. Ages 4-8. Agent: Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 1—The pig in a wig is back in this latest installment of the early reader series featuring the porcine protagonist with a red beehive hairdo. The industrious porker is building an outdoor stage while animal musician friends gather for a performance by the Pig in a Wig Band. During rehearsal, a mouse comes along with his French horn, and there's "a startle, a jump, an EEK, and a SHRIEK!" and the band is suddenly in disarray. Pig in a Wig insists that the story must get back on track. Order is restored, and all's well that ends well, with an appreciative audience clapping for the band. Colorful illustrations with a heavy black outline and text in a large, black serif font will be accessible for young readers. Rhythm and rhyme are maintained throughout. The climax and resolution will reassure beginning readers, who will likely want an encore. VERDICT Another solid choice for early reader shelves.—Ramarie Beaver, Plano Public Library System, TX