Pig Town Party

Cho (Oh, Olive!) expertly concocts a sharply funny rabbit-hole story with a dash of The Twilight Zone. When a mysterious invitation addressed to “Cutie” slides through the mail slot, requesting attendance at the annual Pig Town Party, the pigtailed human child on the receiving end is confused, flattered, and intrigued. “Last time I checked,” states the pink-skinned, dot-eyed narrating youth, “I was indeed a cutie, but I was not a pig.” As intrepid as they are confident, the child discovers, beyond a huge hedge, a mirror-image town that’s populated by porcine inhabitants. The party itself is Gatsby-like in its lavishness: gouache and colored pencil illustrations show a glowing mansion with a grand staircase and costumed piggy guests all competing in a lavish masquerade whose prize is an elaborate, multitiered pink cake. The child admits to the reader that “of course, lying is very bad,” but stays mum when called Cutie until they’re voted the most creatively costumed pig of all—and denounced by an angry pig in an identical outfit. Exit kid and cake, pursued by pigs, but the triumph of a successful return is short-lived when the wily youth receives a fittingly funny comeuppance in this pleasingly madcap work. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Oct.)