Horseplay!

In Hogwash! (2011), a farmer battled a pig mutiny; this time, a different farmer wonders why his horses are always so tired. Hiding in the barn one night, he discovers the answer: “The horses shuffled decks of cards,/ and passed out poker chips./ They handed out some veggie trays,/ and seven-layer dips!” McMullan’s watercolors enhance the absurdity of his grinning, bucktoothed horses’ nighttime activities by coloring the animals in shades of purple, blue, and rose. Readers will happily side with these fun-loving equines over the grouchy farmer. Ages 3–6. Agent: Steven Malk, Writer House. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (June)