A young pig thinks his way out from under his well-meaning but ultra-protective parents in this good-natured tale. "Little Pig's parents worried about him all the time," writes Roche (Looloo, Boo, and Art You Can Do), depicting the air above Little Pig's head as literally filled with waves of fretful warnings and admonishments: "Sweetie buns, please wear this scarf. If you don't, you'll catch a cold, or worse—you'll get so sick that you'll miss second, third, AND fourth grades." A camping trip with the Snout Scout troop doesn't offer any respite. Ludicrously loaded down with protective gear (his getup includes both hiking boots and water wings), Little Pig is ostracized by his peers. Left alone, Little Pig realizes that the substitute troop leader, Ravenous, is a wolf—and that Ravenous has bigger plans for the campfire than making s'mores. Little Pig's subsequent heroism convinces his parents (almost) that he can take care of himself after all. Because Roche keeps a poker face in her crisp, straightforward prose and naïve-styled drawings, the exaggerated humor never loses the ring of truth; she turns the nudge of recognition into a rib-tickling experience. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
