Pig the Pug

Originally published in Australia, this irreverent tale introduces Pig, a selfish pug who refuses to share his cache of toys with his housemate, a “wiener dog” named Trevor: “ ‘You’ve got some great toys there,’ poor Trevor would say./ But Pig would just grumble, ‘They’re mine! Go away!’ ” Rendered in acrylic, pen, and pencil, Blabey’s (Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley) portraits highlight the dogs’ personalities through their expressive faces and body language. Both have bulbous eyes that seem to pop from the pages, but Trevor grins at readers with a toothy smile while Pig is in a near-constant state of temper tantrum. Perched on a wobbling pile of playthings, Pig tumbles out an open window, leaving him in no position to keep Trevor away from his toys. Punctuated by Pig’s angry ranting, Blabey’s jaunty rhymes will make for some fun read-alouds. Although Pig doesn’t necessarily see the error of his ways (despite being in a full body cast when readers last see him), children will have no trouble recognizing the ridiculousness in his behavior. Ages 3–5. (Dec.)