PRINCESS PIG
by Eileen Spinelli and illustrated by Tim Bowers
When a freak wind deposits the Picawash County Pickle Princess’s sash on Pig, she suddenly begins to wonder if she really might be a princess. Goat points out that she doesn’t have a crown; Pig gets one (a frilly tea cup with a gold rim). Cow says she needs a golden necklace; Pig makes one from daisies. Rooster tells her she doesn’t smell like a princess; a roll in the honeysuckle takes care of that. In the end, only Pony holds out in his belief that she is not a royal. Soon, Princess Pig finds the rigors of princesshood tiresome: hot, boring sittings for portraits, no rolling in the cool mud and, worst of all, no regular old parties with her friends. When Pony tells Pig one last time that she’s just a pig (and there is nothing wrong with BEING a pig,) it sinks in, and she joins the party. Spinelli’s story about embracing your true self is a real winner. Bower’s colored-pencil illustrations show expressively silly (and regal) animals in a bright, friendly farmyard. A great addition to storytime collections. (Picture book. 4-8)