Amanda Pig and her big brother Oliver

Five more cozy tales of Van Leeuwen's happy pig family, but without the added glow of the Lobel illustrations. This batch deals with little Amanda, who can't keep up with brother Oliver but finds satisfaction at her own level with the help of an understanding family. ""My oh my oh my,"" says Father Pig toward the end of the First story. ""Oliver has a lot of good tricks. He can run and jump and throw a ball very well. But Amanda is the best at falling down of anyone I know. Can you do it again?"" Likewise Father guides Oliver toward dubbing Amanda ""the Amazing Baby Pig"" to Oliver's ""Mighty Pig,"" and Mother challenges Oliver to ""make Amanda say yes"" to a bath when she's on a ""no"" streak. Finally, with Oliver and Father playing checkers--""just the two of us""--Amanda finds that she can build a block castle ""All By Herself."" Amanda's parents would no doubt get high ratings from child psychologists, and gentle readers will find the stories empathic. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.