Review by Booklist Review
Louisa the pig is not pleased with her messy farm so she writes a letter to Farmer Joe and signs it Disgruntled. Farmer Joe wonders who sent it but sweeps the barn, cleans the hen house, and tidies the pigsty. Additional disgruntled letters prompt Farmer Joe to paint the barn, roll the farmyard dirt, and add plants. The next letter is the last straw. Enough! says Farmer Joe, tacking a big note on the barn: Clean it up yourself! Miffed, Louisa packs her things and hitches a ride to the city, but the smoke and smog are too much. Her final letter tells Farmer Joe she knows that she is missed, and this time she signs her real name. Simple shapes depict pink Louisa in a pink, polka-dotted bow; Farmer Joe is square-necked. The primary humor devices are the page-size letters themselves, hand-printed with bits of collage and clever details, like footprints on a letter from a boot-wearing mouse. Another comical farm tale of barnyard ballyhoo that will tickle kids pink.--Cummins, Julie Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 1-One wouldn't expect barnyard mud and untidiness to offend a pig, but Louisa is a prissier porker than most, right down to the pink purse she carries. She leaves letter after letter of anonymous complaint to Farmer Joe, who does his best to correct the odious problems-but ultimately leaves the mysterious nitpicker his own exasperated note: "Dear Disgruntled, If you don't like it, you can clean it up yourself." Louisa storms off to the city, but learns that it comes with its own grubby assaults to the senses and ultimately returns all the wiser to the farm, where she finds a bucket, brush, and soap awaiting her. The barnyard setting and residents are depicted in stylized cartoonlike illustrations interspersed with photographic images and replete with amusing details such as animals stomping about in mud boots. The cumulative build-up of this tale, combined with the childlike, flattened quality of the comical artwork, makes this an appealing choice.-Kathleen Finn, Winooski Memorial Library, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Disgruntled" with the messy farm, Louisa the pig writes the farmer a series of anonymous notes with improvement suggestions (Click, Clack, Moo, anyone?). When the accommodating farmer finally revolts, Louisa goes to the city but immediately finds the farm more tolerable. Humorous illustrations showing Louisa stealthily observing the farmer's progress bolster the story's less-than-original premise. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
