Review by Booklist Review
What's in a name? Pig finds out on a windy day after a princess' sash flies off during the Picawash County Farm Show Parade. When the pig awakens bedecked by the errant sash, she wonders if she is indeed a princess. Several animals try convincing her otherwise: how can she be a princess without a crown, without a gold necklace, and smelling like a pig? Pig dons a teacup crown, fashions a flower necklace, rolls in honeysuckle to smell better, and convinces most of the other animals that she is indeed a princess. The text strikes a chord akin to Charlotte's Web when gullible visitors and the media arrive at the farm to view the fabulous princess pig. Alas, Pig finds the royal life doesn't suit her after all, and she is eager to return to being just a pig. In watercolors and colored pencils, Bowers uses the animals' facial expressions to create delightful personalities. A humorous read-aloud for storytime.--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In this lighthearted tale with an underlying message about being oneself, a pig suffers dreams of grandeur. Asleep in her mud hole, she is pleasantly surprised when the wind drapes a sash proclaiming "Princess" around her shoulders. "Am I a princess?" she asks her fellow barnyard animals. The addition of a crown (a cast-off china tea cup), a gold necklace (a daisy chain), and a sweet-smelling scent (honeysuckle vines) convinces Goat, Cow, and Rooster that the answer is yes. Pig commandeers a tractor seat for a royal throne, lunches on the farmer's pie cooling on the windowsill, and luxuriates in a bubble bath. Pony, however, disagrees, continually reminding her, "you are just a pig." Princess Pig ignores him, until she discovers that, as royalty, she is not invited to "a regular old party" in the barn. Finally, she gets the message and at Pony's urging joins her comrades, dancing into the night. Bowers colored-pencil and watercolor artwork builds on Spinelli's smoothly told story, creating amusing expressions for the animals and funny scenes about Princess Pig's flirtation with the royal life. While not a primary purchase, this is a worthwhile read-aloud that offers ample discussion opportunities.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (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
After a parade participant's princess sash lands on Pig, she's thrilled. Royalty, however, has its limitations, and when Pig realizes she doesn't want to be a princess anymore, Pony reassures her eloquently: "It's a fine thing to be a pig...If a pig is what you are." Subdued colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations feature a rotund protagonist and her comical farmyard friends. (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
