Piggy Let's be friends!

PreS-K-In the story, Piggy-an adorable looking pig who wears huge red glasses and red overalls and loves to read-befriends a shy and lonely mole named Miles. Miles lives underground and longs to see the world above but is easily frightened. As a result, Miles stays underground and develops the unusual habit of sneezing whenever he is nervous. Piggy only meets Miles because the mole is unable to resist the scent of roses and freshly baked blueberry muffins coming from Piggy's yard. Piggy invites Miles to a tea party with his friends, but Miles's nervous habit of sneezing causes him to stumble, with his specially baked cake landing on his head. In embarrassment, Miles retreats underground. Piggy follows Miles, bringing along his friends and food. Soon enough, all the animals are having a good time, and Miles and Piggy have become good friends. The artwork is vibrant and the oversize emojilike heads of the characters will be appealing to young children. Further, there is comfort for all in the message that an unknown friend is right around the corner and that others can be openhearted and generous. Unfortunately, the story is a bit cloying and somewhat predictable. VERDICT This reassuring picture book will be enjoyed by fans of the first Piggy story.-Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, CA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Can Piggy befriend shy Miles the mole?Piggy once only spent time with his books, and then he met Kate the cat (Piggy, 2016). Now he's friends with all the animals in the forestexcept for Miles, who lives under the forest. Miles wants to explore the world above, but he's scared; and when he gets nervous, he sneezes. One day he sticks his head aboveground. Piggy catches sight of Miles, who sneezes and flees. But then the scent of Kate's blueberry muffins draws Miles out. The aboveground duo invites Miles to a tea party the next day. Miles, cake in hand, tries to attend, but disaster sends him scuttling underground. Thank goodness Piggy and Kate (and the rest of the animals) know how to make friends. Lai's second Piggy tale featuring the eponymous star of his app is as flat and facile as the first. The digitally finished watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are colorful and cute but not enough to carry the package. Piggy's enormous, red-rimmed glasses (which Kate also needed in the previous book) are as much an authorially imposed affectation as Miles' stutter before each sneeze. Touches of the surrealan image of Miles floating outside Kate's window and another in which characters interact with giant question markswill confuse toddlers. Best bypass this pig. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.