cover image Roseberry Great Escape

Roseberry Great Escape

Kate Duke. Dutton Books, $12.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-525-44597-5

Roseberry is a pig on the go. No dull farmyard life for him--the world is his oyster, and he's eager to partake of all it has to offer. The roving life has its down side, however, and one rainy day Roseberry begins to think about settling down. A meadow populated by the fluffiest sheep this side of Little Bo Peep seems to offer the domestic bliss he seeks--but he changes his mind when the shepherd tries to put pork on the menu. With the help of his friends, Roseberry escapes and resumes his nomadic existence. Duke's book is dedicated to Aesop, and although the moral at the end--``A home is where you feel at home, and where you are among friends''--may seem somewhat familiar, readers will probably be too captivated by the snappy tale and tongue-in-cheek watercolors to notice. Ages 3-6. (May)