cover image Pig Pig Meets the Lion

Pig Pig Meets the Lion

David McPhail. Charlesbridge, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58089-358-9

When a lion escapes from the zoo, Pig Pig’s mother finds out from the newspaper. Pig Pig learns about the lion when it climbs through his window and plops onto his bed. The escapee chases Pig Pig through the house (letting McPhail give a comedic lesson in prepositions like “into” and “down”). “If I found the lion,” Pig Pig asks his distracted mother, “could I keep him?” Paired with deliciously deadpan prose, McPhail’s spreads maintain a satisfying sense of movement and tight comedic sequencing as the lion skulks around the house before slipping out unobserved. Readers will have a blast being in on Pig Pig’s secret. Ages 4–7. (Feb.)