cover image Albert

Albert

Didier Levy. Larousse Kingfisher Chambers, $14.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-85697-621-3

Enamored of his own porcine perfection, a pig named Albert is convinced that his future holds Hollywood, ``lady pigs in bikinis'' and pounds of strawberry jam. ``He would even play Superpig, taking revenge on all the world's butchers... by turning them into fat garlic sausages.'' But a well-placed banana peel soon brings him down to earth--literally. Printed on high-quality textured paper, this French import is handsome in design. Like the text, the illustrations are simple but informed by a wicked sense of glee. Albert and all his pretensions are indulgently portrayed, the smooth Hollywood star in sharp contrast to the begrimed porkers of the pigsty. Children will enjoy Albert's comeuppance almost as much as the other pigs, who laugh, dance and point with infectious abandon. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)