Business Pig by Andrea Zuill (Children's Week #5)

It was apparent from the moment the piglets arrived. Jasper was an unusual pig.

He hated playing in the mud.

And he refused to root for grubs,

acorns, and other tasty things

the way the other pigs did. 

Jasper was loved but he felt out of place. So, the volunteers at the sanctuary where Jasper lived created a place of his own where he could help with the bookkeeping. He held meetings and tried to show his flow charts to the chickens (they weren't interested). The goat ate his business card and nobody was interested in adopting him, no matter how many charts he offered or resumés he handed out. But, Jasper had a great attitude and formulated a plan. He came up with all sorts of clever ways to advertise his availability for adoption.

Then, one day he had a visitor, a little girl who studied his charts, exchanged business cards with him, and read his resumé thoroughly. I love this part:

Luckily, upper management was also impressed with Jasper's credentials.

"Upper management" is the little girl's mom. And, with the making of an offer and signing of a contract, it was a done deal. Jasper had a home.

Recommended - A cute, clever book about being different but working with your uniqueness to find a way to your goal. Business Pig is the third book I've read that's both written and illustrated by Andrea Zuill. I was surprised at how very different the illustrations were, in this one. The first two I read were both color on a pure white background. Business Pig is full color, with bright barns and fencing, brown dirt, greenery, a beautiful blue sky. It just works. The little girl who adopts Jasper has the same quirky business-like look. She wears a salmon suit, carries a briefcase, and wears glasses. Nice way to show that you may be quirky but that doesn't mean you're alone.

Other books I've reviewed by Andrea Zuill:

Marigold and Daisy by Andrea Zuill
Dance is for Everyone by Andrea Zuill


©2018 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Marigold and Daisy by Andrea Zuill

Marigold and Daisy is the second book I've read that's both written and illustrated by Andrea Zuill. I'll add a link to the first book in a sec.

Marigold had a good life. And, then her little sister arrived (first as an egg, then a snail). Daisy was adorable. In fact, the other creatures were charmed by everything about her: her swirly shell, her size, her poop (yes, her poop)! Marigold tried to talk to her Dad about Daisy but he just didn't get it. Daisy was, Marigold decided, an evil genius who had set out to conquer the world by being adorable.

Then, things got worse. Daisy started following Marigold around, invading Marigold's personal space, singing loudly. She even tore up Marigold's favorite toy. That was enough to set Marigold on edge. "I'm out of here," Marigold said. 

While munching on a flower, she complained about little Daisy and ended up getting chewed out by a bee. "Hey, Slimy! This flower is mine! Quit munching on it!" the bee shouted.

Amazingly, Daisy came to Marigold's defense and chased the bee away. Now, Marigold and Daisy got along just fine. And, then one day they were called to see their new brothers.

Recommended - I liked Marigold and Daisy better, the more I read it. It's a cute story that does a good job of showing that, yes, a new sibling can be really annoying. But, sometimes a little brother or sister can turn out to be terrific at the least expected moment. My eldest might have appreciated this book, a couple decades ago, when Kiddo came along and everyone thought he was adorable except the big brother whose toys Kiddo kept stealing. A sweet story and I'm particularly fond of Zuill's color-on-white illustrations.

Another book that I reviewed by the same author/illustrator:

Dance is for Everyone by Andrea Zuill


©2018 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Dance is for Everyone by Andrea Zuill

Note: I was hoping to finish my final review (only one children's book left!) and then post a Fiona Friday photo by tonight, but a storm is moving in. So, while I will definitely post one more book review if the storm holds off long enough, I'm going to hold the kitty photo for Saturday.

Mrs. Iraina's students are surprised when a new student shows up for ballet class. But, nobody wants to tell an alligator that she can't stay, and the alligator is good at following the dance moves. Mrs. Iraina reads about alligators and stocks alligator chow, just in case. The students grow to like the new student and start calling her Tanya because she resembles Madame Tanya Prefontaine, a prima ballerina.

Much like Madame Prefontaine, Tanya was very strong. 
A bit too strong. 

And she didn't seem to know what was going on with her tail.

But what could they do? [...]

They didn't want to hurt her feelings. That might make her grumpy or bitey. 

The "grumpy or bitey" line made me laugh. Fortunately, the children and their teacher are clever and come up with a solution to Tanya's swinging tail (tying it to her body with a sash) so that they can practice their new dance for the recital: "The Legend of the Swamp Queen". The recital goes well. Adults predictably think Tanya is a person in a realistic costume. But, after the recital, Tanya goes missing.

Where has Tanya gone? The class misses her until one day an invitation shows up and the children go to the swamp, where they find that Tanya has trained other the alligators to dance.

Highly recommended - I gave Dance is for Everyone 5 stars at Goodreads because it makes me smile throughout the reading and I love the illustrations, which are mostly color on an all-white background. Exceptions are the stage scenes in which green curtains and scenery serve as backdrops. I particularly liked the theme of acceptance in spite of differences. Apart from the fact that they're a little nervous about potentially being bitten or knocked off their feet by a swinging tail, nobody is all that bothered by Tanya's appearance. Of special note: I didn't notice on the first reading that one of the dancers is a little boy. Awesome! Inclusiveness goes in many directions.

©2017 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.