Pigs Make Me Sneeze! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3—When Gerald cannot stop sneezing, he is sure he is allergic to pigs. His effervescent best friend takes things in stride until the fits of sneezing threaten to end their friendship. When Gerald sees Dr. Cat, he decides that his continued sneezing means he is also allergic to cats. When the doctor informs him that he is sick with a cold, the elephant is elated and rushes to tell his best friend. Unfortunately, Piggie now has a cold. The spare colored-pencil drawings are devoid of background detail. Text is spare too, with speech bubbles against the white pages. Both are simply perfect. The focus is on the characters and their interactions. The illustrations in this case of mistaken logic are very funny, with Piggie being repeatedly blown off her feet and Dr. Cat climbing on Gerald's head to take his temperature. Willems knows how to create rich humor with few words and minimal art.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, MECopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.