Julius
In this exuberant celebration of love and sharing, Maya is given an Alaskan pig and learns that friendship is a two-way street. Johnson's humorous, upbeat text rings with its own rhythm as it introduces Julius, a pig with a fondness for old movies, trying on clothes ("anything blue and stretchy") and eating peanut butter "from the jar, without getting any on the ceiling." As Maya shares Julius's version of fun and games, so the clever porker learns from Maya "that even though he was a pig he didn't have to act like he lived in a barn." Pilkey's ( When Cats Dream ) illustrations are a felicitous departure for this gifted artist. Painted in blocks of fluorescent color, his paintings zing with the joy of living and perfectly capture the book's infectious carnival spirit. A small but enchanting detail is his assortment of patchwork squares, decorated with patterns and posies, which appears as wallpaper and frames several scenes. Jubilant and subtly instructive. Ages 3-6.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.