Lady Muck
Kindergarten-Grade 2.  Mayne is at his fanciful best in telling this story of two very droll pigs, with very human aspirations. Boark and his loving wife, Sowk, feel they were born to have a better life than can be found in the muddy wood. When Boark sniffs out a nest of heavenly smelling, juicy truffles, Sowk wants to sell them and buy a coach in which they can "ride about the country, grand as duchy and duchessy." Boark proves to be of stronger character than his wife, who eats all but one of the truffles on the way to the market. He takes the small coin he gets for the last one and buys a wheelbarrow for his wife to ride in. Sowk still feels their status has been elevated because now the neighbors call her Lady Muck. Mayne uses alliteration, coy diminutives, and pleasing rhythmic couplets of invented words to create a language of his own, though there are echoes of Carroll and Lear. The whimsical humor and the rich new sounds make it immediately appealing to those who love to play with invented words and odd endings?such as "his jaws to bite, chew and chewy, and throat to swallow-swallowy!" With a little practice, the story reads beautifully. However, it might be easier for children to appreciate the unusual language if they first encounter it in small-group settings, or as a lap book. The large, colored woodcuts make Boark and his Lady Muck come to life in all their porky beauty?drools, rolls of fat, and all. The woodcuts and the soft watercolor illustrations also draw readers into the picturesque English countryside. A book to return to again and again.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VTCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.