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*Princess Pig* by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Tim Bowers
 
Also by Eileen Spinelli:

Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself

Summerhouse Time

Heat Wave
 
Also illustrated by Tim Bowers:

Matilda's Humdinger
Princess Pig
by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Tim Bowers
Ages 3-5 40 pages Knopf June 2009 Hardcover    

Before she became known as “Princess”, Pig was just a regular pig. To look like a princess, she wore the Pickle Princess’s sash, a golden necklace of sunflowers, and a teacup crown. Instead of rolling in mud, she rolled in herbs, and instead of sleeping in late, she woke up early to meet all her fans.

When DaVinci Duck comes to paint her portrait, Princess Pig, Rooster, Cow, and Goat admire the finished painting. They see a princess looking back at them, but Pony doesn’t. He only sees a regular pig. Pig may look and act like a princess, but a princess is not who she is meant to be. Pony knows it from the start, but Pig doesn’t realize it until she finds herself alone and feeling unhappy. She misses her mud baths and sleeping late. She misses her friends - especially their parties in the barn.

Princess Pig decides to be a princess no more. She finds new owners for her sash, golden necklace and crown, and with her accessories gone, she joins all the farm animals for a party in the barn. She walks in with a smile on her face and a wise friend by her side.

Princess Pig is set in the country. During the Picawash County Farm Show Parade, the Pickle Princess sits on hay in the back of a truck. The animals live on a farm with a red barn and tractor. The farmer’s house has a pie cooling in the window, and wooden fences and buildings dot the land.

Feelings are easy to identify in this story. Spectators are excited to be at the parade, showing their support for the Pickle Princess by wearing green nail polish, pickle headbands, and eating pickles on a stick. We know how much Pig wants to be accepted as a princess by the things she does immediately after the other farm animals tell her she’s not a princess yet, and by the proud look on her face as she accumulates princess accessories. But no matter how hard she tries to be a princess, we see her true piggy self shine through - just as Pony does. Being a princess is okay, but as Pig learns, it’s a bad idea to replace being yourself with being a princess.

Growing up, author and poet Eileen Spinelli loved being a princess on Halloween night. The author of many books for children including Hug a Bug, The Best Story, and Heat Wave, she lives in Pennsylvania.

Tim Bowers used photographs of his grandmother’s favorite pig to create Princess Pig. A graduate from the Columbus College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Tim’s illustrations appear in over thirty books including Gorgonzola: A Very STINKYsaurus, The Bravest of the Brave, and Matilda’s Humdinger. He lives in Ohio.
 


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  Tanya Boudreau/2009 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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