Pig the pug by Aaron Blabey

Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 978743624777.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Sharing. Selfishness. Humour. Verse. In rhyming stanzas Blabey describes the dog, Pig, as it gathers all its toys to itself, its blazing eyes daring poor old Trevor to come any closer. Trevor the sausage dog has had the temerity to suggest that Pig share his toys, but rather than do that, Pig builds a tower of his toys, eventually making one so tall that it topples over and he falls from the open window.
This funny scenario is underlined by the tightly controlled stanzas, each begging to be read aloud, the words rolling off the tongue with a flowing sound. Pig's bulging eyes flash across the pages as he gathers all to himself, defying the request from Trevor. But we all know that he will come to a sticky end, and the humour in the moral towards the end is hilarious, as is the result for Pig.
The acrylic and pen artwork reflects the ideas perfectly, as bold colours are drawn across the pages, with often just the dogs' faces peering up at us from the flat pages. These two dogs live together and should share, but the audience is ready for a tale that shows what happens when that does not occur. From the front cover with Pig staring defiantly at the reader, to the last page of the book, with Pig cocooned and immobile, the book is a treat for all readers. Whether they be at home with parents reading to them, or in a class where sharing is under discussion, the book is superb.
Fran Knight