Captain Small Pig - Hardcover

Martin Waddell is the acclaimed author of many books for children, including Captain Small Pig, Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? and Owl Babies. He received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004 and is a two-time winner of the Smarties Book Prize. He lives in Northern Ireland.

*Starred Review* A small pig, a grandfatherly goat, and a bumptious turkey walk down to Blue Lake, where they spy a boat. Small Pig wants to go out for a row. Turkey doesn’t. Old Goat doesn’t either, but his indulgence of the little pig sets the tone for this utterly charming story. When Small Pig wants to fish for whales, Turkey curtly informs him there are no whales, but Old Goat says there might be a small one. (Catching a boot is almost as good.) When Small Pig wants to row the boat, Turkey objects, but Old Goat allows him to use one oar to row around in circles. And when Old Goat gets tired, he tells Small Pig just to keep his hand on the tiller. Then they all doze off, and suddenly Small Pig isn’t steering. It looks like trouble, but that only comes when Old Goat stands up to tie the boat at journey’s end, and Turkey is tossed overboard. Small Pig sleeps right through and is gently carried home. This book pleases at every level. The simplicity of its concept, the ease of its words, and the ink-and-watercolor art’s subtle mix of wit and whimsy combine in a comfortable way. Capturing the importance of small moments, this also gives little ones reassurance that despite the turkeys life might throw at them, a gentle helping hand is usually there, too. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ilene Cooper