Surprise! Surprise! - Hardcover

Niki Daly is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator who has won many awards for his work. His groundbreaking Not So Fast Songololo, winner of a US Parent’s Choice Award, paved the way for post-apartheid South African children’s books. Since then, Niki has been widely published and has spoken in several countries.

Among his many books, Once Upon a Time was an Honor Winner in the U.S. Children’s Africana Book Awards. Jamela’s Dress was chosen by the ALA as a Notable Children’s Book and by Booklist as one of the Top 10 African American Picture Books of 2000. It also won both the Children’s Literature Choice Award and the Parent’s Choice Silver Award. Niki lives with his wife, the author and illustrator Jude Daly, in South Africa.

PreS-Gr 1—Mr. and Mrs. Tati have all the things they need to be happy except for a baby, which is Mrs. Tati's biggest wish. Wanting to make his wife happy, Mr. Tati goes to the baby store but is disappointed to find they do not sell actual babies. On his way home, he instead buys his wife a little pink pig. It is love at first sight, and soon the pig, Potter, is ensconced in the family, wearing baby booties, drinking from a bottle, and wrapped in a soft blanket. All is wonderful until the day the Tatis bring Potter to school for his first day and are told that little pigs are not allowed. "Mr. and Mrs. Tati were terribly upset. It had been a BIG mistake trying to turn a little pig into a little boy." Back home they allow Potter to do piggy things, and on special occasions they dress him in fancy pajamas and let him sleep in their bed. They so dearly want Potter to be like them that Mr. Tati wishes upon a star, hoping that in the morning they will "ALL look the same." And they do. Daly's digital illustrations perfectly complement the story. They have just enough detail, show great facial expressions, and have a dollop of humor. Their placement keeps the text from becoming blocky and overwhelming. VERDICT This British import is the ultimate "and baby makes three" wish fulfillment tale. The surprise, of course, is three what? A humorous but nonessential addition.—Catherine Callegari, Reston Regional Library, VA