From School Library Journal
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, VT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. To appreciate the adventures of Sowk the pig and her husband, Boark, one must lean into the language as a pig rolls around in the mud--which happens quite a bit in this quirky tale. Boark is an amiable fellow: "What can I do to please and happy you, my Sowky dear?" Sowk has a ready answer: "Go snuffly and diggy fat sweet rooties." That will happy her "from grunt to squeal." So Boark digs and finds the tastiest treat of all, truffles. A greedy Boark is ready to gobble the truffles himself, but Sowk finds him. She suggests selling the valuable truffles for "goldy," so the duo set off to market. Alas, Sowk has a greedy streak herself and finds all manner of creative excuses to secretly eat truffles until there is only one left. Bewildered Boark uses the slim profit to buy a wheelbarrow to push home his "Lady Muck"--until it splits in two, and the pigs wind up muddy once more. It's not easy to find a book that mixes the low comedy of dirt and pratfalls with the elegance and exhilaration of language well used. Combine all this with Heale's bold woodcuts (paired with softer watercolors on the text pages), and readers will find this a book that pleasures them from grunt to squeal.
Ilene Cooper
