The Hog Prince (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Hog Prince Hope Morrison Bardhan-Quallen, Sudipta The Hog Prince; illus. by Jason Wolff. Dutton, 200932 p ISBN 978-0-525-47900-0$17.99 R 5-8 yrs Eldon the pig dreams of being royalty, and every morning he longingly watches glittering, bejeweled carriages drive by his mudhole. A somewhat flustered fairy godmother arrives and informs him that he has been under the Hog Prince spell ("Was it a hog prince or a dog prince? Or was it a frog prince . . . ?") and that, upon kissing his true love, he will become a prince. Overcome with delight, Eldon goes about kissing all the beautiful human ladies he can find, while his best piggy pal Petunia, disgusted by the whole business, follows along, ultimately landing a big old smooch on Eldon's cheek, along with the admonishment, "You just don't get it, do you?" Though no transformation follows—it turns it was a frog that the fairy godmother was seeking—Eldon and Petunia are happy with their transformed relationship. Listeners don't need to be familiar with the story of the frog prince to enjoy this lightly fractured fairy tale; it stands on its own just fine, thanks especially to the creative characterization of Petunia, who carries the story with her staunch patience and piggy smarts. Eldon is a somewhat dopey but very likable pig, and his far from successful romantic encounters with the other ladies add just the right touch of humor. Cartoonish and energetically composed acrylic paintings illustrate Eldon's tale; though they're short on subtlety, they offer an abundance of textures, from the coarse, short hair of the pigs to the bright blue waters of the lake to the blades of green grass. The guest appearance of familiar fairy-tale folks, the gross humor of piggy kissing, and the happily-ever-after swine romance all work together to make this a squeally-good readaloud for the early elementary set. [End Page 233] Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois