It's a Big World, Little Pig!

Gold medal-winning Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi likely drew on some of her own personal experiences for her 2012 picture book illustrated by Tim Bowers. In this fun iconographic adaptation, narrated by Susie Berneis, ice-skating pig Poppy is invited to journey from her New “Pork” City home to the World Games competition in Paris. Spurred by encouragement from her family and best friend (“You go, girl!”), Poppy heads for the City of Light, where she meets a variety of other animal contestants who instead of being cutthroat are all very nice and helpful to Poppy. Along the way, Poppy learns various terms in different languages, enjoys new cuisine, and compares costumes with a newfound support system of friends, noting that “Everyone smiles in the same language.” The cute and colorful characters all shine in this delightful tale that paints everyone as winners. Featuring a read-along option, this is highly recommended. [Note: also newly available is Dream Big, Little Pig!, based on a 2011 book by Yamaguchi and Bowers.] Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)