All for Me and None for All

K-Gr 2—Gruntly is a badly behaved piglet who not only refuses to share his toys with the rest of his barnyard friends, but also actually helps himself to their belongings. "'What a HOG!' snorted Hampshire, Berkshire, and Yorky. 'He bestows new meaning upon the word,' wise Woolworth said wisely." When the Parks Department invites all of the youngsters to a treasure hunt, aggressive Gruntly jumps the gun and takes off without hearing the end of the crucial first clue. In his greed to take all, he heads in the wrong direction. Eventually, he makes his way through the progressive clues, well after the others have made the rounds and collected their "treasures." At first disgruntled to learn that the prizes were NOT gold, silver, or diamond, but trail mix instead, he chastises his fellow hunters about not saving some for him. Then he finds a bag with his name on it and realizes that no one had "snatched it. Or grabbed it. Or tried a nibble. Or a gobble. Or HOGGED it." He is so touched by their consideration that he actually offers to share a bit with them. In typical fashion, Lester and Munsinger's animal characters display all-too-human expressions and behavior. The pen-and-ink and watercolor artwork is colorful and spot-on, extending the action and humor in the text and conveying the emotions to a tee. The message is forthright, but the delivery, as always, is subtle and nuanced, and loads of fun.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal