Pigs in Pajamas

PreS—Cheerful porkers on every page eat peaches and pistachios, play with pianos and piñatas, and primp in pinstripe and polka-dot pajamas. A mixture of collage and cartoonlike artwork, the illustrations create a kind of seek-and-find for items beginning with the letter "P." The rhyme scheme labors inconsistently, with some lines rhyming on the same spread, while others require a page turn to finish the verse. The lack of discernible rhythm makes this title unlikely to become a favorite read-aloud. Smith's audience seems to be educators working with preschoolers on letter recognition, not the preschoolers themselves. For better alliterative picture books choose Barbara deRubertis's "Animal Antics A to Z" series (Kane). It has the one "P" word that Smith forgot: plot.—Jenna Boles, Washington-Centerville Public Library, OH