Pig Pig Meets the Lion by David McPhail

David McPhail is a prolific writer and illustrator with over 150 books to his credit. Pig Pig Meets the Lion is the latest in his Pig Pig series. McPhail's illustrations are so luscious, it's no wonder he has been a popular illustrator for many other authors besides his own.

Pig Pig Meets the Lion starts on the inside cover of the book, where we see the lion jumping over the zoo's fence while the other animals sleep. On the next page the lion is running down the road toward a lonely house in the middle of the countryside. Then we see Mother Pig bending down on her front porch for the milk and newspaper, the headlines read, "Lion Escapes". Turn the page and we're finally at the title page. Mother Pig is going inside the house, looking at the paper while lion is climbing the tree up to Pig Pig's bedroom window.

Throughout the book Pig Pig and Lion are playing all over the house, chasing each other, while Mother Pig is your typical busy mom, cooking breakfast and talking on her cell phone. Kids will recognize this mom who is chatting with her child but really not paying attention. She's stirring the pot while telling Pig Pig that a lion has escaped from the zoo. Pig Pig says, "I know" while he and Lion are diving under the kitchen table. Kids will squeal with delight while mother is oblivious until the very end of the book; the inside back cover, where she is surprised to see two zoo employees at her front door. We see Lion leaving Pig Pig's bedroom window to climb down the tree.

On the back jacket flap, the fun doesn't stop. "David lives in Rye, New Hampshire, and would very much like to meet a friendly lion over breakfast."

Pre-school age children and up will love the adventures of Pig Pig!