It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway-the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty. There’s nothing especially new here, but the good-natured celebration of books, reading, and libraries will charm fellow bibliophiles, and the author’s fans will enjoy making another anthropomorphic animal friend. Librarians will appreciate the positive portrayal of Miss Olive, an elephant who welcomes the Book Hog warmly to storytime, though it’s unlikely most will be able to match her superlative level of service. A combination of vignettes, single-page illustrations and double-page spreads that feature Pizzoli’s characteristic style-heavy black outlines, a limited palette of mostly salmon and mint green, and simple shapes-move the plot along briskly. And the fact that the titles become legible only after our hero learns to read is a particularly nice touch. The allusive name of a local bookshop (“Wilbur’s”) as well as the covers of a variety of familiar and much-loved books (including some of the author’s own) offer plenty to pore over. A picture of the Book Hog thumbing through a book while seated on the toilet should induce some giggles. While the text is straightforward, plenty of amusing visual details will entertain young listeners. Short declarative sentences describe his enthusiasm (“The Book Hog loved books”), catalog the things he likes about the printed page, and eventually reveal his embarrassing secret (“He didn’t know how to read”).
The Book Hog’s obsession is clear from the start.
A porcine hoarder of books learns to read-and to share.
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