I'd Be Glad to Read About Poppleton Every Day!

A couple months ago, I read a review by my good friend Beth on a book about a pig named Poppleton. I was unfamiliar with the character but thought he sounded charming and was eager to read some of his adventures. A recent trip to the library yielded Poppleton Everyday, a charming collection of stories written by Cynthia Rylant - author of the Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter and Tabby series - and illustrated by Mark Teague.

The Sky, the first of the three tales, finds Poppleton enjoying a night of star-gazing with his friend Hudson, a mouse. That is to say, he should be enjoying it, but the vastness of the sky gives him vertigo, as we see in an illustration of him slumped over in his fur-lined coat, eyes closed, ears drooping, a seasick frown on his face. I can actually relate all too well to the dizzying effect the stars have on Poppleton, so I can't help but feel some sympathy for the porker. Anyway, it's up to Hudson to find the solution to his friend's woes. Frankly, his bright idea doesn't seem to me like it would make any difference, but maybe this is a case of mind over matter...

The New Bed is a funny story about Poppleton's search for a new, "grown-up bed." After deciding he has outgrown the bed he's slept in since childhood, Poppleton goes to a bed store and asks the saleslady, a distinguished-looking cat in granny glasses, for some help. She shows him to the biggest bed in the store, which is gargantuan, and he loves it, but before he can decide for certain if this is the right bed for him, he must put it through some tests... After all, this is a pig who has 20 different ways to sleep, and he's determined to try most of them, to the increasing annoyance of the saleslady. This is perhaps the silliest of the three stories, and I especially like the two-page spread in which Poppleton, bedecked in a bright yellow checked coat, tries out five different sleeping positions, including one with his rump sticking up in the air. Silly pig...

If Poppleton feels seasick in the first story, he must be really nauseated in The Sailboat, wherein he goes for a ride in his friend Fillmore's boat. Fillmore looks like a goat to me, so there's no apparent relation between his species and his seaworthiness, but he certainly doesn't seem to mind being pummeled with waves from every direction. Poppleton, however, is another story, and he finds it impossible to do as his friend says and relax in the face of a fierce storm. Is there anything that will ruffle his seafaring friend?

Rylant's writing style is simple and funny, and Teague's soft, soothing illustrations are marvelous. My only disappointment here is that Cherry Sue, the llama who is Poppleton's very good friend, does not appear in any of the stories. Both beginning readers and adults can find plenty to love about portly Poppleton and his friends.