Toot and Puddle Are a Credit to Pigdom

When I was little, my dad often wore a shirt that read "Pigs Are Precious". I've always been inclined to agree with that sentiment, and lots of books seem to back me up on that. Now to Wilbur, Babe and Piglet I add a pair of porkers named Toot and Puddle. Evidently they're not newcomers, but while I'm familiar with Holly Hobbie, I'd never had the pleasure of meeting the congenial Toot and Puddle, who remind me pleasantly of Frog and Toad, only not so obviously disparate in personality. Oh, they're unique all right, and distinguishable from one another, but while curmudgeonly toad seems to do rather more receiving than giving, Toot and Puddle have comparable temperaments.

In Toot and Puddle Let It Snow, both are excited to find the perfect Christmas gift for each other, and they know it won't be easy. Toot muses that "the best present was usually something you made yourself, a one-of-a-kind thingamajig, not just a whatsit anyone could buy in a store." And there's Opal to consider as well, since this young female pig will be joining them for Christmas morning. But mostly, they are preoccupied with one another and searching for inspiration, and Opal's advice on that score doesn't seem to be getting them very far.

The watercolor paintings are pleasantly drab, making the book feel homey, with the sparseness of the landscape contrasting the closeness of the friendship. We watch Toot and Puddle struggle separately, recalling past gifts they have given each other and examining notable hobbies and traits that might offer a clue as to the perfect present. While there are many full-page paintings, some pages feature a series of small illustrations. The variety gives the book an extra dash of the unexpected, and all of the pictures, large and small, are endearing.

"I wish I could take this morning and put it in my pocket and keep it forever," Puddle remarks at one point in the story when he and Toot walk together through a woodland freshly coated in snow. Readers can essentially do just that, and what's more, they can have an added reminder of the book's simple beauty with the four cardboard ornaments that are included.

Toot and Puddle Let It Snow is a story of friendship in winter that warmed me like the soft glow of Christmas lights emanating from an evergreen. There's an indication that this is the last book in the series. I hope Ms Hobbie changes her mind; these pigs are too precious to be retired!