When Oliver gets a Mighty Pig cape for his birthday, he's thrilled. As soon as he puts it on, he imagines he has incredible superpowers. It takes his family a little longer to adjust, but soon Mother Pig has Oliver doing some rescue operations that look suspiciously similar to setting the table and emptying wastebaskets. Then one morning Oliver discovers his cape is missing!

All beginning readers who have ever wished they were superheroes will delight in the humorous antics of one very determined pig. With clever wit and simple vocabulary Jean Van Leeuwen has created another wonderful addition to her easy-to-read series, colorfully illustrated by Ann Schweninger.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2--Oliver gets a "real genuine Mighty Pig cape" for his birthday and, suddenly, he is unstoppable. With his extra-strong muscles and super powers, he rescues his toy cars, his stuffed animals, and even his sister from imaginary dangers. When his mother asks him to clean his room and set the table, he is too busy with superhero exploits to be interrupted, until she changes her wording and explains that she needs help with picking up heavy toys scattered by villains and replacing dishes cleared by dragons. Later, Oliver feels very weak when his cape is in the wash after a juice attack, but quickly recovers his abilities when it is clean and dry. Colorful half-page illustrations accompany the large-type, easy-to-read text. Children will delight in Oliver Pig's latest adventures.--Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
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PreS-Gr. 2. In his latest adventures in the Dial Easy-to-Read series, little pig Oliver receives a Mighty Pig cape for his birthday. Dressed like his favorite porcine superhero, Oliver feels tall and strong, able to fly and rescue the planet from various attackers: outer-space "googleheads," a swarm of bees, and so on. Then Oliver stains his cape with juice, and while it's in the wash, he feels "small and weak." When it's finally clean, Oliver flies off to save the world once again. There's more situation than story here, but Van Leeuwen's text is filled with lively dialogue and simple sentences that are just right for beginning readers, and many children will recognize the empowerment Oliver finds in his special object. The bright, uncluttered pictures on each page reinforce the meaning in the words and add layers of humor, particularly in scenes of Oliver's shrewd, cheerful mother as she convinces her young superhero that full trash baskets are actually menacing googleheads. An inviting choice. Gillian Engberg
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved