The Pig Who Ran a Red Light

After her pig George gets a ticket while driving her pick-up truck, Miss Rosemary uses his habit of imitating Gertrude the cow to get him to behave as he should

This be-yourself tall tale shows how a barnyard animal resolves his identity crisis. Impressionistic illustrations, composed of multicolored squiggles and daubs of watercolor, set the scene at a sun-dappled farmhouse with leafy summertime trees and purple hills in the distance. Here lives George the pig, a friend of Gertrude the flying cow, star of Johnson's The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down. Gertrude effortlessly soars through the air, plays the piano and drives a tractor. George's attempts to do likewise meet with less success, as the title indicates. Grandmotherly Miss Rosemary, the farm's spry, white-haired overseer, tries to discourage George ("Just because Gertrude is a silly nincompoop, doesn't mean you have to be one too") and finally has a "long talk" with the gambolling cow. The next day, Gertrude snorts and wallows in the mud, showing George how much fun it is to be a pig. Johnson, who styles the characters as a close-knit family, restores George's piggishness. Yet the author doesn't question Gertrude's mixed messageAbeing bovine isn't good enough for her. The cow prodigy does as she wishes, which will likely strike a chord of recognition for those who live in the shadow of accomplished older siblings. Nevertheless, Johnson tries to suggest that the pig has enviable qualities, too, and humorously concludes the book with a goose aping George by practicing her "oink, oink." Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Poor Miss Rosemary. Inspired by the example of Gertrude, The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (1993), George the pig is trying to fly, play music, and drive. The results are uniformly disastrous: ``It's a known fact pigs don't drive,'' scolds Miss Rosemary after the inevitable crash. The animals are as expressive as the people in Johnson's tidy, clean-lined country scenes; George's cheery confidence comes through as clearly as the local sheriff's irritation does. At last Miss Rosemary and Gertrude put their heads together, drawing up a successful scheme to get George to behave like a perfect pigjust as Magnolia the goose decides to burst into oinks. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Miss Rosemary's pig, George, has taken to mimicking the antics of Gertrude the cow, causing considerable problems. But Miss Rosemary has a plan. She has a long talk with Gertrude, who suddenly begins acting like a pig, oinking, snorting, and even wallowing happily in the mud. George is puzzled at first, but soon he is wallowing like an old pro. Miss Rosemary is quite pleased with herself--until Magnolia the goose begins oinking. Johnson's animated illustrations are wonderfully expressive and filled with zany animal antics, making them a perfect complement to the slapstick humor of the story. Some youngsters will remember Gertrude from Johnson's wacky, well-received debut The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (1993), which can be paired with this book for a fun-filled story time. Lauren Peterson