Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig

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by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Easy Reader. 70 pages. Grades K-4.
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Review

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The author of such substantial novels as the Newbery Award winning The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie (More info) has turned her sure hand to lighter fare in this series of easy readers. It's always great to have another fresh voice in the genre.

This is the fifth book about the pig, Mercy Watson. The text is rich with judiciously sprinkled juicy words like "unmentionable" and "éclairs" and "gracious".

The text is very playful and light and the illustrations are vibrant and exuberant. They overflow the pages with their rounded shapes and glossy texture--like rainbow bubbles.

The pig is only partly anthropomorphized as the beloved pet of Mr. and Mrs. Watson and most of the other characters are human. In this installment Mercy's neighbors--the elderly women, named Eugenia and Baby, have decided to beautify their yard by planting pansies all around, which Mercy finds delicious.

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