Pig the Winner

Pig is a Pug, and, according to the American Kennel Club website: “Once the mischievous companion of Chinese emperors, and later the mascot of Holland's royal House of Orange, the small but solid Pug is today adored by his millions of fans around the world. Pugs live to love and to be loved in return. The Pug's motto is the Latin phrase 'multum in parvo' (a lot in a little), an apt description of this small but muscular breed.” The book’s central character is truly “a lot in a little”, as has been displayed in other books in the “Pig the Pug” series, including Pig the Stinker, Pig the Tourist and Pig the Monster.

In Pig the Winner, readers learn that, for Pig, winning, not just having fun, is everything, even if his wins are the result of cheating or whining about a loss until he gets his winning way. And Pig’s not content with simply being a winner, but he instead flaunts his wins, whether earned or not. Additionally, Pig sees virtually everything as having the potential to be a possible competition, including everyday happenings, such as eating a meal.

So one night at supper,
Pig shouted with glee,
“Who can eat faster?
I bet that it’s me!”

That Trevor, Pig’s companion and a dachshund, does not want to engage in such a race is immaterial to Pig who shouts, “GO!”, and immediately begins wolfing down his bowl of food. However, in Pig’s haste to win, he gets his large food bowl wedged in his mouth, and Trevor has to utilize the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the bowl which flies up into the air. Instead of thanking Trevor for having possibly saved his life, the victory-focused Pig shouts, “I WIN!” Pig’s gloating is short-lived, however, as the now descending bowl knocks Pig into a large garbage can. At this point, Blabey’s plot gets somewhat muddied as the next time readers see Pig, he appears to have undergone a significant transformation.

These day’s it’s different,
I’m happy to say.
Pig’s not the winner
each time that they play.

He plays to have fun,
and his tantrums have ceased.
Yes, Trevor can win now!

Readers are left to draw their own conclusions about how Pig’s being dumped into a garbage can somehow led to his behavioral change. And, lest readers think that Pig has totally reformed, the book has one last line of text, “Well, sometimes, at least.” Accompanying these words is an illustration showing the canine pair playing cards with Pig holding a hand of four aces while, behind his back, his other hand holds an additional three aces.

Blabey’s text, with its abcb rhyming scheme, reads smoothly, and his cartoon-style illustrations are delightfully amusing while also effectively conveying the characters’ emotional states.

The reservations I have about this book relate to its physical format which signals a very young audience. Scholastic’s website identifies the board book’s audience as being 0-3; however, the title was previously published in both hardcover and paperback formats with a publisher’s suggested audience of ages 4-7. The content remains the same in all three formats. Among my concerns, I wonder how many toddlers would relate to the book’s fair play theme or get the meaning of the closing card game illustration. Pig the Winner is a fun read with a worthy message, but it’s a story that can wait for an older audience.