Piggy

by Trevor Lai

Overview

An irresistibly adorable debut picture book with audio about a lonely little piglet who makes his first friend--perfect for anyone who has felt the joy of new friendships.

Piggy loves books so much that he never has time for friends. But his favorite story has always been about two friends and the special times they share together.

One day, Piggy sees a girl reading alone. And he wonders, perhaps, if they could be best friends? Try as Piggy might--in increasingly spectacular ways--the girl just doesn't notice him. Will Piggy ever be able to tell her how he truly feels?

From the mind of Trevor Lai, an internationally renowned creator and animation entrepreneur, comes the lovable Piggy in an incredibly cute story about the wonder of new friendship that is sure to win your heart!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681190662
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/20/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

TREVOR LAI was raised in Vancouver, Canada, where he wrote, illustrated, and published his first children's book at the age of 17. He is the founder of UP Studios, touted as one of Asia's hottest studios creating original animated content, character franchises, and innovative media products for the global market. Trevor's studio also created the BOOMi Camera mobile app that lets fans add 3-D Piggy animations to videos and photos. More than 65 million Piggy chat emoticons have been downloaded to date.
www.trevorlai.com
TREVOR LAI was raised in Vancouver, Canada, where he wrote, illustrated, and published his first children's book at the age of 17. He is the founder of UP Studios, touted as one of Asia's hottest studios creating original animated content, character franchises, and innovative media products for the global market. Trevor's studio also created the BOOMi Camera mobile app that lets fans add 3-D Piggy animations to videos and photos. More than 65 million Piggy chat emoticons have been downloaded to date.
www.trevorlai.com

Editorial Reviews

10/10/2016
An insatiable reader, Piggy spends his days poring over books in his personal library at the expense of making real-life friends. After Piggy finds himself with just one book left to read, he decides that he “should save this happy ending.” Wearing overalls and red eyeglasses as large as his head, the ingenuous piglet ventures outside and comes across a cat reading in a tree swing. Recognizing her as a potential friend, Piggy tries to catch her attention—even flying loop-the-loops in his open-cockpit plane—but the cat’s eyes never leave her book until Piggy simply introduces himself and shares his remaining book with her. Lai (Tomo Explores the World) gives Piggy a good amount of personality in his brassy cartoons (the character also features in digital animations created by Lai’s company, Up Studios), but the overall story is predictable and somewhat cloying. In the oddest moment, Piggy gives the cat, Kate, a pair of glasses that match his because she “couldn’t see the words in Piggy’s book clearly”—a strange revelation considering she has spent the entire book reading intently. Ages 3–6. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"Lai . . . gives Piggy a good amount of personality in his brassy cartoons." - Publishers Weekly

"The illustrations—rendered in pencil and watercolor, then digitally finished—are well-done, and the characters really are adorable. . . . This tale of an endearing pig will catch the attention of young readers." - School Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—This spectacle-wearing porcine protagonist is an avid reader. Piggy has been so busy reading about friendships, he's forgotten to make any of his own. He tries to catch the attention of a cat whose nose is also constantly in a book. He uses flowers, bubbles, airplane messages, and more, but nothing seems to distract the reading feline. Finally, he realizes sharing a book with a fellow bookworm may be the best way to win over this new friend. The idea is successful, and the two go on to read and play together—matching glasses and all. The illustrations—rendered in pencil and watercolor, then digitally finished—are well-done, and the characters really are adorable. The slightly disjointed story and choppy text don't rise to the bar set by the accompanying pictures; however, that may not matter. The book jacket states that Piggy is already the animated star of his own app, and has been downloaded more than 65 million times as an emoticon. He may have a devoted audience regardless of how his picture book reads. VERDICT This tale of an endearing pig will catch the attention of young readers and is recommended for general purchase.—Lindsay Jensen, Nashville Public Library

School Library Journal

2016-07-26
Into the crowded field of porcine protagonists comes Piggy, a friendless pig who loves to read.Piggy has been too busy reading all his life to make real friends. When he’s down to his last book, he decides to save it. Then he grabs the first toy he comes upon—a kite—and heads out to fly it. He crashes his kite, but he sees a cat sitting on a swing, nose in a book. He decides to make her his friend. First he tries to get her attention with giant soap bubbles and gets literally carried away in a bubble. Then he tries flying his airplane overhead, trailing a friendly banner; she doesn’t notice. However inventive he gets, the cat continues to read. Then Piggy gets an idea: friends in his books share what they love with each other. He gives the cat, Kate, his last book. She’s overjoyed to get it, but she needs glasses like Piggy’s to read it—happily, he’s got a pair. (At this point readers will wonder how she was reading the book that so fascinated her in the preceding pages.) Entrepreneur and digital artist Lai’s traditional publishing debut has great intentions but not a lot of personality. Piggy trots well-tread ground in the digitally finished watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, which are bright but spare and uninteresting. Rather than a developed character, he resembles an emoji given a bland and illogical tale to inhabit. Pass on this porky paean to friendship; stick with Piggie with a side of Elephant. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Review