The Adventures of Nanny Piggins

June 15, 2010
Widower Mr. Green's a lawyer who helps the rich avoid taxes. He hates to part with money as much as they do. When petite and porcine Sarah Piggins presents herself as nanny in answer to Green's yard sign, he hires her on the spot. She's never been a nanny, but after years as a circus flying pig, she feels nannying can't be harder than being blasted out of a cannon. The three Green children, all good if slightly shy, quickly fall under Nanny Piggins's perky, lunatic spell. They spend school-supply money on a day at the amusement park. They catch a notorious doorknob thief. They even welcome Nanny's brother Boris, a dancing bear, to the family, and of course, they eat lots and lots of cake. Australian TV writer Spratt's Mary Poppins–cum–Paddington Bear with a sprinkling of Snickettian humor makes for a terrific read aloud. Each chapter's a sitcom episode of delicious mayhem. Santat's spot and full-page black-and-white illustrations are a nice pairing. Readers will demand swift release of the two sequels already out Down Under. (Animal fantasy. 7-12)

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August 1, 2010

Gr 4-6-Mr. Green is a major cheapskate and has little interest in his three motherless children. His recent nanny left and he needs to hire a new one, but he refuses to pay for an ad in the newspaper. Instead he sticks a "Nanny Wanted" sign in his window. When a former circus pig offers to take the job for 10 cents per hour, the offer is too good for the miserly man to pass up. There's never a dull day, however, when Nanny Piggins is around. School clothes shopping becomes a contest to see who can spend the least, a business gathering turns into a dance party, chocolate becomes a main course, and robbers are reformed. Each chapter is a story in itself, but together they create an amazing world with the energetic porcine leading the way. The plot is well developed and the characters are entertaining. Spot art lends atmosphere and captures the personalities, and the chapter titles are great teasers for keeping the pages turning. Reluctant and avid readers alike will get caught up in this book's humor, charm, and adventure.-Kira Moody, Hunter Public Library, West Valley City, UT

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2010
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Mary Poppins, move overor get shoved out of the way. Nanny Piggins has arrived. Most recently employed at the circus as the pig shot out of a cannon, she assumes the title Nanny when she spies a Help Wanted sign on the lawn of the Green family. Mrs. Green is dead, and Mr. Green is so tightfisted he refuses to pay a human nanny. So when a pig applies . . . . But as the three Green children soon realize, Nanny Piggins is a jewel. Extraordinarily clever, she knows when to morph that quality into deviousness, which certainly becomes necessary when dealing with the dull, pompous Mr. Green. The childrenDerrick, Samantha, and Michaelpromptly fall in love with Nanny Piggins because she lets them eat sweets all day and comes up with the most marvelous ideas, like taking a boat to China to get Chinese takeout. Even when things dont exactly work out as planned (and they rarely do), the high jinks and hilarity make them excellent adventures. Stuffing adjectives into this review is as easy as watching Nanny Piggins stuff pies into her mouth. This is smart, sly, funny, and marvelously illustrated with drawings that capture Nannys sheer pigginess. Readers may worry that this first novel is so full of stories about Nanny Piggins there wont be enough left for sequels. Never fear. The last line of the book predicts Nanny will be stirring up more adventures, possibly even before breakfast.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)