How Tickles Saved Pickles

August 15, 2018
When a miniature pig named Pickles needs a blood transfusion, his owners purchase a full-size pig that then needs to find a permanent home. In this story based on true events, Pickles narrates his own story of adoption into a family where he is a pampered pet. He learns to play with friendly dogs and how to surf, jump over a barricade, and paint his own pictures. Then one day he gets very sick and needs a blood transfusion. His family purchases a pig for the blood supply and Pickles is saved, but the new, 650 pound pig, named Tickles, needs somewhere to live. The family finds Tickles a permanent home on a farm, where she is visited by Pickles and her family's new pet, a puppy named Dill. (Dill, Pickles, get it?) The story is illustrated with photographs of the undeniably charming little pig, who has a snout that is half pink and half black. The big pig is also appealing in her own way, especially in several photographs at her new home on the farm. The concept of a blood transfusion from one pig to another may be over the heads of the intended audience, but the idea of a pet pig in the house will probably appeal to most preschoolers, if not their parents. An author's note explains the circumstances of the little pig's illness and his treatment. This sweet story of Pickles won't tickle everyone's fancy, but overall it's an amusing if lightweight story about an unusual type of pet. (Picture book. 3-6)

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September 3, 2018
In an uplifting underdog (underpig?) story, piglet Pickles is the last of his siblings to be adopted. After finding a forever home, Pickles makes dog friends and even learns how to paint and surf—moments captured in bright, endearing photographs. But when the black-and-white pig eats “something I shouldn’t have eaten” (rat poison, according to the back matter), he requires a blood transfusion. Enter Tickles: a 650 lb. hog whose blood donation saves Pickles’s life. Pickles wishes for a home for Tickles as well (if she were to stay, “She wouldn’t fit in my bathtub. She wouldn’t fit at our table”). Finally, Pickles explains, his parents find a friendly farm for Tickles to live—and where Pickles (as well as his new brother, a French bulldog puppy named Dill) can visit anytime. Johnson’s narrative is uncomplicated and earnest; animal lovers will be particularly touched by Pickles’s relationships with other animal friends. Ages 4–8.

October 1, 2018

Gr 3-5-Pickles the pig used to live in a cold, damp barn before his human parents rescued him and made him their beloved pet. One day, he gets very sick and needs a blood transfusion, so his parents jump into action to find a suitable donor. They locate a match in Tickles, a 650-pound porker from a far-away farm, and with her assistance, Pickles becomes a healthy, peppy piglet once more. Pickle's parents also help find Tickles a spacious new forever home on a farm where she can live out her days as happy as Pickles. Full-bleed photos featuring the two lovable pigs and their creature companions are sure to delight young animal lovers, while the medical aspects of Pickles's journey will appeal to those with a budding interest in veterinary science. Concise and snappy text makes this an excellent read-aloud that successfully translates a complex problem for young listeners. While the story is sweet, it does lack the emotional punch of similar tales like Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Paula Kahumbu's Owen & Mzee. VERDICT Purchase where true animal friendship stories and photographic picture books are popular.-Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

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