“Emmett and Bernatene have concocted a pretty much perfect fractured fairy tale, with wry, Thurberesque prose and gorgeously funny digital drawings that both embrace and wink at the genre.
Once upon a time, an infant princess and a piglet inadvertently swap places. The princess grows up in a poor but doting family of farmers, matures into a sweet young woman, and ends up marrying a handsome shepherd and living happily ever after. The piglet grows up amid pretentious, clueless royalty and matures into an untamable pink menace that wreaks well-deserved havoc in the castle and is foisted on an unlucky prince.
And how do the grownups involved process these events? With the refrain, “It’s the sort of thing that happens all the time in books”–which proves that relying on Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, The Prince and the Pauper, Puss in Boots, and The Frog Prince for answers is not unlike using the Internet as an unimpeachable source. Just ask the stunned prince, who discovers on the final page that ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ has a whole new meaning. Ages 4–8.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – Starred Review
“It has all the ingredients of a sure-fire winner: cute little piglet, baby, princess and a knowing nod at several established fairy tales along the way. The pictures are beautiful, bold; the story is very funny and everyone ends the story happy (except maybe the rather stupid prince who marries the pig in the naive and untested hope that a kiss will turn her back into a princess). What’s not to like?”
Yvonne Coppard, CAROUSEL
“The Princess and the Pig is a story that children ages of 4–8 will delight in: both for its familiarity and its twist. Author Emmett stays true to the humorous and unique style that readers come to expect from his books. The illustrations by Poly Bernatene are amazingly detailed, with bright colors and lots of whimsy that will cause children to laugh at the trouble the pig gets into at the castle. Recommended.”
Renee Hand, NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS
“Mischief and mayhem are afoot in this subversive and witty fairy tale when a piglet and princess get accidentally swapped. Wickedly humorous, it’s especially funny when readers discover the reason for the swap: because the careless queen can’t stand the smell of the royal nappy! So the piglet (Priscilla) and princess (Pigmella) grow up in their vastly different households, creating absurd contrasts in life style, illustrated with hilarious pictures … For anyone who doesn’t fit in or any toddler who’s ever needed taming, this is the book.”
Jana Novotny Hunter, BOOK FOR KEEPS
“Bound to lure in little princess-lovers, The Princess and the Pig is a bit of sly subversion just perfect for the preschooler set. Fun and funny, beautiful and smart, read the book and fail to be charmed. Go on. I dare you.”
Elizabeth Bird, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL