CORNELIUS P. MUD, ARE YOU READY FOR SCHOOL?

Cornelius, the irrepressible pig, is often upside down. In his world, everything is a little bit of chaos and a lot of fun. When his mother asks, “Are you up?,” his resounding “Yes!” floats about with Cornelius, who is pictured head-over-heels above the floor with his feet attached to a bouquet of balloons. To every question his mother poses about his progress through the morning routine, he answers with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” Cornelius’s interpretation of these questions is pure childhood fancy. When he answers that he has indeed eaten, the cheery painting shows that his idea of breakfast is frothy-blue cotton-candy. But when Mom queries, “Are you ready for school?,” suddenly Cornelius is of a different mind. “No!” he shouts. Why the change of attitude? The answer is pure hog heaven. Every page leaps with mirthful illustrations done in pencil and acrylic depicting Cornelius’s remarkable idea of morning preparation. This morning story joins its opposite Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? (2005) and perfectly captures the effervescence of childhood imagination. (Picture book. 2-5)