HOGWASH!

Farmer takes spring cleaning to the extreme in this barnyard romp.

In rollicking rhyming verse, Wilson describes how Farmer washes each horse, duck, cow, goat, cat and dog. All goes well. And then it is the hogs’ turn. Those sassy porkers board up their pen and write rude messages expressing their displeasure with having to get clean: “No hogwash / for us today. / Pigs love dirt— / so go away!” The clever farmer tries to trick those pigs, but to no avail—a shower by hose instead of a bath just makes more mud for them to wallow in. Bribing them with food fails. His last attempt involves his crop duster and some shampoo, but unfortunately, he forgets the gas. When he crashes into the muddy pigsty, readers may think he’ll explode with anger, but they are in for a surprise. With their soft lines and muted colors, McMullan’s watercolors lend the book an old-fashioned feel that is echoed in the rather elongated faces of the horses and the overall-clad, fresh-faced farmer. The characters’ comical expressions and the pigs’ feisty messages to the farmer will leave readers in stitches.

Certain partners to Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin’s Duck, these hogs (and their mud-loving message) are sure to delight.