PIGASUS

The walrus in Through the Looking Glass may not have decided whether pigs have wings, but Murphy—in her first picture book— has. Her creation is Pigasus, a charmingly imagined pig in Percy's soft watercolors. Pigasus eschews her mother's tail-curling lessons for barrel rolls, somersaults, and high-speed dives taught to her by a neighboring pigeon. Her mother worries for her future, however, until Pigasus makes a daring rescue of her mother's gold ring. This otherwise simple barnyard story takes a leap of faith with its inclusion of pirates, but is saved by the strength of its illustrations. A silly, fun book for children. (Picture book. 4-8)