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Face it, some kids are so lonely that if they had the power to concoct a buddy in a lab they'd do it in a heartbeat. Such is the fate of Dr. Smart Pig... heartbroken since his two brothers were eaten by the Big Bad Wolf a year ago. Glumly contemplating another Halloween alone, he decides to invent a fabulous, utterly wolfproof pig to keep him company. This backfires hideously. His first conco... More

Face it, some kids are so lonely that if they had the power to concoct a buddy in a lab they'd do it in a heartbeat. Such is the fate of Dr. Smart Pig... heartbroken since his two brothers were eaten by the Big Bad Wolf a year ago. Glumly contemplating another Halloween alone, he decides to invent a fabulous, utterly wolfproof pig to keep him company. This backfires hideously. His first concoction is a pig fish; his second, a pig bat. The third time's the charm, and the next time he goes into his lab, he hears actual grunting, a good sign. But what's this? "There, on the table, was the biggest pig he had ever seen." Worse yet, it is very hungry--quite piggish, actually. As news of the giant monster-pig, Porkenstein, hits the media, the Big Bad Wolf gets very excited. Posing as a trick-or-treater on Halloween night, he goes to Dr. Smart Pig's house and knocks on the door. Porkenstein eats him, and everyone lives happily ever after. First-time picture-book illustrator David Jarvis succeeds in making veteran author Kathryn Lasky's silly story seem both mad-scientisty and friendly at the same time, infusing many comical details and unusual perspectives to keep things interesting. While not the best guidebook on how to make friends (make them in a lab? eat your friend's enemies?), Porkenstein is sure to amuse youngsters who prefer a not-too-scary Halloween tale. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

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