This was a sweet and funny read. I like the technique DiCamillo used of letting the reader know things the characters don’t know (e.g., that Mercy is off in search of snacks, not help), which lets us be in on the joke and makes us feel almost like accomplices in the story. ( )

Reason for Reading: I was waiting until my son could read this series on his own but he's not there yet and if we wait any longer the stories will be too young for him. I have the newest book (#6) to review, so I thought we might as well start the series now from the beginning as a read aloud.

Comments: Mercy is the pet pig of the Watson's and they treat her just as if she was their child. One night as they are all sleeping in bed together, (Mercy is afraid of the dark) the bed starts to fall through the floor. The Watson's are stranded on the bed as it slowly sinks through the floor. Mercy jumps out of bed looking for her breakfast (or maybe to get help?) causing a rumpus as she goes and eventually the fire department is called out.

A delightful story! Really, I expected this to be fun but Mercy more than met my expectations. A really cute, funny story for up to about age 8 or 9. Perfect for children who can read but still need colourful pictures. The illustrations are wonderful! My son was especially taken by the facial expressions and laughed away with the story. My favourite character was Eugenia Lincoln, one of the elderly ladies who live next door, she believes pigs belong on farms. Ds liked her sister Baby Lincoln, simply because he couldn't get over the fact that an old lady was named Baby! Lots of fun. Don't let your kid's miss out on this series. ( )

450L,GL 2.3,GRL K,AR 2.7,15 copies

450L,GL 2.3,GRL K,AR 2.7,15 copies

450L,GL 2.3,GRL K,AR 2.7,15 copies