Lady Lollipop

by Dick King-Smith, Jill Barton (Illustrator)

Overview

"The author of Babe, the Gallant Pig offers another winner with this tale of a bright pig and her canny young keeper ‘training’ a spoiled princess. . . . Move over, Wilbur." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Lollipop is no ordinary pig. According to her young trainer, Johnny Skinner, she’s the smartest pig in the entire kingdom. When people stare into Lollipop’s bright, intelligent eyes, it somehow changes them for the better. But can Lollipop win over the spoiled Princess Penelope — and her not-so-pig-friendly parents, the King and Queen? With humorous black-and-white illustrations by Jill Barton, Dick King-Smith’s tale about a special pig — and some memorable humans, too — will delight his legions of loyal fans!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763621810
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	07/14/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	605,081
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

 

Editorial Reviews

A rude young princess who insists on a pig for her eighth birthday learns a few lessons about manners and friendship as she helps to train her new pet, Lollipop. PW called this early chapter book a "sprightly confection that dresses up a familiar plot with amusing, old-fashioned storytelling." Ages 7-10. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-4-Spoiled Princess Penelope's parents give her the pig she demands as a present for her eighth birthday. And, luckily enough for the child and her royal but ineffective parents, the endearing animal is accompanied by young Johnny Skinner, an amiable pig-keeper determined to teach the family something about manners and good sense. King-Smith's abundant affection for pigs and sure hand with dialogue keep the story buoyant, and the happy ending is never in doubt. Lollipop adapts to palace life quite quickly, thanks to Johnny's good training, and she even has a flap in the palace door so that she can get out as necessity dictates. Barton's pencil illustrations are charming and recall Ernest H. Shepard's various royal personages in A. A. Milne's Now We Are Six. The king's befuddled face and Penelope's stormy looks are delightful. Lollipop is shown with a sweetly confident expression as she goes about her pig activities, including happily depositing a bit of fertilizer on the queen's roses. The cover is inviting, and the book is handsomely designed with an open and readable typeface. An appealing read-aloud for younger children and a satisfying chapter book for those a little older.-Kathie Meizner, Montgomery County Public Libraries, Chevy Chase, MD Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

The author of Babe, the Gallant Pig (1985) offers another winner with this tale of a bright pig and her canny young keeper "training" a spoiled princess. When Princess Penelope demands a pig for her eighth birthday, her over-indulgent father requires every pig keeper in the country to assemble with a likely porcine candidate. The princess settles on Lollipop, who turns out to be the sole possession of penniless orphan Johnny Skinner. As only Johnny can get Lollipop to sit, roll over, or poop outdoors, soon lad and pig are comfortably ensconced together in a royal stall-at least until the pig can be persuaded to respond to the Princess's commands. It's only the beginning of a meteoric rise for Johnny, and for Lollipop too, as the two conspire to teach the princess civilized manners, and end up great favorites of the entire royal family. Barton (Rattletrap Car, p. 504, etc.) captures Penelope's fuming, bratty character perfectly in a generous array of line drawings, and gives Lollipop an expression of affectionate amusement that will win over readers as effortlessly as it wins over the princess and her parents. Move over, Wilbur. (Fiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews