Paulina: The Story of an Almost Unlucky Pig Text by Hans Limmer and David Crossley - ESSENTIAL

Paulina: The Story of an Almost Unlucky Pig by Hans Limmer, Photographs by David Crossley. PICTURE BOOK Greystone Kids/Greystone Books Ltd. 2013, Translation Copyright 2022. $18. 9781771647885 

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL - HIGH 

Little Angela is out playing in the field when she meets the little pig, Paulina. Being a wise little girl, she knows Paulina is her Forever Friend and takes her home. They are inseparable until the farmer who lost Paulina finds her new home and plans to take her away. Angela decides, with the help of other animal friends, to run away with Paulina and keep her safe. 

The photographs in this book are charming. The setting is a 1969 rural village in Greece which is just enough different from our dress and homes to feel like a different world. Limmer creates a sassy little character in Angela who knows her own mind and those of her animal friends as well. Children will cheer for her victory in saving her Forever Friend. No location information is presented in the story; it is all in the author's notes at the end. This book was first printed in 1970 in Germany. It was reprinted in 2013 and then translated into English in 2022. It is a treasure from the past. 

J. Smith, Teacher Librarian