The Horn Book Guide

EASY READERS

Santat, Dan , Willems, Mo

Harold & Hog Pretend for Real!

64 pp. | Hyperion | May, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-1-368-02716-8 $9.99

(2) K-3 Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. In this metafictional easy reader, pachyderm Harold suggests to his porcine friend Hog that they pretend to be Gerald and Piggie. He pops an over-snout pig nose on Hog while he tries to act like Gerald--the joke being that exuberant Harold is as un-Gerald-like as they come, and that skeptical Hog is nothing like Piggie. Amidst the riotousness are welcome messages about appearances, behavior, relationships, and expectations.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019