Julius

March 1, 1993
In this exuberant celebration of love and sharing, Maya is given an Alaskan pig and learns that friendship is a two-way street. Johnson's humorous, upbeat text rings with its own rhythm as it introduces Julius, a pig with a fondness for old movies, trying on clothes (``anything blue and stretchy'') and eating peanut butter ``from the jar, without getting any on the ceiling.'' As Maya shares Julius's version of fun and games, so the clever porker learns from Maya ``that even though he was a pig he didn't have to act like he lived in a barn.'' Pilkey's ( When Cats Dream ) illustrations are a felicitous departure for this gifted artist. Painted in blocks of fluorescent color, his paintings zing with the joy of living and perfectly capture the book's infectious carnival spirit. A small but enchanting detail is his assortment of patchwork squares, decorated with patterns and posies, which appears as wallpaper and frames several scenes. Jubilant and subtly instructive. Ages 3-6.

December 1, 2023

PreS-K-Jeff Mack, Mo Willems, and others have gone this route: presenting a story that makes no sense but has so much humor and heart that readers will love it anyway. Maya's grandfather, who splits his time between Alabama and Alaska, has a gift for Maya. A large pink pig, perhaps four times her size, named Julius, becomes her best friend and mentor, and she becomes his. Pilkey has a riot building the scenes of Maya's unpleasantly grim parents, who dislike Julius and his coffee-guzzling dribbling, and the joy of Julius, galloping down the road like the pony Maya always wanted. Every scene of them is a portrait of a mutual admiration society in a growth spurt, even as Maya makes Julius develop manners, and Julius makes Maya aware of how much fun it is "trying on hats and dancing to jazz records" with friends her own size and age. Whether this is an imaginary friend or a real pet, or any version of those, the team of Maya and Julius know how to be friends, rubbing off each other's rough edges. VERDICT Color-drenched acrylic paintings and outsized proportions provide humor and affection in equal doses. Readers will want to settle in for a second read.-Kimberly Olson Fakih

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
Only-child Maya, a young Black girl, receives a present from her granddaddy: an unruly and very large pink pig named Julius to be her companion. Julius creates chaos in the household but also brings a riot of fun and joy to Maya's life. Exuberant, boldly colored, and inventive illustrations in acrylic, watercolor, fabric, instant coffee (see "inventive"), crayon, and India ink use a variety of purposely unsettling perspectives while always centering Maya and Julius's experiences. A reissue of a 1993 picture book with an unexpected but winning author/illustrator pairing. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Only-child Maya, a young Black girl, receives a present from her granddaddy: an un-ruly and very large pink pig named Julius to be her companion. Julius creates chaos in the household but also brings a riot of fun and joy to Maya's life. Exuberant, boldly colored, and inventive illustrations in acrylic, watercolor, fabric, instant coffee (see "inventive"), crayon, and India ink use a variety of purposely unsettling perspectives while always centering Maya and Julius's experiences. A reissue of a 1993 picture book with an unexpected but winning author/illustrator pairing.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)