Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan

Starred review from May 15, 2012
If Amelia Bedelia and Mary Poppins raised a piglet, Nanny Piggins...could surely beat that pig in a cake-eating contest. Australia's favorite porcine childcare worker returns in a new collection of adventures sure to entertain and possibly inspire envy in readers who'll wish she were their nanny. In the first tale, Nanny Piggins, former circus performer and abject worshipper of cake, and her charges, the three Green children (not to mention Nanny's brother, the dancing bear Boris), thwart the wicked plan of Mr. Green, penny-pinching tax attorney and father of the kids, to find a wife who'll do Nanny's job for free. Nanny does jury duty, and the jurors fall so deeply in love with her baking they conspire to lengthen the trial by never agreeing. She turns a game of pirates into a tunnel to China (to sample authentic Chinese food) only to end up breaking into a men's prison...even that doesn't end where one would expect. She fends off egotistical armadillos, gypsy queens and Buzzy Bee cookie salesgirls while making sure the children don't spend too much time in school. Santat's energetic, expressive and silly line drawings are the delectable icing on this confection. Feisty, funny Nanny Piggins and her adoring charges will charm readers and listeners stateside, who'll be overjoyed there are five additional volumes already out Down Under. (Humor. 7-10)

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July 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-Nanny Piggins is back, and the Green children are in for even zanier adventures this second time around. With the threat of their widowed father trying to find a new wife who will babysit his kids and keep his house clean for free, the porker and her charges have to come up with ways to prevent him from carrying out his wicked plot. To make things more interesting and complex, they encounter an armadillo that challenges Nanny's record for flying out of a cannon; lots of people wanting Nanny's tasty, healing cake; and lots more high jinks filled with chocolate. Although each chapter is a story in itself, together they create an amazing world. The humorous plot is well developed and entertaining. The charming, full-page illustrations complement the narrative well. Chapter titles such as "Nanny Piggins and the Tunnel to China" and "The Duel at Dead Man's Gorge" are great teasers for keeping readers turning the pages. Reluctant and avid readers alike will get caught up in the adventures in this "Mary Poppins"-esque series for a new generation.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Library, Murray, UT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2012
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Nanny Piggins returns and more hilarity ensues. Nanny takes care of Derrick, Samantha, and Michael Green, all of whom spend much of their time avoiding the boorish and parsimonious Mr. Green. That's not always possible here because he is looking for a wife, an endeavor that must be thwarted at all costs. But that's not Nanny's only task. She has to dig a hole to China, get blown out of cannon, and report for jury duty. Somehow all of these adventures are smeared with plenty of chocolate, Nanny's favorite food. As in Nanny's introduction, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins (Booklist's 2010 Top of the List choice for youth fiction), the action is nonstop and the silliness never ending, though there are words of wisdom here as well: Schools are cruel, illogical, and unfair. But the thing is, life is cruel, illogical, and unfair. That is why the education system works so well . . . better to disappoint children when they're young. As much fun for reading aloud as reading alone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2013
In this sequel to [cf2]The Adventures of Nanny Piggins[cf1], the chocolate-loving pig and her charges, the Green children, must stop Mr. Green from finding a wife and firing Nanny. Humorous antics ensue, including competing in the Westminster Nanny Show and a duel with a gypsy queen. The vignette-like chapters and absurd adventures will please fans; Santat's black-and-white captioned drawings showcase the mayhem.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)