Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (Mercy Watson Series #5)

by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

There's no pig like Mercy Watson, for better and worse. Now that she's in trouble with animal control, she has to face the big question — was the snack worth it?

A Wall Street Journal 20 Best Children’s Books of the Past 20 Years Selection

Can Mercy Watson outwit Animal Control? The porcine wonder’s on the lam in her latest tongue-in-snout adventure!

Mercy's appetite has got her into trouble again. When Eugenia Lincoln's pansies go missing, Animal Control Officer Francine Poulet arrives on the scene. But as she soon discovers, not just anyone can think like a pig. Especially when that pig is porcine wonder Mercy Watson!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763632656
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	07/08/2008
Series:	Mercy Watson Series , #5
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	6.62(w) x 8.58(h) x 0.47(d)
Lexile:	380L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo is the beloved author of many books for young readers, including the Orris and Timble, Mercy Watson, and Tales from Mercy Watson’s Deckawoo Drive series. Her books Flora & Ulysses and The Tale of Despereaux both received Newbery Medals. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she lives in Minneapolis.

Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of many books for young readers, including The Circus Ship and Big Truck, Little Island, and the illustrator of the Mercy Watson and Deckawoo Drive series. He lives in Maine.

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date of Birth:

March 25, 1964

Place of Birth:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Education:

B.A. in English, University of Florida at Gainesville, 1987

Editorial Reviews

Shiny, stylized artwork captures all the fun of Mercy’s capers.
—Booklist

Fans of the series will welcome this addition to Mercy’s adventures.
—School Library Journal

As always, Mercy is a blue ribbon winner. The characters are hilarious, partly because they are so true to life. Illustrator Chris Van Dusen's pictures add to the story (Francine Poulet's license plate reads "CLUCK"; Mercy's bowl of lemonade is garnished with a slice of lemon). Young fans no doubt already find themselves craving a new Mercy story in much the same way that the porcine wonder pines for hot crunchy toast dripping with butter.
—Kidsreads.com

Mercy Watson fans will surely love this deliciously, ridiculously funny story…Chris Van Dusen has produced delightful illustrations that perfectly compliment Kate DiCamillo’s prose.
—Looking Glass Review

Funny, giggly, and silly…hilarious, bold, brightly colored illustrations that almost glow.
—Record-Courrier (Ravenna, Ohio)

From the Publisher

Mercy Watson, beloved porcine wonder, meets Francine Poulet, "the best animal control officer in the history of the world." When Mercy discovers freshly planted pansies next door, what can she do but eat them? Never mind that the pansies belong to the next-door neighbors, pig-loving Baby and her pig-hating sister, Eugenia. When the furious Eugenia sees the incriminating pansy petals on Mercy's chin, her anger gets the best of her and she reports Mercy to Animal Control. The officer, beak-nosed Poulet, is energized by the challenge of adding a new animal to her life capture list. DiCamillo's comic timing coupled with Van Dusen's familiar, over-the-top gouache depictions of the emotional Mercy and her caring, buttered-toast-bearing "parents" make this a welcome addition to the popular series. Fifteen very short action-packed chapters make this a fine step up for readers ready for a slightly more challenging read than Henry and Mudge. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews