Piggypine

by Richard T. Morris, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Overview

A feisty narrator and a determined pig—porcupine critter argue over whether this is Piggypine’s story in this rambunctious meta picture book about being yourself and seeing people for who they are, not who they’re not.

Half pig, half porcupine, Piggypine is looking for his story. Could this be it? The narrator sure doesn’t think so! Just look at Piggypine—he’s kind of a disaster. He’s terrible at running. His spelling is even worse. And his favorite snack is a paper towel smeared with honey! Not to mention, this story is about dogs, and Piggypine is most certainly not a dog.

But Piggypine is determined to stay, and as hijinks ensue, it seems like Piggypine’s story is coming to an end before it even begins. Or is it?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665925303
Publisher:	Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date:	10/28/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Richard Morris is the author of many children’s picture books, including Bear Came Along (a Caldecott Honoree), This Is a Moose, Sheep 101, Fear the Bunny, Stopping by Jungle on a Snowy Evening, and Piggypine. He is an E. B. White Read—Aloud Award honoree and a Midwest Booksellers Choice Award winner. He lives with his family in New Jersey.

Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal. He gathers inspiration from his childhood memories and curiosities he discovers in his everyday travels. He has illustrated several picture books, including The Snurtch, I Don’t Like Koala, Finding Muchness, and Ida, Always. Charles also works as a visual development artist, creating illustrations for feature film projects. He lives and works in Singapore. You can visit him at CharlesSantoso.com.

Editorial Reviews

2025-05-30
Piggypine is definitely not invited to be part of this story.

Someone drew poor Piggypine—who’s part porcupine and part pig—on a scrap of paper and shoved him inside a book that isn’t even about him. It’s supposed to be about a pale-skinned, pigtailed young girl named Ruby and her search for a pet dog. But roly-poly Piggypine likes this new story and demands to be included, much to the unseen narrator’s dismay. The story of Ruby and the dog goes off the rails as Piggypine makes a case for why he deserves to be in this tale. He can spell the wordcat—“W-A-F-F-L-E!” His favorite food is paper towels soaked in honey! He can fly…well, not quite. Just when it seems like there really is no place for Piggypine, Ruby decides that instead of a dog, she wants a pet piggypine. This laugh-out-loud interactive picture book consists of several voices—those of Piggypine, the narrator (who relates Ruby’s story while also pausing to interact with Piggypine), and Ruby—all identifiable by different type styles and careful text placement. Digital illustrations with a sketched colored pencil feel rely on a spare layout that leaves room for sweet, chubby-cheeked Piggypine to shine without creating confusion among the alternating voices.

Half pig, half porcupine, and all personality—this prickly protagonist is sure to become a storytime star.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews