The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig
Emer Stamp
Scholastic

If you didn’t read the original black and white edition of this crazy story when it was published some ten years back, then you need to know that Pig’s assertion, ‘I is 465 sunsets old’ definitely needs updating although the creature does supply a kind of get out clause in his introduction. This version has colour on every spread : I’m not sure if that makes it even sillier but it certainly makes it a whole lot brighter. Pig’s grammar hasn’t improved however.

Essentially it’s a hugely funny book written in diary form by a farmyard pig called Pig who has a best friend called Duck, another so he thinks friend, Farmer, and some dastardly enemies, the Evil Chickens. They, Duck reports, are secretly building a space rocket from a broken tractor. A trocket, so the Super Evil Chicken informs Pig and proceeds to ask the porcine diarist to fly the thing to Pluto. 

At first Pig refuses but then, having learned something horrifying about Farmer’s intentions, decides to reverse his decision and grab the chance to escape the terrible fate that otherwise awaits.

Now this machine is poo powered so rest assured there will be a fair bit of poo involved in the story, farts too, so if that bothers you and you choose not to read the book, you are missing a treat. It’s exuberant and so well imagined, Yes, the mission goes somewhat awry but all ends satisfactorily for Pig and Duck, more or less, anyhow.