Goodnight, Sweet Pig.

Linda Ludke is a children’s librarian at the London Public Library.

In this clever counting book, Hamlette, a wee piglet, is having trouble sleeping. As soon as she plumps her pillows and starts envisioning sheep, she is roused by a motley group of visitors. Pig number two bustles in with a plate of buttered toast and pig number three prepares to “watch TV and paint her trotters.” More porcine distractions arrive, including a boar who juggles plums, a Spanish dancer, and a Bengal Lancer. By the time the basketball team arrives, Hamlette’s bedroom is in a state of chaos. The weary little pig starts to cry, and asks them all, “in the sweetest way, if they would kindly … go away.” Counting back down, the swine clean up the mess, then tuck Hamlette into bed and sing her a lullaby until she closes her eyes.

Josee Masse’s acrylic paintings capture the mounting mayhem of the rhyming text. Each page contains many funny dramas: a tiara-wearing pig in a bridal gown steps in a layered cake while a musical pig plays his drum set in the middle of the overcrowded bed. Children can also search the busy scenes for numbers appearing on the pigs’ shirts, jewellery, and hats. Highly recommended.