PreS-Gr 2-Another rollicking adventure starring the porcine wonder. One night, Mercy awakes to the sound of the toaster scraping along the kitchen counter, which can only mean one thing-someone is making toast. Her life revolves around hot buttered toast, so she heads for the kitchen. There she finds a little man in a ten-gallon hat stealing the toaster along with other household items. Hilarity ensues, and all of the familiar characters from the previous books make appearances. Humor abounds in this tale, both the slapstick and more subtle variety, which will keep newly independent readers turning the pages. DiCamillo has creatively woven in the elements that a good easy reader should have: repetition, simple sentence structure, and controlled vocabulary. Van Dusen's stylized illustrations enhance the action through their bright colors and exaggerated appearances of the humans. A great addition.-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

This third installment about the perky porker draws heavily on the previous books. Mercy is still crazy for toast and butter, which always seems to lead to intervention by the fire department or the police. This time, it's both. Thinking she hears someone making toast, Mercy investigates, finding instead a thief (and wannabe cowboy) invading the Watson home. Mercy seems to capture him, but, really, it's all about the butter candy in his pocket. The story is slight, but the shiny, retro pictures still amuse. Even beginning readers will wish for more.

Mercy is back in this fun third installment of merrymaking, buttered-toast eating, and crime solving. When she's awakened by the sound of the toaster being dragged across the counter, she discovers a cowboy named Leroy walking off with a sackful of kitchen loot. Exhaustion gets the better of the porcine wonder and she settles down for a nap while Leroy settles down to some serious stealing. When Leroy opens up a butter-barrel candy, our butter-loving heroine wakes and gives Leroy a pig-bronco ride as she searches for the source of the butter smell. Of course, neighbors Eugenia and Baby Lincoln get in on the act and soon the firefighters and Officer Tomilello do too. A snack of toast with a great deal of butter follows for all. Silly crime-solving for the growing number of Mercy's young fans moving on from easy readers. (Fiction. 6-8)