ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Who is the audience for this Shakespeare parody in picture-book form? It's a tough call. The school principal, Ms. Juliet, promises to kiss a pig if the students read lots of books. Hamlet, a little girl's pet pig, isn't happy when his owner volunteers him for the kiss: O, heavy heart, do not weep. / This kiss has murdered sleep. Then he sees Ms. Juliet and falls in love: I never saw true beauty / Till this day. Preschoolers will enjoy the slapstick, but they obviously won't have a clue about the Shakespeare jokes. Older children, however, will be disarmed by the humor, which may make this useful for helping students feel more relaxed about the Bard and his Elizabethan English. A guide at the back provides references to the plays and to the quotes.

Horn Book (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Principal Juliet promises to kiss a pig if her students read ten thousand books. Hamlet, a pig who thinks in mock-Shakespearean couplets, has been volunteered, but he's unhappy about it. Hamlet's olde English suffering is an awkward counterpart to the straightforward story. The illustrations are amusing, but the Shakespeare subplot misses its picture-book-age target.

Kirkus Reviews (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Read 10,000 books this year, challenges Principal Ms. Juliet, and she will kiss a pig. Dakos and DesMarteau's principal, who will go to great lengths to get her charges to read, has already pulled some odd stunts, though kissing a pig is an invitation to make a child's heart sing. The narrator has volunteered her pig Hamlet—a Shakespeare spouter of his own design—to get the buss. He cribs and tweaks some famous lines to register his disapproval: "To kiss, or not to kiss, / The principal in school? / Why choose a pig / To be their fool?" When Hamlet's eyes fall on the fair Juliet, however, he suddenly becomes much more interested. She gasps, then delivers on her promise. DiRocco's artwork is fittingly busy and possesses good Elizabethan costumery and lots of funny detail. Would that the references for Hamlet's self-styled lines at the end contained a more complete rendering of the source material. Still, an interesting twist on a familiar event. (Picture book. 4-8)

School Library Journal (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Gr 1-4-When the students in Ms. Juliet's school read more than 10,000 books, she must fulfill her promise to kiss a pig. The young narrator offers her porcine pet, Hamlet, who isn't looking forward to smooching a stranger. Displayed in thought balloons over Hamlet's head are Shakespeare-inspired verses that express his initial dismay and eventual change of heart. These quotes, along with the lines that inspired them and a brief biography of the Bard, are listed at the end of the book. The conversational text is prone to excessive plot exposition, giving the story a very slow pace. The authors fail to impart a feeling of excitement as the big day draws near, so the climax falls flat. DiRocco's colorful watercolor illustrations highlight the most important moments and help bring the tale to life. His depiction of Hamlet dressed in 17th-century attire adds to the mood. Attempting to introduce children to Shakespeare in the guise of a verse-quoting pig is a novel idea. Unfortunately, this is a mediocre story that is hindered rather than helped by its allusions to the playwright. Younger audiences won't understand the references, while older readers will be put off by the book's format. For a better introduction, try Marcia Williams's Tales from Shakespeare (Candlewick, 1998).-Catherine Callegari, San Antonio Public Library, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.