ALA Booklist (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

The fifth in the series featuring troublesome Mercy finds the pig relaxing out back while elderly sisters Eugenia and Baby Lincoln are busy planting petunias. Unfortunately, Mercy is lured by the delectable flowers, munching them almost as fast as the sisters plant. Eugenia is so angry she calls animal control, and soon Officer Francine Poulet is on the way. This tale takes the focus off Mercy a bit, giving children the opportunity to connect with some of the other characters, including the intrepid Poulet. As usual, Van Dusen's shiny, stylized artwork captures all the fun of Mercy's capers.

Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Mischievous pet pig Mercy eats grumpy neighbor Eugenia Lincoln's pansies. Furious, Eugenia calls in animal-control officer Francine Poulet to find and capture the pig. A spirited search ensues, as Poulet tries to "think like a pig." As usual, the cheerful gouache illustrations portray Mercy's comical adventures, as well as the Watsons, the neighbors, and Poulet, with great humor.

Kirkus Reviews

Mercy Watson, beloved porcine wonder, meets Francine Poulet, "the best animal control officer in the history of the world." When Mercy discovers freshly planted pansies next door, what can she do but eat them? Never mind that the pansies belong to the next-door neighbors, pig-loving Baby and her pig-hating sister, Eugenia. When the furious Eugenia sees the incriminating pansy petals on Mercy's chin, her anger gets the best of her and she reports Mercy to Animal Control. The officer, beak-nosed Poulet, is energized by the challenge of adding a new animal to her life capture list. DiCamillo's comic timing coupled with Van Dusen's familiar, over-the-top gouache depictions of the emotional Mercy and her caring, buttered-toast-bearing "parents" make this a welcome addition to the popular series. Fifteen very short action-packed chapters make this a fine step up for readers ready for a slightly more challenging read than Henry and Mudge. (Fiction. 7-10)

School Library Journal (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Gr 2-4 In this installment, the porcine protagonist outrages the Lincoln sisters when she sneaks through their hedge and eats their newly planted pansies. Eugenia Lincoln calls animal control, and Officer Francine Poulet shows up determined to "think like a pig" and catch the culprit. Chaos ensues, and the porker escapes to enjoy another day of buttered toast. Fans of the series will welcome this addition to Mercy's adventures and be amused by the hyperbolic quality of Van Dusen's color illustrations. Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Mercer Island Library, WA