K-Gr 3-Another action-packed escapade staring the "porcine wonder." Every weekend, when Mr. Watson takes his pig for a ride in his pink convertible, Mercy must be cajoled out of the driver's seat with the promise of a tasty treat upon their return. One Saturday, their elderly neighbor, Baby Lincoln, stows away in the backseat. Man and pig speed happily along until Baby reveals her presence. Surprised, Mr. Watson takes his eyes off the road, and Mercy seizes her chance, jumps into his lap, and grabs the wheel. The vehicle zooms along, pursued by a police car. With Mr. Watson unable to reach the brake, it takes some heroics from Baby to save the day. Back at the house, the ever-serene Mrs. Watson manages to mollify everyone-including Baby's crotchety sister and the angry policeman-with a stack of hot buttered toast. Written with simple vocabulary and lots of repetition, the quick-paced narrative flows gracefully and is packed with amusing moments. The glossy, full-color gouache paintings provide visual clues to support the text and add greatly to the humor. The characters' facial expressions are laugh-out-loud funny, and the idealized 1950s setting strikes just the right tone of innocence. A fresh, fun-filled must-have for those looking to spiff up beginning-chapter-book collections.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

She's back! Mercy, the porcine wonder, is back in all her buttered-toast eating glory. It's Saturday, time for a ride in the pink convertible. But, does Mercy like to ride or drive? Drive! Only Mrs. Watson's promise of extra helpings of hot buttered toast can get this clever pig to scoot across the front seat and enjoy the weekly adventure. And when next-door neighbor Baby Lincoln hankers for a little adventure of her own, the fun really begins. From the toast icons that surround the page numbers, to faux-tape spine, and hilariously gaudy over-the-top illustrations, this is a throw-back in the best sense of the word. When Mercy ends up sitting on top of Mr. Watson in the driver's seat and Baby has to crawl over the seat to help out, it's hard not to think of Lucy, Ethel and Ricky caught in another pickle. All's well that ends well, of course, and that means everyone can celebrate with a stack of toast and an extra pat of butter. (Fiction. 6-8)

Mercy the pig, who proved herself a worthy child substitute in Mercy Watson to the Rescue (2005), is up to her old tricks again. This time the self-absorbed, endearingly naughty Mercy brings many a child's dream to life: she squeezes herself onto Mr. Watson's lap and commandeers his beloved 1959 pink Caddy for a joyride. Van Dusen's larger-than-life characters and retro sensibility extend the dry humor of the situation, and his shiny, rainbow-bright gouache art shoots the energy, especially Mercy's, right off the page. Great for emergent readers.