Size Doesn't Matter When It Comes to Friendship

In Pig and Small, written and illustrated by Alex Latimer, we find that size doesn't matter when it comes to being a friend.

Pig and Small
by Alex Latimer

When Pig wakes up one morning, he discovers his nose has started to squeak. Everywhere he went and everything he did he heard the squeak coming from his nose. Since Pig is so smart, he decided to look up Squeaky Nose Syndrome, not on the Internet but in a BOOK! [Way to go Pig!!!] There were all kids of Squeaky Syndromes: Squeaky Esophagus Syndrome, Squeaky Mouth Syndrome, even Squeaky Pants Syndrome, but no Squeaky Nose Syndrome. Finally Pig decided to take a closer look at his snout. It was then he discovered the cause of his squeak...a tiny bug who was "waving and squeaking like crazy!"

The unlikely duo try to build a friendly relationship by riding bikes or playing chess. They quickly find these activities to be too difficult because of their size. Pig reads about a movie and realizes it is something the two friends can do together. After the movie they discover a number of places and things they can enjoy together, for instance an art gallery, the theater, and even a relaxing trip to the beach. A fun twist at the end emphasizes one of my favorite quotes from the book, "They forgot that one of them was big and the other was small best friends don't care about silly things like that."

For those familiar with some of Latimer's other picture books (The Boy Who Cried Ninja, Penguin's Hidden Talent, and Lion vs. Rabbit), you will not be disappointed. Each of his books not only has wonderfully detailed illustrations created with pencil drawings which are then digitized and finished with color and texture, but they also convey a life lesson for young children. Pig and Bug find their friendship is worth putting time and effort into their relationship. Discovering what you have in common and like to do together can be a challenge, especially when there is such a large size difference, however true friendship is worth the struggle in the end.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Peachtree Publishers has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.