You're a Rude Pig, Bertie!

Bertie thinks of no one but himself. In the mirror he tells himself he is the most beautiful piglet in the world, but to everyone he meets he is incredibly rude. Naturally, this makes him very unpopular with the rest of the animals in the town, which doesn’t bother Bertie until he meets a bunny that he wants to impress. Ruby is the prettiest bunny he has ever seen and he is sure he can win her over by throwing a huge party. But no one wants to come to Bertie’s party to be offended some more and after a bad dream Bertie is finally awakened to the idea that he might just have to change his attitude.

The appealing palette in this modern picture book gives Boldt’s minimalist illustrations real style. The scenery is clever with clean coloured lines making fresh landscapes and the characters expressions are full of humour. It is Bertie’s outrageous behaviour that adds some genuine belly-laughs ‘Hey Ugly! Come to my party!’ and the quirky dream sequence is adds another layer of interest. It is a useful moral tale and the bad-mannered pig comes good in the end, but there is so much more to admire in what is a very cool book.