Oink, Oink Benny (review)

Yay, Benny's back! The determined little Swedish porker (from Benny and the Binky, BCCB 5/02, etc.) is bored with mundane indoor events, so he takes his little brother for some outside fun. "Stay away from the mudhole," says Mom, but, of course, that's just where they end up. An initially risk-free game of running around the mudhole's perimeter turns into mischief when a bully pushes Benny's baby brother into the mud; jealous of the attention his little bro consequently gets from the popular Klara, Benny "falls" into the mud himself. On the way home, the lucky pigs get caught in a downpour that erases all trace of their misbehavior, so instead of maternal scolding they get sympathy and solicitousness. As usual, Lindgren manages a casual matter-of-factness in her narrative declamations that makes Benny's adventures and reactions pure authentic child ("Some of their friends are really dumb," the narrator confides. "Some are really nice"). The outing remains believable in its ups and downs even as it subtly creates a shape for the story, and readers-aloud have a lot of latitude with the simple text. Landström's line-and-watercolor illustrations as ever manage to be sturdily homey yet skillfully strange (what is it with all the potatoes scattered around Benny's house? We'll probably never know); capably varied compositions add drama to the visuals, while cozy and comic touches provide personality. Benny remains a boon companion for little ones, who will recognize the joy of forbidden tomfoolery with friends.