MERCY WATSON: PRINCESS IN DISGUISE
Written by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Candlewick Press
ISBN-10: 0763630144
ISBN-13: 9780763630140
Ages 6-8
80 pages

Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy, and they flat-out adore her. Halloween approaches, as anyone can tell from the Watsons' very, very decorated house. When Mrs. Watson has the brilliant notion of dressing Mercy up as a beautiful princess, Mr. Watson dashes off to procure a tiara.

Mrs. Watson assures Mercy that she will be incredibly gorgeous, "beautiful beyond compare." Mercy seems unmoved by this flattery, and when she wakes from a nap to find beaming Mrs. Watson holding a cotton candy fluff of a princess dress, she remains unenthusiastic.

In fact, she refuses to wear the frou-frou outfit at all…until the Watsons bribe her with all the trick-or-treat goodies she is sure to score. Mercy is positive that they will include her favorite yummy snack, toast with lots of butter. And so she reluctantly allows herself to be dressed up in princess finery.

Halloween arrives. Alas, Mercy's grouchy neighbor, Eugenia Lincoln, is not buying this pig-as-a-princess charade. She refuses to give Mercy any treats. However, her sister, Baby, sneaks Mercy the goodie bowl, which Mercy spills all over, as portrayed in a hilarious spread by illustrator Chris Van Dusen.

The candy mishap is nothing compared to what happens next. The Lincoln sisters' cat, General Washington, takes a swipe at Mercy's flounces, and Mercy decides to chase General Washington. Eugenia chases Mercy…and on and on, in a classic madcap scene that ends abruptly. Help must be called, toast must be made, and yet another delightful Mercy Watson tale ends on a cheery and neighborly note.

As always, the Watsons' enthusiasm for their porcine marvel is both hysterical and heartwarming. There is something reassuring about the way they regard Mercy: She is beautiful. She is wonderful. She is adored. Which actually sums up the way I feel about Kate DiCamillo’s series.

    --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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