Julius
Written by Syd Hoff
Illustrated by Syd Hoff
Reviewed by Lucia P. (age 7) & Darlene N. (age 6)
This book is about a girl named Maya and her pig. Maya's pig was a surprise from her grandaddy. She loved the surprise and named it Julius. Julius the pig always made a big mess and that is why Maya's parents didn't like him. Julius was a good pig, sometimes. He helped Maya with spiders and he made her laugh when he tried on clothes. Maya taught Julius manners because she liked Julius. In the end Maya's parents let Julius stay because they didn't want to hurt her feelings and she had taught Julius manners.
What we liked about the book was that Julius made a mess in Maya's house. Pigs are messy animals and shouldn't live inside a house. Our favorite character was Maya because she was cute and smart. She took great care of Julius and was able to teach him how to behave. The book reminded us of a story that we read about a woman that had a pig and some pumpkins. The pig in that story made a mess just like Julius. Finally, we liked the illustrations because we were able to see the look on Maya's face when she thought that her granddaddy had brought her a horse or an older brother.
We would recommend this book to students who are thinking of having a pig as a pet. We think they should read about how messy pigs can be when they are kept as a pet.