School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Gracie LaRoo, a young pig, loves to perform with her water ballet team, the Water Sprites. In this collection of four books, each with four short chapters, Gracie uses her skills to face the challenges that come her way. First, Gracie must overcome her tendency to get distracted in order to help her team win at the Pig Jubilee championships. Next, Gracie finds a way to get past her disappointment at being a stunt double in a movie. In the third entry Gracie and her team must figure out how to win over a cruise ship audience. And finally, Gracie faces off with her old school principal and coach when she arrives to give a demonstration and speech at her former school. Gracie proves that courage and confidence can help one face life's challenges. The bright, colorful illustrations break up the text nicely and make the stories quite appealing. Each chapter is four to five pages long, which will help new readers build confidence. VERDICT For general purchase where upbeat and charmingly illustrated early chapter books are needed.-Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Meet Gracie LaRoo, a sweet swine who loves to swim.In the first of this collection of four pig tales, young Gracie suffers performance anxiety at the Pig Jubilee, a synchronized-swimming contest. She doesn't want to let her slightly older teammates down, but this is her first competition. When her purple spangly bag (with all her swimming gear) goes missing, Gracie is even more distracted. She perseveres (finding the bag) and gains the confidence to help her team win. Next, thanks to her swimming skills, she's asked to be in a Hog Heaven Studios picture with famed actress Tilda Swinetune. Gracie is anxious again, but her creativity solves a problem on the set, and movie magic ensues. Later, Gracie and her troupe run into problems performing on a cruise ship, and then she returns to her alma trotter to speak to the piglets about her success. Qualey's easily read, short tales for those just attempting chapters will satisfy, though more-mature readers may find that the facile solutions to problems don't hold their interest. The stories exude girl power, however, since the tales are full of confident femalepigs. Litten's colored-pencil illustrations grace nearly every page and match the text in tone and energy.This piggie will find her followers among the graduates of Peppa Pig and the like. (Fantasy. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
What's more charming than a story about a synchronized-swimming pig? Four stories! This darling collection for early readers stars Gracie LaRoo, a young water ballet star, as she performs in four very different venues. The first story sees Gracie and her team, the Water Sprites, compete at the young pig's first world championship, as she struggles with a serious case of nerves. Her next adventure takes her to Hog Heaven Studios, where Gracie contributes her swimming talents and a couple of ideas to the new Tilda Swinetune imagine a porcine Esther Williams movie. Gracie's final two appearances occur on a cruise ship and at her former school, and showcase her problem-solving skills and passion for her sport. Each story is divided into four chapters and winsomely illustrated with full-page and spot artwork that favors aqua and peachy pinks. In each, Gracie overcomes an obstacle and stays happily true to herself. The agreeable tales and reader-friendly layout make this well suited to independent readers ready to dive into chapter books.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2018 Booklist
