If You Give a Pig a Pancake

If you give a kid If You Give a Pig a Pancake, she'll want the pig to go with it. Fortunately, here is one request you can indulge without a lot of muss and fuss. Laura Numeroff's utterly charming If You Give books (including If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) are full of the circular reasoning and desperate "needs" of small children. In Numeroff's most recent book, an adorable piglet slurps syrup, borrows her caretaker's tap shoes, and wallpapers a tree house in a nonstop stream of consciousness thought process. This special miniature edition of the book comes with the endearingly demanding protagonist herself. Sporting tap shoes and a spiffy green, gold, and red scarf, and holding a detachable plush pancake, this 7-inch peachy pink velour pig is irresistible. Small children will need to stand guard at their bedroom doors to prevent their big sisters from absconding with the sweet-toothed swine. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter