Lady Lollipop

Spoiled, willful and insufferably rude, young Princess Penelope is "a right pain in the neck," as the palace courtiers and servants agree. Her parents, especially her father, seem bent on indulging her every whim, however, and when Penelope insists on a pet pig for her eighth birthday ("I wanna pig, I wanna pig, I wanna pig!"), they reluctantly summon all the pig keepers in the land. Luckily enough for the child and her royal but ineffective parents, the endearing animal is accompanied by young Johnny Skinner, an amiable pig-keeper determined to teach the family something about manners and good sense. To her parents' dismay, the princess chooses "the scruffiest, ugliest pig of the lot." Lollipop may not be comely, but "she's the show more brightest, cleverest pig you ever did see," as her keeper, Johnny Skinner, assures the royal family, an assertion that quickly proves correct. Before long, the boy and his charge have charmed not only the king and queen (who is delighted with Lollipop's skill at weeding and fertilizing the rose garden), but more importantly, the princess herself, who, in the process of helping to train Lollipop, learns a few lessons about manners and friendship. Lollipop adapts to palace life quite quickly, thanks to Johnny's good training, and she even has a flap in the palace door so that she can get out as necessity dictates. Barton's pencil illustrations are charming and recall Ernest H. Shepard's various royal personages in A. A. Milne's Now We Are Six. The king's befuddled face and Penelope's stormy looks are delightful. Lollipop is shown with a sweetly confident expression as she goes about her pig activities, including happily depositing a bit of fertilizer on the queen's roses. show less

Lollipop is no ordinary pig. According to her young trainer, Johnny Skinner, she's the smartest pig in the entire kingdom. When people stare into Lollipop's bright, intelligent eyes, it somehow changes them for the better. But can Lollipop win over the spoiled Princess Penelope -- and her not-so-pig-friendly parents, the King and Queen?

Lollipop is a homely pig chosen as a present by the spoiled Princess Penelope for her 8th birthday. Her owner, Johnny, has trained this pig to obey commands much as a dog would, and comes to live at the palace with the pig. The King secretly engages the boy to train his daughter as well, as she is getting out of hand. This predictable story teaches a couple of lessons to the readers--the problem of selfishness and not judging by appearances--without beating the reader with those messages. The illustrations complement the text, which is roughly a 3rd grade level.

Lady Lollipop is a wonderful chapter book that is full of great characters! Penelope is a spoled little princess who gets everything she wants whenever she wants it. When she asks for a pet pig, she get it but it isn't working out the way she wants! The trainer, Johnny, has done a good job training this pig to be good but the princess is mad when it doesn[t do the things she wants it to do and she gets even more angry when it can't live in the palace. This book teaches the importance of patience and understanding. It also gives the readers a great opportunity to see just how silly being spoiled can be!

Lady Lollipop is a wonderful chapter book that is full of great characters! Penelope is a spoled little princess who gets everything she wants whenever she wants it. When she asks for a pet pig, she get it but it isn't working out the way she wants! The trainer, Johnny, has done a good job training this pig to be good but the princess is mad when it doesn[t do the things she wants it to do and she gets even more angry when it can't live in the palace. This book teaches the importance of patience and understanding. It also gives the readers a great opportunity to see just how silly being spoiled can be!

A fun story about a princess who learns to be a better person after being given a pig for her birthday and making friends with the pigs trainer and previous owner. A funny story with short, easy to read chapters. I used the book as a daily read aloud with my students last month. My class loved the story and they were laughing as I read almost every page.

Lollipop is no ordinary pig. According to her young owner Johnny Skinner, she's the cleverest pig in the whole kingdom. When people stare into Lollipop's bright, intelligent eyes, it seems to change them for the better. But will Lollipop win over spoilt Princess Penelope - and the King and Queen?