Piggy by Ann Hood & Anna Quaranta

Sweet but slight, almost like a condensed version of the Toy Story movies but with a lot less action.

Piggy has belonged to their human ever since the little girl was a baby. Once upon a time, Piggy was pink, pristine and perky: the very epitome of a huggable, loveable stuffed animal. But being a child’s constant companion, indoors and out, takes a toll on cleanliness, so into the wash Piggy must eventually go. As time goes on and washes increase, Piggy starts losing their fabulousness. What, however, are they gaining instead?

I was honestly a little surprised that the book ended as it did! I think that is more the result of me centering myself as an adult reader instead of thinking solely as the intended child audience tho. Children don’t need a whole bunch of morals to be strung together in order to learn something: the lesson here about relative value is already important enough to stand on its own, especially if the young child is learning how to read independently. The language is spare but concise, making this book a good choice for learners.

Anna Quaranta’s illustrations are both plentiful and adorable. I’m not sure if it was my computer screen that washed out the colors a bit, but I did find myself wishing that the color change in Piggy had been more pronounced, to better accompany her change in shape and wholeness. The little girl was super cute throughout tho, as she grew up and took Piggy on greater and different adventures. Their shenanigans together were very relatable and perfectly accentuated the few lines of writing.

I don’t necessarily think that this book will become a classic (but let’s be real, there are a lot of kids’ classics that I look at and go “huh?”) but it’s definitely a great book for kids either worried about their stuffies or who need a little reminder of innate value. It’s a nice lesson about love and perception that more adults probably need too.

Piggy by Ann Hood & Anna Quaranta was published June 9 2026 by Penguin Workshop and is available from all good booksellers, including