PEARLY AND PIG AND THE GREAT HAIRY BEAST BY SUE WHITING & ILLUSTRATED BY REBECCA CRANE

10-year-old Pearly Woe is a worrier — and she’s very good at it. She also has an incredible talent with languages which allows her to converse with any creature, human or animal. She lives with her adventurous parents and a small pig called Pig who talks to her all the time. Pig has an incredible talent for smelling out danger and anything else you care to find.

When her parents go missing, Pearly attempts to save them and she and Pig find themselves prisoners on a fast-moving icebreaker heading for Antarctica. The evil Emmeline Woods has something dastardly planned and it seems that Pearly is the only who can save the situation. She and Pig, stuck in the frozen South, must overcome their worries and a numb snout and somehow outwit their cruel captor.

Sue Whiting has given us a fast-paced, action packed adventure. Right from the very beginning, the reader warms to Pearly and her own brand of worrying. With her Italian worry language, intermingled with pig oinks, we are whisked off into the fray. Descriptions of clanging footsteps on the ship and of the crunch of snow and ice, all create an electric atmosphere. The illustrations by Rebecca Crane capture the essence of the characters beautifully. Pearly learns about the power of family, loyalty, animal survival and believing in yourself. Readers will definitely enjoy this first book in the Pearly and Pig series.

For Ages: 8 - 11 years

Number of Pages: 224

Published: March 2022 Walker Books

Themes: Family, resilience, ecosystems and believing in yourself.

Purchase here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/pearly-and-pig-and-the-great-hairy-beast-sue-whiting/book/9781760653590.html