Booktalk: This is a heartwarming, coming-of-age story about…warthogs. Mogo and his two brothers are their mother’s oldest pigs. Now that she’s given birth to new piglets, she’s kicking them out of the family burrow, time for them to man up and find their own way in the world, the wild African savannah. Of the three brothers, Mogo is the most cautious. He worries about being attacked by lions and wild dogs. He worries about finding a safe burrow to live in. He worries about finding food to eat. His brothers call Mogo a baby and a worrywarthog, always worrying about what Mother taught them when they were piglets. But could it be that Mogo knows what it takes to survive without their mother?

A three little pigs story set in the realities of the African savannah. Young readers will pick up real details about the animals, their habitat and predators and the balance of nature. And besides being a nature story, it’s about learning to be independent and courageous. Touching and entertaining. ( )

MSBA Nominee 2009-2010

This is a re-telling of the Three Little Pigs. I think that the major problem is that this is not the easiest story to adapt. I think the other major problem was that the insertion of facts was rather awkward. I think the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series does a much better job. I doubt this will win. ( )

What’s a group of warthogs called? A sounder. When do male warthogs have to leave their sounder? When they’re around three years old! That’s the challenge Mogo, the youngest in his litter, is facing when his mother tells him to branch off on his own. How is he supposed to know how to keep safe on the harsh African plains, where hooking up with the wrong kind of gazelle can mean running for his life from a hungry lion? It’s a rough adjustment, but Mogo gradually finds his own path.

Very nicely researched JUV fiction about an African warthog and his "coming-of-age" adventures. Well balanced between anthropomorphic "talking" animals and gritty (for a children's book) realism.
I also wished all the illustrations had been finished in time for this advance proof. ( )