by Moe Zilla

Created on: July 22, 2010

"When Toot went off to Wildest Borneo …"

Yes, the two pig friends are on separate continents when the story begins, as Puddle stays behind with his sister Opal. ("What is Wildest Borneo, anyway?" she asks.) It's a jungle, Puddle explains, but he knows that his friend Toot loves adventures. Soon he'll receive an exciting series of postcards - but the real drama begins when Toot returns from his trip!

The illustrations of the jungle are colorful and lavish. Author-illustrator Holly Hobbie covers the white background with many different leaves in varying shades of green and blue - then adds colorful insects, animals, and plants to the rest of the drawing. "Wildest Borneo is so lush and steamy," Toot writes in his first postcard - and the wild jangle contrasts sharply with the uncluttered drawings of Puddle back at home. "Let's put the marigolds right next to the zinnias," Puddle says as he works in his simple garden.

There's a particularly vivid drawing of Toot in the jungle - being eyed ominously by "a fierce banded bush bee." The enormous insect glowers down from a branch, almost the same size as the pig, with its primitive tan and yellow strips looking furry as its lowers its antenna for an attack. "The sting has given me a case of the violet virus," Puddle explains in a postcard. And when he returns to his friends in the United States - he's purple!

It's one of the only drawings in the series I've seen where there's a human character in the background.  (A humble cab driver unpacks Puddle's luggage as he arrives at Toot's daisy-covered lawn.) The second half of the book is spent trying to cure the poor pig's blue skin, and he's drawn with several funny expressions on his face. But it's seems even more exotic because he's still wearing two black-and-white feathers that he picked up in Borneo !

Holly Hobbie was 61 years old when she wrote and illustrated "Toot & Puddle: Wish You Were Here," and the story gives her lots of opportunities to show her talents. When Puddle telephones the doctor, there's a wonderful caricature of a smug overweight pig, reclining in an arm chair while sipping a cup of tea. Then there's a call to a pig doctor named Ha Song, who's a specialist in Chinese herbal remedies - and he's drawn with braided hair in the traditional Chinese garb. Unfortunately, Dr. Song believes there is no cure, and adds "A blue Toot is not so bad."

The pig friends try wishing together - which turns out to be just as ineffective.  But in the end, the answer comes from the internet. They're directed to a rare mushroom which they hunt for in their own backyard. And in the end, Toot sends one last celebratory postcard - to the wild pig friends that he met in Borneo !

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.