This is a sweet book about
acceptance and unexpected
friendship, and a pig who is
lonely, but just doesn’t know it.
Pete is a perfectly predictable,
practical, uncomplicated pig.
At least, he was . . . before
a runaway circus elephant
named Pickles stampeded
into his life, needing a friend.
Pickles is larger than life and
overflowing with imagination.
She takes Pete swan-diving off Niagara Falls. (Sort of.) And sledding down
the Matterhorn. (Sort of.) Pete goes along for the wild ride and begins to
enjoy himself, until Pickles goes too far and Pete tells her she must leave.

Discussion questions:

1. Who do you think Paprika was?
2. Why do you think Pickles ran to Pete?
3. How did the pig save the elephants life?
4. Pickles dreams about going all over the world. What do you dream
   about?

Activities:

1. Make a Valentines Day card for your best friend, your teacher, your
   mother or father.
2. Make a bouquet of 3 dimensional flowers. Cut out several circles of
   different sizes. Using one circle make 5 slits (pie slices) but do NOT cut
   into the middle. Leave room for the middle. Fold the slices up and glue
   a smaller different colored circle in the middle. For another type of
   flower, cut 15+ slits around the circle then do the same with another
   colored circle (the same size). Glue the cut circles together and fold up
   the skinny slits so you can see both colors. Glue the flowers to popsicle
   sticks, piper cleaners or thick strips of paper (you can make the strips by
   folding a piece of paper several times).
3. Plan a grand adventure (sort of) that you can do on the school
   playground.