You can’t come in, Kunekune!: An adorable picture book pig

So I've been thinking about You Can't Come In, Kunekune! by Amy Harrop and Ross Hamilton ever since I first saw it. I wanted to tell ya'all about it so much that I started to worry I'm gonna over sell it! and then you won't love it as much as it deserves! But I just gotta tell you, cos this book is exactly the kind of picture book I love! And I'm sure you will too.

First up, you can't help loving Kunekune with his great big puppy-dog eyes and expressive face! All he wants to do is come inside the warm, welcoming house, but the Mamma says pigs just don't belong inside. Well! Kunekune will not take no for an answer! When she says he's too dirty, he scrubs himself clean in the tub. When she says he's too big, he tries to prove her wrong...  but it turns out that he really IS too big -- for the cat flap anyway! But that doesn't stop Kunekune! Oh, no! But even when he tries a fantastic, hilarious disguise, the Mamma STILL won't let him in...

But wait! there's more! If the Kunekune cuteness, and the sweet, funny story weren't enough, there's also the fantabulous illustrations. What do I love about them? There's the luscious fluidity of the water-colour backgrounds created almost entirely from a Kunekune-colour-pallette. There's the economy of the lines used to create characters who exude expressiveness within that simplicity. But more than that, there's the staunch but subtle Kiwiness of the illustrations and an homage to some of our most famous artworks and stories. I think the first one I clocked was the the Rita Angus on the living room wall. Then I started looking for them, and flicked back and found the Goldie paintings hanging above the couch. This turned into a sort of Where's Wally of Kiwiana and classic picture books. Maybe I'm seeing things, maybe it's just a coinkidink, but this is what I found: red band gumboots, Mrs Wishy-Washy's washtub, Grandpa's Slippers, and Dog's water tank kennel from Footrot Flats. Could there be more? Maybe you'll find something that I missed!

Either way, I hope you'll love Kunekune just as much as I did!

You can't come in, Kunekune! is out now from Bateman Books.

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