Sir Pigglesworth’s Adventures in Vancouver: The Sir Pigglesworth Adventure Series, Book 2 is an adventure travel storybook for children, grades K-3, written by JoAnn Wagner and Sara Dean, and illustrated by David Darchicourt. After Sir Pigglesworth and his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Pigglesworth, returned home from their goodwill trip to London, Sir Pigglesworth was supposed to stay with his grandmother for a few days while his parents travelled to Vancouver, BC. But there was no way he was going to miss out on this trip! Striking out on his own, Sir Pigglesworth had actually travelled to Dallas, Texas instead of Vancouver and was far away from where his parents were. Fortunately, his friends, Bill and JoAnn, just happened to live in Dallas, and they were going to help reunite him with his parents. JoAnn traveled with him and soon they arrived in Vancouver. Where, however, could the Duke and Duchess be? Sir Pigglesworth is sure they would want to go to the park, but JoAnn knows of a few other places worth checking out as well.

JoAnn Wagner and Sara Dean’s adventure travel storybook, Sir Pigglesworth’s Adventures in Vancouver: The Sir Pigglesworth Adventure Series, Book 2, follows the Queen’s royal emissary as he searches through Vancouver for his parents. David Darchicourt’s illustrations bring the majestic beauty of British Columbia to life as the two friends tour a pumpkin farm, visit the zoo and aquarium, and meander through Stanley Park. There’s lots of good, silly fun as Sir Pigglesworth nearly tumbles out of a hay wagon, falls on his face in the mud, and gets thrown around on the horse-drawn carriage ride, but he takes it all in stride. He’s ever the nonchalant adventurer, but he does seem a bit worried about not finding his parents. Wagner and Dean’s plot deftly combines travel and making new friends around the world with the drama of being reunited with family, making this both an educational and suspenseful tale for young readers. Sir Pigglesworth’s Adventures in Vancouver: The Sir Pigglesworth Adventure Series, Book 2 is highly recommended.

In the first book in this series, Sir Pigglesworth follows his parents, even though he is not supposed to, and loses them, distracted by the wonderful things and people he sees. From the beginning, he’d wanted to surprise his parents and make them happy to see him at the Vancouver airport, but now he doesn’t know where they are or how to start looking for them. It is exciting to read as he scours the city of Vancouver with his companion, trying to locate his parents. The things he finds and does will thrill the hearts of young readers. Sir Pigglesworth's Adventures in Vancouver by JoAnn Wagner is book 2 in the series and a must-read for readers in the Grade K-3rd.

I loved this book for a good number of reasons. First, my kids loved it, and they are the ideal audience for this kind of book. Second, the writing is beautiful and very accessible to the intended audience. Third, the illustrations are masterfully accomplished. Each scene is accompanied by an eye-catching and detailed illustration. An older reader can read it to a kid and allow the kid to identify characters and items in the illustrations. There is a great storyline and a serious problem to solve, a conflict that animates the entire story – Sir Pigglesworth can’t find his parents, but how the jolly pig goes about looking for them and the things he finds along the way is the adventure that will fill the minds of many kids as they go off to bed, even in their dreams. Sir Pigglesworth's Adventures in Vancouver by JoAnn Wagner is a stellar work for Grade K-3rd children. Highly recommended!