Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy [Hardcover]

Jim Aylesworth (Author), Barbara McClintock (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Once upon a time, Aunt Pitty Patty took her little niece Nelly to the market, and there they bought a piggy. This fresh, rhythmic version of "The Old Woman and Her Pig" begs to be read aloud again and again!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fresh from The Gingerbread Man, Aylesworth and McClintock offer a similarly energetic, folksy retelling of a sequential tale about a stubborn pig who refuses to pass through a gate to enter the yard of its new owner. Rendered in brown pencil and watercolors, McClintock's earth-toned art conjures a rural 19th-century setting, replete with charming period particulars. The text's repetition and rhythm virtually command readers to chime in, as the determined heroine, Nelly, tries to enlist the aid of a number of initially uncooperative animals and inanimate objects: "Stick, stick, come hit dog. Dog won't bite Aunt Pitty Patty's piggy. It's gettin' late, and piggy's by the gate sayin', 'No, no, no, I will not go!' " Nelly's resolve pays off in an ending propelled by an amusing chain reaction. McClintock's pictures contain spirited detailsAe.g., a butcher, complying with Nelly's request that he scare an ox, chases the animal while carrying a picture of a steak; and the title character, persuaded at last to enter the yard, licks his chops hopefully as he stares in through the window at a supper shared by his mistress, her farmer suitor and Nelly. A recipe for corn bread appears, invitingly if irrelevantly, on the back of the book jacket. Narrative and art pull equal weight in this cheerful reworking. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Aunt Pitty Patty can't get her piggy to go in the gate, so her young niece Nelly tries to get some assistance. She is turned down first by dog, and then by stick, fire, water, and so on, until cow requests hay in payment, and Farmer Brown decides to trade some for the prospect of a good meal. "And little Nelly took the hay and gave it to the cow," starting the chain reaction that leads to the expected and satisfying conclusion. The fun is in getting there. By the same team that did The Gingerbread Man (Scholastic, 1998), this nicely paced retelling of the old cumulative tale is done in much the same style and format, although these pencil-and-watercolor illustrations don't leap off the page with quite the same wit and energy. Most of the paintings are soft-edged and grainy, thus underscoring the folksy, turn-of-the-century setting. McClintock depicts a bucolic landscape, animals with personality, and a determined and feisty Nelly. A recipe for "Aunt Pitty Patty's Old-Fashioned Corn Bread" is appended on the dust jacket. A winning read-aloud or storyhour selection.
Corinne Camarata, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; 1st edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590899872
• ISBN-13: 978-0590899871
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,811,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to get a pig through a gate..., March 11, 2006

By 

...Loggie... "Loggie-log-log-log" (I live on the earth, in the western hemisphere, in North America, in the country of the United States of America, in Illinois in the town of Champaign) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy (Hardcover)

Aunt Pitty Patty and her niece Nelly went to the market. When they returned home it was plus a pig. A pig that doesn't want to go through the house's gate, that is. Nelly goes to get help, and first asks a dog to bite the pig, but the dog refuses. So then she asks a stick to hit the dog, because he refused. When the stick refuses as well, Nelly continues the chain, asking all sorts of creatures and items to help her. Finally she gets a yes, and the chain holds true, right up to the stick hitting the dog which bites the pig, who then goes through the gate.

The story is told well, and flows nicely. It is easy to read out loud.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. Very realistic, and full of detail (like the flowers along the road), these illustrations make the book special. They add a lot to the book. Nelly is cute, and as the story progresses you can see how she becomes more and more frustrated and annoyed.

All in all, it is a very good book with great illustrations.

Loggie-log-log-log

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy, April 19, 2000

By 

C. Wagner "cecilkunkle" (On the banks of the Wabash far away) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy (Hardcover)

Children will enjoy this read aloud adventure of complications featuring one obstinate pig that refuses to enter a gate. When at last the stick, the cow, the butcher, et al. have resolved the matter, and Farmer Brown, Nelly, and Aunt Pitty Patty have settled down to a fine meal, guess who is looking in hungrily from the window. McClintock's 19th century style illustrations provide plenty of tenacious animals and sylvan scenes. A fine selection to add to your bedtime or storytime collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to get a pig through a gate..., March 11, 2006

By 

...Loggie... "Loggie-log-log-log" (I live on the earth, in the western hemisphere, in North America, in the country of the United States of America, in Illinois in the town of Champaign) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Pitty Patty's Piggy (Paperback)

Aunt Pitty Patty and her niece Nelly went to the market. When they returned home it was plus a pig. A pig that doesn't want to go through the house's gate, that is. Nelly goes to get help, and first asks a dog to bite the pig, but the dog refuses. So then she asks a stick to hit the dog, because he refused. When the stick refuses as well, Nelly continues the chain, asking all sorts of creatures and items to help her. Finally she gets a yes, and the chain holds true, right up to the stick hitting the dog which bites the pig, who then goes through the gate.

The story is told well, and flows nicely. It is easy to read out loud.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. Very realistic, and full of detail (like the flowers along the road), these illustrations make the book special. They add a lot to the book. Nelly is cute, and as the story progresses you can see how she becomes more and more frustrated and annoyed.

All in all, it is a very good book with great illustrations.

Loggie-log-log-log