The Dancing Pig [Hardcover]

Judy Sierra (Author), Jesse Sweetwater (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 1999 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Who says pigs don’t dance? They do if they’re determined to foil the plans of an evil witch who wants to cook two little girls and eat them for dinner. Bestselling author Judy Sierra turns this Balinese Hansel and Gretel story into a boisterous adventure complete with a graceful dancing pig, an ingenious talking mouse, a melodious frog band--and a frightful witch who gets her just desserts!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Using a common motif, this Balinese folktale tells of a mother who leaves her twin daughters home alone with a warning against opening the door to strangers. An ogress poses as the girls' mother, tricks them into unlocking the door, and carries them off with the intention of cooking them. When the mother finds her children gone, help comes from the family's pig, who promises to bring the sisters home safely. To accomplish the rescue, the animal dresses up in a sarong and is accompanied by a tiny frog band and a mouse bearing a torch. The odd little procession succeeds in drawing the ogress out of her house to dance while the mouse frees the twins. The vibrant acrylic, watercolor, and gouache illustrations represent the flora, fauna, and costumes accurately in an appropriate folk-art style. The charms of the book include the sarong-draped pig dancing and peeking coyly over her fan; the frog band; and the small, helpful mouse. The ogress Rangsasa, with flamelike hair and clawlike, red nails, is suitably scary but, in true folklore style, perishes in the flames of her house. A source note lends authority, a brief statement gives cultural background information, and a pronunciation guide helps with unfamiliar words though it does not give definitions. An additional purchase, particularly for larger folklore collections.
Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Twin sisters Klodan and Klonching must stay at home while their mother goes to sell seeds in the market. Lurking in the forest shadows is the Rangsasa, an ogress who would like to snatch them away. Mother admonishes," When I return I will knock on the door three times and say, `Klodan, Klonching. It's your mother. Let me in.'" How the Rangsasa manages to trick the sisters--and how their mother, with the help of the dancing pig, comes to the rescue--is what sets this lovely tale from Bali apart from thematically similar stories. Sierra, a professional storyteller, deftly catches the rhythm, humor, and suspense of an oral tale. Her well-paced prose is sprinkled with Balinese words; a pronunciation guide is thoughtfully included. Sweetwater's bright, patterned illustrations sometimes fall short in their underlying use of line and color, but they lovingly depict the warmth between mother and daughters, as well as the whimsy inherent in a dancing pig and four frog musicians. An interesting, charming addition to any folktale collection. Tim Arnold

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (August 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152015949
• ISBN-13: 978-0152015947
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,722,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in a very creative, book-loving family. My father was a photographer, and my mother was a librarian. They read to me constantly, especially poetry. When I was seven, they built me a puppet theater and I gave my first performance, "The Three Wishes." In college I studied literature, and afterwards I became a children's librarian. A few years later, I set out on my own as a puppeteer, quickly joining forces with another puppet artist, who became my husband. We studied traditional puppetry in Indonesia, and traveled all over the U.S. as teachers and artists-in-residence. About twenty years ago, I combined what I had learned as an avid reader and writer, as a librarian and children's entertainer, and began writing books for children. All of my books are meant to be read aloud and dramatized. To learn more about how each of my books came to be, please visit my web site: http://www.judysierra.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book review from a regular mom:, January 25, 2000

By 

N. Weibling (Mongmong, Guam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dancing Pig (Hardcover)

The Dancing Pig is one of the best books that I've ever bought for my son. He was captured by the story and didn't take his eyes off the book at any time, and even better, he didn't stop my reading to ask a question. The well written story and the many brilliant full page illustrations definately added to my son's increased interest. The culture oriented story line and illustrations in The Dancing Pig brings a feel of beautiful island of Bali. The author and illustrator must have spent time there in order to produce such a marvelous book. I strongly recommend the book. Your family will treasure this book!

1.0 out of 5 stars HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, January 14, 2011

By 

Cindylouwho (Florida, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dancing Pig (Hardcover)

This book awful do not purchase or get from library. It tells a story about twin girls who get taken from a "boogie woman", the names of all are very difficult to pronounce. Not only that, the book is filled with made up words that were also hard to pronounce and tells a story that seems like voodo and a bit scary.

5.0 out of 5 stars Book review from a regular mom:, January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dancing Pig (Hardcover)

The Dancing Pig is one of the best books that I've ever bought for my son. He was captured by the story and didn't take his eyes off the book at any time, and even better, he didn't stop my reading to ask a question. The well written story and the many brilliant full page illustrations definately added to my son's increased interest. The culture oriented story line and illustrations in The Dancing Pig brings a feel of beautiful island of Bali. The author and illustrator must have spent time there in order to produce such a marvelous book. I strongly recommend the book. Your family will treasure this book!