The Great Pig Escape [Hardcover]

Eileen Christelow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1994 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Bert and Ethel have a long truck drive to market, and when they arrive, the pigs they intended to sell have mysteriously disappeared.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this strategic endorsement of vegetarianism, six pigs foil the folks who would turn them into bacon. Farmers Bert and Ethel, who usually cultivate their gardens, raise half a dozen piglets to sell at auction. But the pigs overhear Bert and Ethel's grim plan, and plot an escape from the pickup truck that's taking them on their final ride. After they chew through a rope that ties the tailgates, the anthropomorphized pork-chops-to-be steal some clothes, disguise themselves and hop a bus to Florida. (Accompanied by a postcard signed, simply, "Oink!" the clothes are returned parcel post.) Christelow ( The Five-Dog Night ) contours her characters in ink and adds brightly hued, fluid watercolors. She derives humor from various pigs vs. people scenarios--Bert and Ethel don't realize that their livestock knows what's up, and the escapees, attired in dresses and hats, cross paths with the befuddled farmers many times. The high jinks are like a harmless game of hide-and-seek--just as long as readers forget that the pigs are running for their very lives. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Bert and Ethel grow the best vegetables for miles around. Then Bert decides that they should raise pigs instead. His six piglets do well and grow quickly, and, when they overhear plans to take them to market, they plot their escape. And so the fun begins: they get out of the truck two by two, take clothes from a line and from a sidewalk-sale rack, and, thus disguised, board a Florida-bound bus, leaving the baffled Bert and Ethel behind. Months later the post office receives a box from Florida addressed to "the people missing hats, pants, dresses, shirts...and pigs." The pigs have returned everything, along with a postcard to Bert and Ethel with the message, "Oink!" The cartoon illustrations, executed in watercolor and pen and ink with a loose, sketchy line and light, bright colors, are filled with humor. Facial expressions are effectively conveyed with just a few dots and lines. The uncluttered composition allows children to focus on essential elements, such as a pig running off with the tailgate bolt and the posters of the lost articles and livestock on a bulletin board in a cafe. Observant readers will laugh as they spot the dressed-up pigs hitchhiking, walking around town, blending in with the townspeople. Even the endpapers are jolly. The lively, funny text employs vigorous verbs and moves along at a rapid pace. Whether listening in a small group or one-on-one, children will chortle over the antics of these clever porkers.
Cynthia K. Richey, Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (August 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395669731
• ISBN-13: 978-0395669730
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 10.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,899,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eileen Christelow has created numerous fun and funny picture books, including the Five Little Monkeys series, Author, and most recently, Letters from a Desperate Dog. She and her husband, Ahren, live in Vermont. For more information visit www.christelow.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rates five OINKS! Delightful!, November 15, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Pig Escape (Paperback)

Get ready to be taken for a hilarious ride by a passel of
precocious pigs! Farmers Bert and Ethel decide to take a
break from growing turnips to try their hand at pigs. It's
time to load up their lard and take them to market, but
these savvy swine have other ideas. Our feckless farmers are
unaware that their cargo has disappeared until it's too
late, but you won't be if you pay attention to the pictures.
Christelow combines unassuming text with not-so-unassuming
illustrations in this porcine plot that is sure to tickle
your spareribs and convince you that these pigs are smarter
than your average root vegetable. Recommended reading for
preschoolers on up, The Great Pig Escape is sure to make
you chuckle if not bust your chops laughing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Great Illustrations., September 12, 2000

By 

Paul Martin (Waukesha, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Pig Escape (Hardcover)

This book is first-rate in entertaining children 3-8. Children will enjoy following the story of Bert & Ethel, who raise some very intelligent pigs and decide it's time to sell them at the market in the morning. The pigs overhear this, and the trouble--or the fun--begins. The smart pigs escape, using clever disguises borrowed from local townspeople, and are missing untill the end of the story.

The illustrations are great and the story moves along smoothly. Your children will really like this one!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun, November 10, 2006

By 

MrspPigDoc "preschool teacher" (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Pig Escape (Paperback)

A captivating story, with a little bit of "where's waldo" thrown in. After the pigs escape, the children can carefully look at the picture and find the missing pigs hiding or dressed up. "There's one right there!" my preschool class shouts. This book is always a fun one to read.