A hilarious and colorful visit to a Country Fair tells how Minvera, who hopes that her hog Tillie will win the blue ribbon, takes part in the Hog-Calling Contest, where her amazing call leads to a crazy and chaotic finale.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Kiser's (The Catspring Somersault Flying One-handed Flip-flop) amiable tale about a county fair has an entertaining plot, but the stylized illustrations create the effect of being trapped in a house of mirrors: the distortions quickly go from amusing to disturbing. Minerva's hopes for her prize hog Tillie are shaken when Tillie "kicks up such a ruckus" that Mr. Snyder, the hot-headed barn manager, scolds them and tells Minerva not to count on a blue ribbon. "After all, a hog is a hog!" he sneers. When Minerva enters a hog-calling contest, her "Suuuuu-ee Tillie-illie!" brings Tillie crashing out of the barn and through the mob. Mr. Snyder's efforts to stop the hog backfire: Tillie rears up with a terrified squeal and charges off after the boorish bureaucrat. Gurney's dizzying perspectives have an anxious, queasy quality. Many of his fair-goers, meanwhile, are rendered in the style of political caricatures, with an emphasis on gaping mouths and caterpillar eyebrows. The sculptural, waxy-faced crowd, saturated in orange and pink tones, resemble pigs themselves. A mismatch. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-In a time not so long ago, when the county fair was the single most important event for country folk, young Minerva and Tilly, "the biggest, cleanest, smartest hog around," try to win the heretofore elusive blue ribbon. Kiser's prose is relaxed, meandering through a day at the fair with Minerva, taking its sweet time getting to the hog-calling contest trumpeted in the title. The plot is predictable but appropriate-of course the little girl will win a blue ribbon-and the mild villain will get his due. Gurney's enthusiastic, full-color oil paintings create a lively visual background in which the plot unfolds. His characters are wide-eyed and open-mouthed, caught in theatrical poses reminiscent of a Broadway Music Man production. The book is a nostalgic, energetic country-life fantasy, a story of a simpler time that might well never have existed, but it's fun to think about.
Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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