Hog-Eye [Hardcover]

Susan Meddaugh (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Getting onto the wrong school bus was the pig's first mistake. Her second was choosing to take the path through the forest. The next thing she knows, a wolf has grabbed her and thrown her into a sack, all the while singing a song about soup. Lucky for the pig, she's smart and can read. She stalls for all the time she can, but pretty soon she realizes she'll have to use the dreaded Hog-Eye stare: Hog-eye! Hog-eye! Magic stare! Make him itchy everywhere. On his nose and in his hair. Even in his underwear!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The creator of Martha the talking dog (Martha Speaks; Martha Calling) deftly spins a fairy tale about a modern piglet who outwits a big bad wolf. "Yesterday, my whole family met me at the door. They wanted to know why I didn't go to school," the narrator begins. She proceeds to relate a harrowing story of catching the wrong bus and disembarking near some deep dark woods. The mother pig swoons to hear that her daughter was captured by a wolf, but the others are transfixed as the youngster explains how she escaped being made into soup. The wolf, it seems, cannot read, and he allows the pig to list soup ingredients (among them "Green Three-Leaf," aka poison ivy) from a cookbook (actually a volume titled "EZ Car Care"). "Hog-Eye" is the name of the "spell" the piglet casts, just as the ivy triggers the wolf's uncontrollable itching. As in the Martha books, Meddaugh expertly controls the pace by alternating text and droll voice-bubble asides. The wolf-related action is rendered primarily in large images, while the piglet and her shocked family appear in smaller watercolors at the foot of the page. Even as she shows that the imperiled pig has lived to tell her tale, the author maintains dramatic tension, heightening the comedy of this riotous caper. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Meddaugh presents a hilarious story within a story as a piglet tells her family how she was caught by a wolf and nearly made into soup. Seeing that her captor is illiterate (he thinks E-Z Car Care is his granny's cookbook and "reads" upside down), she reads him a recipe that sends him on a wild wolf chase to a booby-trapped vegetable garden, to Torrential Waterfalls for fresh water, and to the forest for "Green Threeleaf" (poison ivy). Just as he prepares to light the fire, she chants a verse warning him that her "Hog-Eye" magic will make him itch everywhere, which of course he begins to do. She promises to release the spell if he lets her go, and thus makes her escape. Outside the main watercolor illustrations of the piglet's adventure, her family members comment on the action in dialogue balloons. Because of the dual story line; the marginal comments; and the numerous small, humorous details; this title will work better for small group or individual reading. Meddaugh's pigs, as well as her choice of villain, bear close resemblance to Mary Rayner's "Garth Pig" tales (Atheneum). Like Rayner's books, Hog-Eye will be heartily welcomed by children.?Susan Hepler, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395742765
• ISBN-13: 978-0395742761
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #743,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Meddaugh was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She graduated from Wheaton College, where she studied French literature and fine arts. After working briefly with an advertising agency in New York, she moved to Boston and worked at a publishing company for ten years, first as a designer, then art editor, and finally as art director. While there, she did the illustrations for GOOD STONES (Houghton Mifflin) by Anne Epstein, and then decided to strike out on her own as a freelance illustrator and creator of children's books. Since that time, Susan has written and illustrated many popular books for children. She lives in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read aloud, June 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hog-Eye (Hardcover)

Hog-eye is one of those books that elementary librarians like myself search for. It is a wonderful excellent read aloud that the children enjoy especially the "underwear" part. It is also a wonderful book about the importance of reading without hitting the children over the head. Also I could really get into reading aloud this book. It was such a fun experience for students and I. Thank you Susan Meddaugh.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hog-Eye.. a hilarious children's story, April 14, 2010

By 

Walker Z. (CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hog-Eye (Hardcover)

This is a great story... hilarious.. for children from 2-102 yrs. I bought it just to have when my family needs some cheering up.

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite for 5-8 year olds, December 7, 2009

By 

Gracie (Olathe KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hog-Eye (Paperback)

This has been a favorite of my daughters since they were four and five. The story is very funny (for adults, too) and the parts where the characters speak in "bubbles", cartoon-style, really made this an immediate favorite with the kids.