My Pig Amarillo [Hardcover]

Satomi Ichikawa (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Amarillo is Pablito's best friend. They do everything together-run, hide from each other, jump in the mud. They are inseparable, just like many best friends. But Amarillo is a bit different-he is a little yellow pig.

When Pablito comes home from school one day and Amarillo isn't there, Pablito is devastated. Where could he be? Pablito can't eat; he can't sleep. His heart feels as if it will break wide open. But Grandfather has an idea, a way for Pablito to send a message to Amarillo, and help him say goodbye to his best friend.

My Pig Amarillo is a beautiful story for children of all ages, full of friendship and love and learning to let go.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. There are many books about children losing a pet, but this one about a boy and his pig has both a softness and brightness that transcends other, more traditional, stories. Youngsters will feel the affection between Pablito, a Guatemalan boy, and his pig, Amarillo, just from looking at the book cover, which pictures the porker draped over his boy like a child on his father's shoulders. Pablito received the pig as a gift from his grandfather when it was a tiny baby, yellow in color (hence the name Amarillo). The pig and the boy become fast friends, as a series of vignettes shows. But one day, Amarillo is not in its hut. The boy is distraught, crying into his pillow, "I am waiting for you to come back, but you don't." Nothing comforts Pablito, not even the wooden pig Grandfather carves, until All Saint's Day. By now it is clear that Amarillo will not return, but Grandfather says they can send a message with a kite on the holiday. Pablito works hard on his kite, sending it into the sky at the cemetery. Then over a mountain appears an enormous cloud. It's in the shape of a pig, and to Pablito, it seems Amarillo is smiling down at him. Ichikawa uses her Guatemalan setting very effectively, but she also wraps the story in universal emotions: love, longing, grief, hope. The pen-and-watercolor artwork brings children close to all facets of Pablito's story. On one level, the ending is utterly realistic: Amarillo is gone. But the miracle of comfort is there, too, smiling down in the face of a pig. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399237682
• ISBN-13: 978-0399237683
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Pig Amarillo, January 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: My Pig Amarillo (Hardcover)

Set in Guatemala, My Pig Amarillo is a beautiful tale about a boy and his pet pig. Not only does the storyline provide an introduction to the celebration of Day of the Dead in Guatemala, but its also has a gentle and hopeful message that teaches children (and adults) a positive way to cope with loss. The lovely illustrations accurately capture the mountainous landscape of Guatemala, the colorful dress of the Mayan people, and the overall simplicity of life in this remarkable country. As a teacher and the wife of a Guatemalan, this book is one of my favorites, and I highly reccommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enriching, Guatemalan story, January 16, 2006

By 

M. Quinonez "myquinonez" (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Pig Amarillo (Hardcover)

Being from Guatemala, I am always looking for literature for my young child. This book has enriched our cultural heritage, not only by the story but with the illustrations. Great book for beginner reader, especially to read on Nov. 1, Dia de Todos los Santos.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teaching tool for synthesis, October 16, 2005

By 

Sylvia Replogle "Grade 5 Teacher" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Pig Amarillo (Hardcover)

Hard to find books that teach children synthesis, but My Pig Amarillo is one you can use. The ending is not the usual happy ending, and therefore, it will cause the class to think a bit. I was very pleased with the lesson plan I came up using this book to teach synthesis, a tough subject for the 5th grade.
Lovely illustrations, well written, teaches about a new country, I recommend this book highly for all elementary libraries, and classrooms.