Pig, Pigger, Piggest [Hardcover]

Rick Walton (Author), Jimmy Holder (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

When three scary witches decide they want the beautiful castles that three pigs have built for themselves, there are surprising results.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this unremarkable but good-humored rewriting of "The Three Little Pigs," three big pigs--Pig, Pigger and Piggest--build correspondingly large castles, all of which are reduced to mudholes when each pig refuses to hand it over to the corresponding Witch, Witcher and Witchest who demands it. In the pat ending, the porcine brothers, delighted with their mudholes, propose marriage to the witches and promise to rebuild. Pictorial details continue the comparative rhetoric, boasting "cheap sheep" and "cheapest sheepest," etc. (each more absurdly broad than the last). Debut children's book illustrator Holder plays along with a jaunty, caricatured style. His slightly shiny, rotund pigs--and similarly bulging bats, clouds and suits of armor--give the impression of having been inflated to the point of bursting. While Walton's (You Don't Always Get What You Hope For) playful progressive comparisons are enjoyably goofy (e.g., Pigger builds a "taller-waller, thicker-bricker castle" than Pig's tall-wall, thick-brick castle"), they don't quite sustain a narrative and grow monotonous, as nearly all refer to size. Perhaps not the funniest, it's funnier than many; and definitely a funny book. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-2--Pig, Pigger, and Piggest are brothers who set off to build the castles of their dreams. Each pig is then visited by one of three witch sisters who live nearby in the forest. "Let me come in. I am rich, and I want to buy your castle," states each one, but the brothers refuse to give up their homes. The witches then call upon Huff and Puff to blow the castles down, leaving only mudpiles. Then the three swine ask the witches to marry them. Overcome by emotion, the witches agree, and they live sloppily ever after. There have been some very clever take-offs on the classic "The Three Little Pigs." Unfortunately, this particular story leaves much to be desired. Although the pictures cleverly illustrate the action, the plot is wanting. For example, there is no satisfactory explanation given for why the witches want the castles. The fact that the pigs suddenly wish to marry them because they make beautiful mud is far-fetched. The pictures creatively portray the soft, round pigs and soft, even rounder witches, and there are some visual surprises that casual observers may miss, but the unfocused story line makes this an unnecessary purchase.

Carrie A. Guarria, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith Publishers; 1st edition (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879058064
• ISBN-13: 978-0879058067
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,299,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever and great for the classroom, August 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Pig, Pigger, Piggest (Hardcover)

I have a growing collection of works that are variations of classic folk and fairytales. This is one of the cleverest reworkings of the 3 Little Pigs I've seen. In the literacy program I am working on in Chicago Public Schools, we are using this book in several intermediate grade classrooms as an engaging way to teaching a point of grammar (comparative and superlative forms) and as one of a series of 3 Little Pig stories we are comparing--the end goal is to turn the kids into authors of their own "fractured fairy tale."

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning superlatives while enjoying a good story, September 24, 2004

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pig, Pigger, Piggest (Paperback)

In a loose retelling of the story of the Three Little Pigs, author Rick Walton provides a romp through the world of superlatives. Join Pig, Pigger, and Piggest as they build their homes from the mud, muddier, and muddiest places. Of course there are the mean witch, witcher, and witchest, who seek to bring trouble into the lives of the pigs, but in a surprise ending everything turns out for the best for everyone. A fun book that is sure to keep children entertained Pig Pigger Piggest gets a high, higher, highest recommendation.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaching -er and -est, January 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pig, Pigger, Piggest (Hardcover)

As a first grader teacher, this is the BEST book to really drive home the comparison of big, bigger, and biggest (and similar ideas). The students really enjoyed predicting what the next -er and -est would be once they heard "cheap sheep", "tall wall", "squeak", "cat", "witch", "huff and puff", etc. The story line was even OK for a children's book, but it's definitely worth it just for learning the skill of adding -er and -est to words!!