Pig Tale [Hardcover]

Helen Oxenbury (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

When they find a treasure chest in the orchard, two discontented pigs abandon their rural paradise for what they think will be the pleasures of a more luxurious life.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Briggs the pig and his wife, Bertha, are bored with their lives and think that a lot of money might make the difference. Fortuitously, they find a treasure, which allows them to buy everything their little piggy hearts desire: clothes, cars, a luxurious new home. But, as with so many things in life, the reality is messier than the dream. Cars break down, appliances go on the fritz, and soon the pigs find that their possessions own them. Despite their pigginess, Bertha and Briggs are charming enough as drawn by Oxenbury, their story alternating between full-page art that escapes its borders and square or rectangular images that appear several to a page. The artwork provides the laughs as the pigs grow more and more flummoxed by their new lives, and when they spring free from their clothing, children can almost feel the freedom. Still, considering kids want what they want when they want it, the pigs' epiphany might resonate more with the adult readers than the child listeners. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

From the 1970 Kate Greenaway Medal winner, another reminder that the simple life is where it's at and animals should definitely not wear clothing. Oxenbury's two pigs, bored and discontented though "they had plenty to eat,/ a warm sty with a thatch,/ An orchard to play in/ and trees for a scratch," find a buried treasure and jubilantly convert it to clothes, a car and a house complete with swimming pool. But all the appliances and motors give them so much trouble that after one bad day they chuck it all and return to their orchard and mud, flinging off clothing with rapturous abandon as they go - for now "To be careless and free and to romp and to play/ Was all that they wanted to do every day." Oxenbury's fleshy pigs are pictured with a free-and-easy flair; her rhymed text has some bright touches too, although it tends to become monotonous toward the end as it bounces along in the service of the overly familiar concept. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (July 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416902775
• ISBN-13: 978-1416902775
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...And I Am a Material Pig, February 17, 2006

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pig Tale (Hardcover)

Bertha and Briggs are two pigs who live the pig's life: Simple, playful, and muddy. By all rights, they should be content, and they do look happy when we see them on a typical day. Still, underneath it all, these are two bored pigs: "Nothing happens to us--every day is the same." They're pigs with a dream, however, dreams of wealth and riches.

That presents a problem, for how do two ambitious but four-footed pigs get wealthy. Well-known author/illustrator Helen Oxenbury solves this one quickly--they find buried treasure--and soon the pigs are off to sample the more exclusive shops of the nearby town. First, it's off to the bank, where their piggy appearance gets them booted by the manager. The manager quickly changes his tune when he sees their gold. (I believe something similar happened to Janis Joplin at an auto dealership.)

Exchanging their gold for green, they go on a "shopping spree!" "Briggs turn was next, and he felt quite a swell--he tried on four suits and they fit him quite well." Oxenbury is so talented that Briggs really does look quite dapper in his pin-striped suit! They're rich enough to buy a stretch limo (!) and that farmhouse they'd seen, and Bertha and Briggs enjoy their new status, especially Briggs. (Perhaps Bertha fancies herself a Martha Stewart, but she handles all the domestic chores, whilte Briggs putters, reads, and makes a few phone calls.)

Without giving too much away, the two pigs very soon discover that possessions can be a headache: It's sort of a pig version of "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." Another octet of pictures shows their newfound troubles: "At last the two pigs couldn't stand any more. Briggs grabbed Bertha's arm, and they dashed through the door." The grass is always greener, and after destroying some vestiges of their consPIGuous consumption, that's exactly where the two wiser pigs fall asleep that night, au naturale and happy again.

The rhymes are clever, move the story along briskly, and unforced--there are no inverted sentences just to make words rhyme. Her gouache, pencil, and ink illustrations are uncommonly fresh, crisp, and extremely well-matched to the narrative. For example, after an opening series of small pictures depicting typical porcine pleasures (including wallowing, eating, scratching, dozing, gossiping). her full-page illustration of the pigs overlooking the large, luxury farmhouse accompanies a larger, more thematic rhyme: "But Bertha and Briggs were never content. "On money and riches their two minds were bent./There were so many wonderful things they would do-- /only then would they really be happy, they knew."

Ms. Oxenbury's symmetric structure, original and humorous rhymes, and warm, whimsical illustrations give "Pig Tale" an enormous appeal. It should be very high on the book list of anyone with an appetite for piggy lit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Briggs the Pigg, March 14, 2006

By 

Andrew V. Pasholk (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pig Tale (Hardcover)

a cute book about Briggs the Pig and his wife Bertha. It shows that you have to be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.