Piggie Pie! [Hardcover]

Margie Palatini (Author), Howard Fine (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Gritch the Witch is grouchy, grumpy, and very hungry. The only thing that could make her happy is something extra special for lunch, and that is: Piggie Pie! Gritch zooms off on her broomstick to find eight plump piggies -- where else? -- on Old MacDonald's Farm. Cleverly disguised pigs impersonate ducks, chickens, a cow, and Old MacDonald himself, as this uproarious, quick-paced story builds to an ironically surprising conclusion. Wacky, hip, and illustrated with bold, bright paintings, "Piggie Pie" adds a new twist to an old fairy-tale scene.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3?A very contemporary-sounding Gritch the Witch sets out for Old MacDonald's Farm to get herself a meal of plump piggies. Alerted, however, by her skywritten "Surrender Piggies!," the swine hastily don sheep, cow, and other barnyard disguises and fool her with their good acting (moos, quacks, etc.) and poker-faced denials of any pigs in residence. The still-hungry Gritch is persuaded to give up by a Big Bad Wolf (he's been unsuccessfully chasing three pigs for days), and the two go off for lunch, each picturing the other made into a sandwich. Children may not catch all the humorous references, like the yellow-pages ad for Yazgur's farm (site of the real Woodstock), but will quickly catch on to refrains in the text echoing "Old MacDonald." The exuberant illustrations are colorful and action-filled. Greedy (but not too bright) witch and wolf both get what they deserve in this thoroughly enjoyable romp that turns a popular nursery song on end.?Meg Stackpole, Rye Free Reading Room, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Halloween picture book, even though Gritch the Witch certainly looks her part (though a bit more trendy), with a pointy hat, a gap-toothed grin, vicious green fingernails, and two beauteous moles on her face. She acts her part, too, swaggering, greedy, and just plain impatient, as she brooms off to Old MacDonald's Farm in search of eight plump porkers for her favorite pie. But Palatini deftly turns the tables on Gritch, whose own sense of importance (and the skywritten warning "Surrender Piggies!" ) gives her victims time to implement a plan to save their bacon. When hungry Gritch arrives at the farm, she can't find a single pig. Instead, she finds a wolf, whom she slyly invites home: "I always enjoy having a wolf for lunch." The wry, peppery dialogue is simply great ("Look, Shorty, I've been quack-quacked here, moo-mooed there, and clucked-clucked everywhere all over this farm" ), and Palatini's allusions to popular children's stories from The Wizard of Oz to the "Three Little Pigs" will delight kids. So will Fine's bold, expressive artwork, which gives wicked Gritch a comic audacity that makes her trouncing all the better. A sardonically humorous, rip-roaring yarn that can be enjoyed all year round. Stephanie Zvirin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; 1ST edition (September 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395716918
• ISBN-13: 978-0395716915
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 10.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wow. My very first picture book -- PIGGIE PIE!, is celebrating
it's fifteenth anniversary this year! It tickles me to know that
'Gritch' is still giving giggles.
Visit her and my other characters on my website: www.margiepalatini.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun for kids and parents too!, April 8, 2005

By 

J. Hamer "JH-Con" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piggie Pie! (Paperback)

I am a children's librarian and an important part of my job is to find picture books to read aloud during our story hours. Three important criteria used to select a picture book to read to a group of children are: 1) Does the reader have fun with the story? And will they be able to convey this enthusiasm to the audience? 2) Will the children be enjoying the story? and 3) Are the pictures pleasing to the eye? Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini results in a very enthusiastic YES! to all three of these criteria.

Gritch the Witch is hungry. After deciding she wants to make piggie pie, but has no pigs handy, she begins her quest to find piggies. Upon arriving on Old MacDonald's farm, she spots some delicious looking piggies as she's flying on her broom over the farm. However, when she lands, there isn't a piggie to be found. The piggies are on to her and are disguised in a VERY clever manner, so she won't notice them. Will she find out? What will happen next?

When I read this in one of my story hours, the children (who ranged from toddler age to about 5 years old) were VERY into the story. This book also has that wonderful ability to make adults laugh as well, with some references to other tales and clever pictures. A person who loves to use different voices (such as a screechy witch voice) will have a field day reading this book aloud to children.

This book comes with my very enthusiastic recommendation. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharing this book, July 16, 2005

By 

Ema - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piggie Pie! (Paperback)

This picture book makes a wonderful read aloud but I would suggest small groups so children can view the humor in the illustrations. The humor, wordplay, and references to other fairy tales and Mother Goose rhymes make this book suitable for a variety of age levels.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever book with a unexpected piggie plot., October 9, 2006

By 

Cady Hayden "Children's Book Author" (Bergenfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piggie Pie! (Hardcover)

Critch the Witch is evil. She wants piggie pie and needs 8 pigs to make it. She flies to the nearest farm where she sky writes, 'Surrender Piggies' to scare them into a pile of pigs. When she lands there isn't a pig in sight. Meanwhile in the barn, the clever pigs are putting on other farm animal disguises. A few dress up as chickens, some wear a cow costume and others pile high enough to act as the farmer. All of them tell here there are No Piggies to be found here. The mad witch spots the big bad wolf (all skin and bones from being tricked so many times by the pigs and never getting a good meal) and decides to Have Him for lunch instead. Great illustrations, scary witch pictures for little kids but fun farm pictures for identifying the piggie tails and hooves in each disguise. My only complaint is that this story is a bit wordy.