Piggies in a Polka [Hardcover]

Kathi Appelt (Author), LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

It's the yearly hootenanny for piggies all across the holler. They're hankerin' for a porky polka rhythm--plus a piggy rigadoon, a piggy roundelay, and, of course, a piggy mosh pit!
Energetic illustrations and rhythmic rhymes introduce musical styles and instruments to the youngest readers, and the charming cast of piggies is simply irresistible. This bouncing barn dance is the place to be--so grab your piggy partner and join in!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-The pigs in the holler are gathering for the annual hootenanny. The action of the story, told in rhyming quatrains, consists of the creatures cavorting to polkas, square dances, and the hokey "porky," and ending up in a piggy mosh pit. While there are some amusing touches and the verse scans reasonably well, there is nothing of substance here to maintain interest or inspire rereading. Pham's watercolor and colored-pencil digital-media art has decent design elements but suffers from an excess of pinks and reds. Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault's Barn Dance (Holt, 1995) is a better story of nighttime farm shenanigans.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Kindergarten-Grade 2-The pigs in the holler are gathering for the annual hootenanny. The action of the story, told in rhyming quatrains, consists of the creatures cavorting to polkas, square dances, and the hokey "porky," and ending up in a piggy mosh pit. While there are some amusing touches and the verse scans reasonably well, there is nothing of substance here to maintain interest or inspire rereading. Pham's watercolor and colored-pencil digital-media art has decent design elements but suffers from an excess of pinks and reds. Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault's Barn Dance (Holt, 1995) is a better story of nighttime farm shenanigans.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
(School Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152164839
• ISBN-13: 978-0152164836
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,194,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educators Recommend, February 28, 2004

By 

Education Oasis "Education Oasis" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Piggies in a Polka (Hardcover)

From all across the holler,
from every nook and cranny,
all the piggies are arriving
for the yearly hootenanny.

So begins this rhythmic, rhyming read-aloud. On each double-page spread we see the pigs prancing, romping, dancing, stomping, singing, sighing (at the glorious voice of the "peachy-keen soprano") and having a rollicking good time.

Pham does an excellent job at capturing the pigs' merriment and high-spirited hoofing. Done in watercolor and colored pencil, the double-paged illustrations are filled with lots of action and humorous piggy poses and facial expressions. Smartly, Pham keeps the book from being overwhelmingly busy by limiting the inside scenes primarily to pinks, peaches, yellows, and oranges. The layout and judicious use of white space make the book a pleasure to read as well as look at.

When the book arrived here at Education Oasis all our teacher-reviewers loved it. The litmus test for us, however, is whether or not it works in the classroom. We took it into several classrooms to see how the prancing porkers faired. The students to whom we read it also loved it and demanded several re-readings. Thankfully, Appelt's text is great fun to read aloud. The rhymes roll off the tongue easily.

Don't miss this one!

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Favorite, July 27, 2005

By 

Jeffrey M. Blais (Palm Bay, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piggies in a Polka (Hardcover)

This book has instantly become my 19 month old daughter's favorite. It is the first book she wants read in the morning, as well as the last before bed at night.

5.0 out of 5 stars fun!, July 19, 2005

By 

Jennifer Luszcz (Pawtucket, RI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Piggies in a Polka (Hardcover)

This book has the rhyming scheme that kids (and adults!) love. The illustrations have so many details that the kids keep looking to find new things. Great, fun book!