2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super Book, December 16, 2007
This review is from: Pigs Love Potatoes (Hardcover)
It's just a little book about pigs. It's about potatoes too. It's mostly a sparsely worded picture book of 32 pages. The intended audience seems to span ages 4 through 8. Thus "Pigs Love Potatoes" appears to be just so much verbal pablum. Or so one would think. From the first wide-eyed glance of the cover's apron'd mother pig clutching a colander brimming with potatoes to the last sweet picture of two piglets cleaning their plates, the reader, no matter his or her age, senses the uncommonly special essence of this book. That elusive WOW factor is evidenced on every single jaw-dropping page.
There is so much to like about this spudtacular little gem. Mostly I like that the authors stay within certain boundaries, limiting the complexity of the plot, limiting the ambitiousness of word choices, and even limiting the number count to TEN. What they've created is a book with a great story, intrinsic didactic value, and elements that demand repetitive readings. It's one of those special, children's books worth purchasing, and a quality addition to the family library.
Christopher Denise's illustrations are outstanding, warranting long looks and repeat visits. That his art was created with acrylic and charcoal on board means little to me, but the fabulous detail one these pages and the artist's obvious talents do impress. His personification of the pigs is credible and effective with their humanlike gestures and emotive facial expressions. Even someone like myself who can barely draw a stick figure can appreciate, the dominant pastels and occasional contrasting bright colors. Texture, shadow, and minute detail work so well on conscious and unconscious levels. Details like the little pig tails and one little pig's thick glasses add a richness and depth to the story and make this loving porcine family as endearing as any human household.
I like the consistency of sentence length, rhyme, and word choices. Since almost all pages have two or four lines per page, the page with one line and a pigture of the family waiting on a porch glider is an absolutely masterful, dramatic pause.
It's a nice touch that the word numbers are capitalized for emphasis. I also like that the illustrations offer so much visual contextualization and opportunities for questioning, exploration, and conversation.
On many pages the reader sees the family's cat, companion to the children and observer of family activities. The ever-present, docile feline adds a unifying element of consistency, familiarity, and genuine warmth to the story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pigs Love Potatoes - Outstanding!, January 29, 2008
This review is from: Pigs Love Potatoes (Hardcover)
This book is a joy to read and to have read to you! We love the story of the piggies and the potatoes for their family and neighbors. We never tire of reading it and read it at least once a day to our 2-year old daughter. We just wish the authors had more books for us to purchase because we would certainly buy them!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Parents will find it a fun, satisfying read-aloud, January 8, 2008
This review is from: Pigs Love Potatoes (Hardcover)
One pig wants potatoes - setting off a chain reaction that spreads through his family even to the neighbors. Now all the pigs want potatoes in this fine and lively picturebook packing a rollicking rhyme with an easy reader helping kids to learn to read. Parents will find it a fun, satisfying read-aloud, too.
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