Customer Reviews

Pigs In The Mud In The Middle Of The Rud

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I LOVE reading this book to my kids, and they love it, too. It's not too long, great illustrations, and I swear I know that grandma. The family is off to town for the day but the farm animals are in the road. One by one, the whole family tries to get them out of the way. Finally granny says, "Shoowee, up to me!" and gets the job done by calling out "Time for sup!" She gets covered in mud by the stampeding animals, but she's off to town anyway. Must be read enthusiastically.

A farm family driving their Model T over a single "rud" (at first I thought this was a convenient gimmick, but it's the Maine pronunciation of "rud") is blocked, successively, by groups of pigs, hens, sheep, and bulls. Similarly, each member of the family vacates the Ford, shouting and cajoling to no avail. John Schoenherr's illustrations capture the essence of each animal, and he varies the amount of white space to show the growing people/animal menagerie in the middle of the rud. His compositions, expressive faces, and long-limbed characters recall another favorite illustrator, the great Patricia Polacco.

The short conversational rhymes convey the interrupted road trip and a humorous parody of laconic rural dialogue. The repetitive structure breeds an engaging familiarity , and makes this appropriate for young readers too:

"Sheep in the rud!"
Grandma said.

Oh no. Won't do.
Gotta shoo. But who?

"I'll shoo. That's who."
Mama said.

And she shooed.
And she jeered.
And she baa~ed.
And she sheered.

But the sheep didn't shuffle.
Not a tiny little shmuffle.

It's Grandma, a shadowed backseat driver until she screams "TIME FOR SUP," who finally clears the rud, although at a muddy price. She's the centerpiece of this colorful tall tale whose repetitive structure and vernacular mirror that of Nancy Van Loon's very popular "Possum Comes A-Knockin. The book is an impressive picture book debut for Lynn Plourde, and adds to the work of Caldecott Medal winner Schoenherr. "Pigs" is deceptively simple; with no clever fonts, commercial or celebrity ties, or other gimmicky distractions, the book is a grand achievement, attained solely on the strength of its writing and illustration.

This rhythmic, repetitive, and energetic book depicts a 1950's Northeastern family on a trip into town in their Model T Ford. But their forward progress is repeatedly blocked by a variety of ever-increasing animals. Brother, sister, mama, and papa all take a turn to try to clear the way, but all are unsuccessful until Grandma gets "her dander up" and takes decisive action... with dramatic results.

This book has all the qualities toddlers love: predictability, simple slapstick hilarity, rhythm, and drama mixed with a warm family dynamic. Adults will enjoy reading it aloud, and there is enough complexity to draw in older elementary children. Plourde demonstrates a flair with wordplay, effortlessly weaving invented words such as "shmuffle" and "smarge" into her well-written story events, and her subtle interpersonal humor will make this an instant, and repeated, success. Schoenherr's illustrations depart from the more somber mood of Owl Moon into bright watercolors situated against white space, creating a lightheartedly playful experience.

My son (2) absolutely LOVES this book. We read it Every night before bedtime.

He loves to yell out 'TIME FOR SUP' when it comes time in the book.

I have read this book a hundred times to my grandchildren.
I know it by heart and so do they.
This is a clever and fun book!
Lynn Plourde is a fantastic author...

This is one of our favorite read aloud books at my house. I originally discovered it at the library, and liked it so much I have purchased a copy for my home, as well as a few others I have given as gifts. When I read it aloud, I do a heavy Southern accent, and it always gets a giggle from my audience. The illustrations are just delightful, and really engage the reader, but leave enough to imagination as the story develops that the end is a truly unexpected, delightful giggle.

You can't help loving this book as you read it aloud to your children. It is adorable. As the family drives down the muddy road, it becomes crowded as animal after animal gets into their way. Everyone tries to get the animals to move, but in the end, it is up to Grandma! Adorable! The one negetive reviewer clearly did not read the book very well, since some of the information decribing the book is incorrect.

I LOVE reading this book to my kids, and they love it, too. It's not too long, great illustrations, and I swear I know that grandma. The family is off to town for the day but the farm animals are in the road. One by one, the whole family tries to get them out of the way. Finally granny says, "Shoowee, up to me!" and gets the job done by calling out "Time for sup!" She gets covered in mud by the stampeding animals, but she's off to town anyway. Must be read enthusiastically.

My 2-year-old son loves this book! It has a wonderful repetitive rhyme that your child will love. "Pigs in the mud in the middle of the rud. Oh, no. Won't do. Gotta shoo. But who? I'll shoo, that's who, Papa said." My son especially likes when the Grandma says "Ooooooeeee! Up to me!" at the end and saves the day.

Pigs in the Mud In the Middle of the Rud

Lynn plourde and John Schoenherr
Down East Books

This story is about pigs in the mud right in the middle of the rud. The family members are all driving on the trail and they see these pigs in the mud, so they stoped and got out and tried to push them but `they are not budging. There were chickens stuck in the mud, then came the fluffy sheep,then then the big bulls came in the middle of the rud.
The grandma in this book is the one in charge here. She bosses every one around in the book. Grandma is old and uptight. There are two brothers and one sister in the family and the mom is the one who doesn't do anything in the book. The brothers and sisters are the ones that are mostly trying to get the animals out of the mud.
I do not recommend this book because it didn't make any sense at all. The characters in this book are not lifelike. The main idea of the whole book this book that the family couldn't get through the mud, but they could just go around pigs and all he other animals in the mud, The book is not good for me but it might for good for little kids that like this kind of book.