Pippin The Christmas Pig [Hardcover]

Jean Little (Author), Werner Zimmermann (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Pippin the pig shows the boasting barn animals that giving of yourself is the best Christmas gift of all.

Tomorrow is Christmas, and all the animals are boasting to little Pippin the pig about the important gifts their VERY-great-grandparents gave to the special baby that was born in a stable long ago. When Pippin wants to know what the pigs gave, the animals scoff - what could a pig have given a holy child? Dejected, Pippin heads out alone into a raging snow storm. There he meets a lost mother and baby, and leads them to the warmth of the barn. And in caring for this family in need, the animals see that giving of yourself is the best Christmas gift of all.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–When the animals in the barn boast about the important roles their ancestors played during the first Christmas, Pippin the pig is so upset to learn that her ancestors didn't give a gift that she runs off into the snow. Miraculously (and a bit jarringly), she meets a homeless mother and her baby and leads them to the stable, where she convinces the other animals to help them. The point about the best gift being kindness and love may be lost on small children, who will like this book for the interplay among the animals and for the sweet portrayal of the endearing Pippin. The atmospheric watercolor-and-pencil illustrations are full of child appeal, with Pippin (who looks like a cross between Wilbur and Olivia) standing out pinkly against the dark barn and snowy fields.–E. M.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Pres-Gr. 2. All the animals in the barn are excited, but Pippin, a young pig, doesn't know what Christmas is. Then she learns that unlike the donkey, cow, and sheep, her ancestors had nothing to do with Christmas. "What present could a pig possibly give a baby anyway?" asks the cow. Sad little Pippin leaves the barn and finds herself caught in a snowstorm. Lost and scared, she's still too angry to go back. Then she sees a young mother and her baby, poorly dressed, looking for shelter from the storm. Despite her antipathy for her barn mates, Pippin leads the mother and child to the barn, where the animals come to realize that boasting about their ancestors isn't as meaningful as taking care of a real baby. This new twist on the animals-at-Christmas tale works as both a holiday story and an insightful little piece on human nature (animal facades notwithstanding). The framed paintings are softly colored, and the animals are realistically depicted, except for Pippin, who has a bit of cartoon character in her impish expressions. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439650623
• ISBN-13: 978-0439650625
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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