Suddenly! A Preston Pig Story [Hardcover]

Colin McNaughton (Author)

Book Description

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

A large, toothy, mean-looking wolf zealously stalks Preston the pig. But each time the wolf gets close, Preston suddenly changes course and unknowingly eludes his pursuer. Colin McNaughton’s humorous illustrations enhance the element of surprise each time Preston “outsmarts” the wolf. Young readers will laugh with delight as this suspenseful tale unfolds. “Zany fun that’s perfect for young audiences.”--School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1?Disaster waits in the form of a wild-eyed, drooling wolf, but you couldn't prove it by Preston the Pig. Children meet him on his way home from school, the wolf's shadow lurking ominously behind him "when SUDDENLY!" the young porker remembers his mother had asked him to go to the store. Many more hilariously breathtaking moments follow as he unknowingly foils the predator. McNaughton peppers the narrative with big, bold use of the word "SUDDENLY," and readers are sure they will turn the page to discover fat little Preston locked in the beast's mangy jaws. Instead, the wolf encounters one disaster after another: falling off the school roof; swallowing a big, tough bully; and crashing a steamroller into a wall. When the pig arrives home, it looks like he may meet his nasty fate as a strangely lupine silhouette lurks at the kitchen sink. True to Preston's luck, it is only his mother, who turns around to give him a big hug. Young readers will delight in knowing more than the happily oblivious porcine hero. The art is ideal for group sharing, on a much larger scale than Guess Who's Just Moved In Next Door? (Random, 1991; o.p.). This story will make a good combination with other fairy tales in which all the pigs might not experience such a happy ending, and is a refreshing relief from the classic tale where the only way to save your hide is to be smart, industrious, and build a very strong house. Zany fun that's perfect for young audiences.?Lisa S. Murphy, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-7. Every time Preston "suddenly!" deviates from his path, he just misses being gobbled up by the big, bad wolf stalking the pink, plump pig. Clueless, Preston safely negotiates the walk home from school, going to the grocery store, returning to school to collect his grocery money, stopping at the park to play, collecting the groceries at the store, and coming home to his mother's arms. The incompetent wolf ends up being carried off to Wolf Hospital. The humor is visual, the mayhem is of the "Coyote and Roadrunner" cartoon variety, and the soft and sunny pastel-colored pencil-and-watercolor illustrations keep the mood light and jolly. This one-joke picture book, from the author-illustrator of Making Friends with Frankenstein: A Book of Monstrous Poems and Pictures (1994), is deftly executed and designed to amuse a young audience that will appreciate being in on the joke. Annie Ayres

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (March 29, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152003088
• ISBN-13: 978-0152003081
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,556,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Fun, March 1, 2001

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suddenly!: A Preston Pig Story (Paperback)

This imaginative book tells of an innocent little pig followed around the neighborhood by a hungry and scheming wolf. Each page shows Preston walking around the neighborhood seemingly in imminent danger (connoted by the words "when suddenly!" with "suddenly" in big bold type). As noted above, this is almost the pig and wolf equivalent of the Road Runner and Wiley Coyote (except the pig never plots against the wolf), and there are similarly benign results for the pig and violent injury to the wolf. The "violence" is cartoonish, but it's there (wolf is run over by his own steam roller, Billy the Bully gets bitten instead of our hero, Preston, the wolf crashes to the floor, and heavily bandaged wolf heads off to "wolf hospital): You may or may not believe such material is appropriate for your child. We thought it was alright, and the "Suddenly!" hook is a lot of fun (especially for you dramatic readers out there). Big, colorful, sometimes "Mad Magazine" style pictures in its 26 pages. This would also be a very good book for the beginning reader

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suddenly! is an absolute delight., October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Suddenly! A Preston Pig Story (Hardcover)

Colin McNaughton's book, Suddenly! is an absolute delight from start to finish. The illustrations are precious, especially the ever present smile on Preston's face and the look of chagrin on the wolf's face. I liked the book because of its predictibility. Young children love that repetition. My five year old and eight year old were very happy to exclaim, "Suddenly!" and "Silly me!" after just one reading. I can't wait to read some of McNaughton's other Preston books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good fun, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Suddenly!: A Preston Pig Story (Paperback)

easy reading level , but enough twists in the good humored plot to keep it interesting. If you like this, check our "the Trouble with Boys"