Piggie Pie! (Paperback)

~ (Author), Howard Fine (Illustrator) "Gritch the Witch woke up grouchy, grumpy, and very hungry..." (more)
Key Phrases: plump piggies, Piggie Pie

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3?A very contemporary-sounding Gritch the Witch sets out for Old MacDonald's Farm to get herself a meal of plump piggies. Alerted, however, by her skywritten "Surrender Piggies!," the swine hastily don sheep, cow, and other barnyard disguises and fool her with their good acting (moos, quacks, etc.) and poker-faced denials of any pigs in residence. The still-hungry Gritch is persuaded to give up by a Big Bad Wolf (he's been unsuccessfully chasing three pigs for days), and the two go off for lunch, each picturing the other made into a sandwich. Children may not catch all the humorous references, like the yellow-pages ad for Yazgur's farm (site of the real Woodstock), but will quickly catch on to refrains in the text echoing "Old MacDonald." The exuberant illustrations are colorful and action-filled. Greedy (but not too bright) witch and wolf both get what they deserve in this thoroughly enjoyable romp that turns a popular nursery song on end.?Meg Stackpole, Rye Free Reading Room, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Halloween picture book, even though Gritch the Witch certainly looks her part (though a bit more trendy), with a pointy hat, a gap-toothed grin, vicious green fingernails, and two beauteous moles on her face. She acts her part, too, swaggering, greedy, and just plain impatient, as she brooms off to Old MacDonald's Farm in search of eight plump porkers for her favorite pie. But Palatini deftly turns the tables on Gritch, whose own sense of importance (and the skywritten warning "Surrender Piggies!" ) gives her victims time to implement a plan to save their bacon. When hungry Gritch arrives at the farm, she can't find a single pig. Instead, she finds a wolf, whom she slyly invites home: "I always enjoy having a wolf for lunch." The wry, peppery dialogue is simply great ("Look, Shorty, I've been quack-quacked here, moo-mooed there, and clucked-clucked everywhere all over this farm" ), and Palatini's allusions to popular children's stories from The Wizard of Oz to the "Three Little Pigs" will delight kids. So will Fine's bold, expressive artwork, which gives wicked Gritch a comic audacity that makes her trouncing all the better. A sardonically humorous, rip-roaring yarn that can be enjoyed all year round. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (August 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395866189
• ISBN-13: 978-0395866184
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,024 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun for kids and parents too!, April 8, 2005

By	J. Hamer "JH-Con" (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a children's librarian and an important part of my job is to find picture books to read aloud during our story hours. Three important criteria used to select a picture book to read to a group of children are: 1) Does the reader have fun with the story? And will they be able to convey this enthusiasm to the audience? 2) Will the children be enjoying the story? and 3) Are the pictures pleasing to the eye? Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini results in a very enthusiastic YES! to all three of these criteria.

Gritch the Witch is hungry. After deciding she wants to make piggie pie, but has no pigs handy, she begins her quest to find piggies. Upon arriving on Old MacDonald's farm, she spots some delicious looking piggies as she's flying on her broom over the farm. However, when she lands, there isn't a piggie to be found. The piggies are on to her and are disguised in a VERY clever manner, so she won't notice them. Will she find out? What will happen next?

When I read this in one of my story hours, the children (who ranged from toddler age to about 5 years old) were VERY into the story. This book also has that wonderful ability to make adults laugh as well, with some references to other tales and clever pictures. A person who loves to use different voices (such as a screechy witch voice) will have a field day reading this book aloud to children.

This book comes with my very enthusiastic recommendation. Enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pigs Outsmart Gritch the Witch!!, November 3, 2001

By	Dian, SJSU Graduate Student, Library and Info... (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

What do you do when you want Piggie Pie for breakfast and you are out of piggies? If you are Gritch the Witch, you hop on your broomstick and head for Old MacDonald's farm, which is exactly what happens in the story Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini. However, these piggies are too smart for Gritch and thwart her attempt to find them by donning costumes of other animals and pretending that there are "No piggies" at Old MacDonald's farm. Any child who hears this story will need to catch his breath from
laughing so hard as Gritch the Witch becomes more frustrated and excited as each page turns. The laughter will reach a crescendo when Gritch meets Mr. Wolf and they each have their own plan for lunch.

Librarians will have to arm wrestle each other to see who gets to be the one to read this story at a story time program. Each page is ripe with numerous opportunities to try out various voices of each of the animals. Howard Fine's illustrations are an integral part of the story because they clarify how the piggies fool Gritch. By the end of this delightfully funny story all who hear it will be rolling in the aisles!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4th graders love Palatini, February 2, 2007

By	Ethel Smith "addicted reader" (Wyoming USA) - See all my reviews

Though Palatini's books are billed as read-alouds for a younger audience, my fourth graders can't get enough! The books are simple enough for even my lowest readers to tackle independently, yet clever enough that my high readers choose them as well. The humor appeals to all ages. In fact, there are many things my kids "get" that younger children don't. My students recommend Palatini books to each other all the time, and I can't keep them on my shelves. I am on my third copy of Piggie Pie and currently need to replace my worn-out copy of Moosetache. They've simply been "read to death". There is no higher praise for a children's book!