Five Little Piggies (Paperback)

by David Martin (Author), Susan Meddaugh (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This uncommonly diverting picture book tells why this little piggy went to market and that one stayed home. Five chapters introduce the porcine quintet one by one, according to the nursery rhyme. In the first episode, Momma Piggy sends her daughter skipping to the market for eggs, milk and apples, then welcomes the young shopper home with a hug. Her son is having a hard day in the second tale, so Momma Pig lets him stay home from school: "We had slopcakes and syrup for lunch!" he boasts to his siblings, who then scheme to stay home the following morning. The third piggy rejects her dish of slop and requests roast beef, which she garnishes with squishy leftovers, arguing, "That's not slops. That's roast beef!" With utmost attention and a sly sense of humor, illustrator Meddaugh (Martha Speaks) gives each character a distinctive personality and outfit. Cartoon voice-bubble asides and hand-printed exclamations supplement Martin's (Little Chicken Chicken) lively text; the fifth piggy, who cries, " 'Wee wee wee' all the way to the bathroom," exclaims with evident relief, "I almost didn't make it!" as her brother giggles. Indulgent Momma Piggy presides over every scene, never growing impatient with her piglets. By the end of the volume, readers have become acquainted with each of the characters, whose individual stories can be re-read singly or as a group. Martin and Meddaugh find an amiable new approach to an old standby. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2AFive short tales that elaborate on the adventures of each of the five pigs in the traditional nursery rhyme. The first goes off to market singing "Eggs and milk and apples," which soon turns into "Megs and milk and mapples," and takes off with hilarious wordplay in which the mother pig engages as well. She gives her silly piggy a great big BUG when she returns home with "pegs and pooples." Each of the others has an equally funny misadventure. Comical cartoon illustrations in watercolor and ink by the popular creator of the "Martha Speaks" series (Houghton) bring out the mischievous personalities of this endearing family of pigs.ASally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076361081X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763610814
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #850,138 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Backstory, November 9, 2006

By	My Uncle Stu (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Nice concept. Like a "This Little Piggy" behind the scenes rockumentary. David Martin and Susan Meddaugh flesh out the complete story of the five little piggies. The book opens up with the traditional "This little piggy went to market. This little piggy stayed home," essentially as a table of contents, introducing us to the five little piggies. Martin then devotes a chapter to each of the petite porcine protagonists, fleshing out the stories behind each individual trimeteric line.

They open strong, with the piggy going to market to pick up eggs, milk, and apples. She riffs all the way there, ultimately confusing herself, "...Megs and milk and maples. Pegs and pilk and papples." By the time she gets to the store, she's forgotten what she is buying and needs to go out to search for some visual cues to remind her. There's some more word play, and she shows up home with the groceries and further malapropisms. The supermom pig catches on quickly and plays along, "Oh, they're delicious pooples... And here's a great big BUG for my silly piggy wiggy." The book also closes strong, with the Little Piggy who cried "Wee Wee Wee" all the way home. The little pinky-toe piggy gets up from a neighborhood sandbox mudfight and, with a concerned expression, begins to cry "wee wee wee," out of the frame. Through five more frames, over the next three pages, until she final runs into the bathroom. Leaving the bathroom, she is finally back to her usual cheerful face: "Oh!... That felt good. I really had to go."

The three little piggies in between seem to have more forced stories. The one who stays home spilled his juice, dropped his cereal, and then split his pants. His mother then lets him stay home from school. The next day, the other piggies spill their breakfast hoping to stay home, but the second metatarsal piggy is seen donning his orange backpack and eagerly leaving for school. The piggy who has roast beef? He's sick of slop. But to get the roast beef taste better, he asks for his roast beef to be decorated with squashed bananas and rotten eggs, "last week's soup and a squishy pickle," until he is eating essential slop with roast beef in it. I was a little let down by this one. I thought there was an opportunity to explore the dark, ironic side of this line of the verse, the domesticated omnivore feasting on a domesticated herbivore. Likewise, chapter four, the piggy who had none, drops his ice cream and let's go of his balloons in his distress. Then, in a near tangent, the other piggies come down with chicken pox, except for the piggy who had none. He protests the lack of spots and his mother draws some on him. That's about as much depth as we get there.

Cute book overall, but calls from a strong vocal performance from parents for maximum effect.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious background stories of "five little piggies", September 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Five Little Piggies (Hardcover)

This book contains five short stories of "five little piggies" (this little piggy went to market, etc.). The illustrations are wonderful and the short stories hilarious. It's an excellent book for your child who is just learning to read. It is funny enough that parents and/or grandparents will enjoy reading it with their favorite little ones.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Five Little Piggies Review, May 15, 2003

By	Chelsea (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Five Little Piggies (Hardcover)

The five Little Piggies is a cute book on the true story about the ryme:
"This little piggy went to the market.
This little stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.
And this little Piggy cried, "Wee wee wee," all the way home!"

This fun detailed book is wonderful for all ages of children. It is very cute and will give you a good laugh at the end. I promise that you will enjoy every little part of it, because I did, and I know you will too. This is a very exciting book that children of all ages should read. I loved it.