pig week: partying pig with a pancake

Sure, Laura Numeroff is more famous for a cookie-eating mouse, but everyone knows that the pig's where it's at. If You Give a Pig a Pancake and If You Give a Pig a Party were more popular with Elizabeth, although the boys seem to enjoy them all the same. It probably had something to do with the CD version we own, with David Hyde Pierce narrating, which has the fabulous "Piggie Polka" song at the end.

How could you not love a sweet little piggie sitting in the window sill eating her piping hot pancake?

The illustrations are simple and the story so charming in celebrating the small joys of life through a cyclical narrative.

And the party book, well, the pig has friends! Who wrap their fur turban-style! I remember Elizabeth being so amused by this when she was about 4.

The fort-building page made a huge impression on Elizabeth from the first time she saw it. She studied and thought hard about every angle of the fort. To this day, she builds more forts than our other 3 kids combined. I credit it mostly to the piggie.

pig week: Mercy Watson

Next up on pig week is a buttered-toast-loving porcine wonder named Mercy Watson. Written by Kate DiCamillo, the author of Because of Winn Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, the story has quite a but more substance than most other books in the simple chapter book/early reader categories. (I'm a huge DiCamillo fan though so I'm not sure she's capable of writing something I wouldn't love. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is my personal favorite; read with lots of tissues.)

DiCamillo's style is certainly less apparent in these simple reads, but you'd be hard pressed not to love Mercy and her doting "parents." The chapters are simple enough for readers who are starting down the path of Junie B Jones and Magic Tree House and it's nice to have some variety there. We only own 2 of the 6 volumes that make up this series, but they've all been checked out at the library, and enjoyed, at some point.

I can't say that the illustration is my favorite. The cartoonishness of Mercy and her owners are a bit much for me asthetically, but they lend a certain charm to the story.

The first book, Mercy Watson to the Rescue, comes complete with beds crashing through the ceiling, a chase scene with the antagonist neighbor, the fire department to the rescue and lots of hot, buttered toast. What more could you want?

You'll be licking your chops and rooting for Mercy when she finally gets her hot, buttered toast.

Stay tuned for a few more swine tales to come. Who is your favorite literary piggie?

pig week: Olivia

You knew pig week wouldn't be complete without the amazing Olivia, so here she is! Olivia has become quite the phenomenon now complete with her own website, tv show, and merchandizing. But before she was all that, she was just a black and white pig, in fabulous red clothes, with a little bit of attitude and a whole lot of heart.

I first met Olivia on a shelf at a local seaside bookshop while on vacation with Elizabeth when she was only 8 months old. Still not quite identifying with her preschool impishness, I only had an infant myself, I was nonetheless completely drawn in by the amazing illustration of Ian Falconer.

With his mix of charcoal and simple color, usually red, and occasional splashes of photograph, like the Jackson Pollack painting in the first Olivia or the fireworks in Olivia Forms A Band, Falconer breathed new life into the picture book genre earning a Caldecott Honor for his first work.

Olivia quickly became one of Elizabeth's favorite books, a constant on her bedside book pile and she eagerly collected each new Olivia book as they were published. Of course, along the way, Philip became equally immersed, and most recently Finn has been seen with the entire pile of books in his bed.

Because what little one wouldn't identify with all of Olivia's everyday adventures, including wearing herself out.

When pressed to identify her favorite, Elizabeth hesitated before saying that she loves all the circus acts that Olivia performs in Olivia Saves the Circus.

Stay tuned for more swine here during pig week...

pig week: Toot & Puddle

A chance stumble upon the 10th Anniversary edition of Holly Hobbie's Toot & Puddle won Finn's heart in the biggest way. He has since acquired a few more Toot & Puddle books and borrowed a few from the library (and he *might* even have a few coming for Christmas) but his favorite, by far, is the one that started it all...

Watching Toot travel through so many foreign lands on so many adventures, he is mesmerized by "what Toot's doing now" and "where is Toot?"

And then there are Puddle's adventures, less glamorous but sweetly familiar.

The illustrations are gentle but charmingly silly, unlike so many children's books today that really can put you into sensory overload.

And Finn loves to hear, over and over, the funny postcard messages that Toot sends from his travels:

I also really appreciate how the adventures Puddle enjoys back in Woodcock Pocket travel through each month, generally sticking to nature appreciation. Isn't Puddle jumping into the pond the sweetest picture?

Join us for the rest of the week and meet a few more amazing porcine picture books.