Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this wry account of an infant's table manners, Little Pig happily practices his first word and his favorite pastime: "Eat!" At breakfast, lunch and dinner, he ends up with "Food in his hair. Food on his chair. Food on his clothes and food everywhere!" When his sister says, "Be sweet!" and his father scolds, "Be neat!," Little Pig only repeats his statement with a wide smile. At bedtime, his patient mother bathes him and tucks him in. "But when she tiptoed out... she heard a shout: `Eat!' cried Little Pig." Fortunately, Little Pig wants to try another word, too: "Neat!" He finishes his dessert without spilling a drop, although the conclusion finds him cheerfully tossing toys out of his crib and making a new kind of mess. London (the Froggy series) lingers on the "squish," "squash" and "slurp" sounds of Little Pig's delectation, and he reiterates the cry of "Eat!" for readers' amusement. Durand's (Scritch Scratch) amiable gouache and collage illustrations also imply how much Little Pig enjoys himself, and suggest that his family's frustrations are short-lived. The porcine protagonist's long-suffering teddy bear gives him a nervous glance, and his parents look slightly haggard, but a stripe-tailed cat and squat dog signal the overall upbeat mood as they keep a sharp eye for errant food. Durand's puckish images make a lively match with London's mischievous rhymes. Ages 2-6. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-After learning his first word ("eat"), voracious Little Pig enthusiastically consumes his meals, making a mess of himself and everything around him and alarming his parents. "He ate with all his might./He ate everything in sight!/Mish went the beans./Mash went the peas./Mish-mash went everything/that landed on his knees." By the time dessert comes along, he has learned his second word, "neat," and he devours his treat without a spill and then throws toys instead of food. Filled with bountiful humor, the playful illustrations are set against plain white backgrounds. The perspectives vary; on some pages it looks like readers are sitting across the table from Little Pig, then the view shifts to a different vantage point. The puckish, almost retro style of the art relies on muted shades of green, yellow, and blue. This jaunty read-aloud perfectly describes toddlers and will delight them.-Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Little Pig cries Eat! (his first word), look out. His father and sister lament his messiness, but his mother just scrubs his clothes, chair, and body before bed, where he finally utters his long-awaited second word: Neat! The cheerful, loosely rhyming text and quirky images of the pig family are fitting counterpoint to the chaos Little Pig creates. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
