Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Young Piggy is excited about going fishing with his dad for the first time. It's fresh fish for supper tonight! But once at the lake, Piggy has a few problems. When it comes to baiting his hook, the worm wiggles off. When Dad tells Piggy, You'll really have to hook him, the worm smiles at Piggy, and the fishermen decide to use bread instead. Once Piggy actually catches a fish, he feels compelled, with Dad's agreement, to throw it back. By day's end, the duo finds that feeding the fish is better than catching them. This upbeat book, with its jolly illustrations in watercolor and crayon, raises some interesting issues. On one hand, it's nice to see a bonded father and son, especially with a dad who unreservedly accepts his son's choices. On the other, there's no doubt about the book's political correctness. Fishing comes across as a sport that's cruel to sad fish and smiling worms. Many readers will agree, but avid anglers may be offended. It's something to think about. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Another possible Father's Day selection, Piggy and Dad Go Fishing by David Martin, illus. by Frank Remkiewicz, marks the third outing of this porcine father-son team. From baiting the hook to falling asleep, the tale follows Piggy to victory; however, the fellow finds he cannot bring himself to keep the fish. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Piggy is excited about his first fishing trip with his father. After donning boots, helping to make sandwiches, and digging for worms, the pair set out. All is well until the youngster tries to bait the hook. He cannot bear to hurt the little worm smiling up at him, so they use bread instead. Though his dad explains that he must be quiet and patient for a fish to bite, the antsy tyke repeatedly casts his line until both fishermen fall asleep from a mix of exhaustion and boredom. Piggy is awakened by a tug on the line and, sure enough, he catches a beauty-only to throw it back when he imagines how sad the fish must be. Instead, he invents a new sport of "feed-the-fish fishing," in which he tosses bread balls into the water and they enjoy watching the eager creatures eat their lunch. Dad is such a good sport that the next day they return for more-only this time father, son, and fish feast on a box of doughnuts. The pleasing watercolor-and-pencil cartoons are bright and varied, with both white and colored backgrounds. The front endpapers sport cans of smiling worms while the back ones display an array of mouthwatering doughnuts. Children will appreciate the understanding, bespectacled dad in his wild Hawaiian shirts and empathize with the sensitive little pig.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools (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
(Preschool, Primary) The idea of going fishing with Dad for the first time is exciting; the reality is another matter. Piggy and Dad have their fishing poles ready, they've dug up worms, and they've packed Piggy's favorite lunch: ""peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on squishy bread."" Once they arrive at the river, however, Piggy finds a couple of details about the sport -- namely skewering a worm and then a fish with the hook -- troubling. Remkiewicz's summery watercolor-and-pencil cartoon illustrations clue listeners in to Piggy's emotions and create a bit of tension in Martin's nicely paced story. When Dad hands Piggy a smiling pink worm for bait, Piggy's ambivalent expression, conveyed with a simple pencil stroke, couldn't be clearer. Dad wisely doesn't force the issue; and once the cute worm smiles at Dad, well, squishy bread seems like a good choice for bait. When Piggy finally lands a beauty of a fish, Dad doesn't argue when he wants to throw it back. In the end, Piggy comes up with a way around his problems -- ""feed-the-fish fishing"" -- that lets father, son, worms, and fish enjoy the day. Anglers who play by the rules may feel misled by the title, but this book's charms lie in its sympathetic portrayals of Piggy's dilemma and the respectful father/son relationship. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Catch-and-release fishing takes its next logical step in this story of youthful sympathy. Young Piggy is very excited about going on his first fishing trip with his dad. Yet, Piggy is soon upon the horns of a dilemma: Sure, he wants to go fishing, but how on earth is he expected to skewer a hook through a live worm, and a live worm that is smiling at him to boot? You don't; leastwise, Piggy won't. So he settles for dough balls made from his peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich as bait. Then, when the dough balls actually work, well, is he really expected to konk the fish on the head--a fish that is looking kind of sad--and eat him? No way. The solution is "feed-the-fish fishing," with no hooks involved. Terrific narrative artwork as droll as the text (best scene: When father and son, sitting at the end of the dock, slump against one another in a doze during the lazy afternoon) highlights a vegetarian in the making. Good thing his favorite meal is that sandwich. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
