Little Oink is a bit different than most other pigs his age. While he enjoys playing with his pig pals, he also manages to find a way to remain neat and virtually stain free. He loves digging for those sooey-t truffles, but prefers wielding a trowel to soiling his snout. Little Oink happily partakes from the community trough in the mess hall - he's the only piglet with utensils and a checkered napkin.
Little Oink's parents insist that he must learn to make a proper mess so that he can grow up to be a respectable pig. Each night he is forced to don grubby clothes and make a proper mess of his room. Little Oink mumbles and grumbles, but he dutifully unmakes his bed and unfolds his clothes. He reluctantly drags in fresh mud and tosses toys willy-nilly from his toybox. Only after a proper mess has been made will his parents allow him to run off to play his favorite game.
Definitely it is the obvious humorous twist that will have children laughing uproariously. The very idea that adults would make a kid dirty up his room put huge smiles on the face of every child in our reading group. Great concept, but it is the many clever details lurking in the background that make this book so terribly clever. Jen Corace takes such care with her illustrations, working to make each one just so.
Overall, extremely well done and a pleasure to read. As Little Pea has earned a place of honor on our bookshelf, so will Little Oink. I'm always thrilled to find picture books that I enjoy as much as my children. This is a series of books that I could read over and over again - and we certainly will.
Visit Chronicle Books for cool, new stuff like easy-to-follow patterns for making pea, owl, and pig masks, a pin-the-tail-on-the-pig game, coloring sheets, educational activities and more. Plus you can enter to win $2,500 in merchandise from (covet) Pottery Barn Kids. That would be sweet, since PBK at our house typically means Pottery Barn Knockoff.
The third book of a brilliant collaboration by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace. Also available:
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