Title: Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch
Authors: Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe
Illustrator: Mary Peterson
Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2010
Book Type: Fiction
Ages: 2-5
Themes: Concept-Prepositions, Farm Animals
Opening Lines:
Piggies in the pumpkin patch
peak and sneak,
under crinkly clean sheets,
over growing, green beans
behind snoring, sleepy sheep,
into the clover field.
Synopsis (from Charlesbridge website):
Two little piggies run amok on the farm, as they travel from the pumpkin patch, through the garden, into the black bull’s pen, and back to mama pig in time for a nap. The piggies’ antics introduce young readers to prepositions of direction. Alliteration, assonance, and rhyme in each of the three stanzas make for a great read-aloud.
Activities:
- Activity and discussion guide.
- Coloring page.
- Pumpkin and fall related rhyming songs with hand motions.
Why I Like This Book:
A simple, short jam-packed story with action words like sneak, peek, crash, dash and a slew of prepositions. But it is not boring, no way, these little piggies are off on a chase which leads them into trouble.
This concept book has the perfect combination of story and education value. Kids will be engaged with the story of the chase wondering where the piggies will end up next, while adults will appreciate the vocabulary building aspects of the book. The text is short and descriptive; one of those books where each word is pitch-perfect.
The illustrations are colorful and the animals have a cute roundness to them. The layout of the text was creatively interspersed within the images. For example the text “between teasing tabby cats” splits the group of animals in half, or the text “along winding wagon tracks” is actually printed out along the curve of the wagon tracks. The endpapers contain a map of the piggies chase around the farm.
This book is sure to delight young readers and can be used for storytime or in classrooms to teach prepositions.
Check out the book trailer below.
This review is part of Susana Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book series. Visit her site to see the other books recommended.
Flowering Minds 