Pig Books

This book is a really good one to use for teaching sculpture. The mouse in the story creates a tiny sculpture and is rewarded for it. I usually read this book to my students and discuss sculptures and its characteristics. Then we create a sculpture out of wires and various items. (can also use pipe cleaners) Cute story!

This book is a visual and literary play on the ever-inspiring animal name of dormouse. These are a kind of rodent that in some ways resemble a squirrel. Every humor writer who has ever seen that name has wanted to have fun with it. The wonderful Don Freeman (of Corduroy fame) takes that artistic license one step further by building a Horatio Alger story around his door mouse and doing his own renditions of paintings and sculptures in this beautiful volume. Puns and fun abound, so keep an eye out for them!

Norman is clearly a door mouse, he even has a door mouse's uniform (just like those you see on Park Avenue in New York). His door is around the back of the Majestic Museum of Art. It is well hidden, and he brings in small creatures that way for tours of the art works in the museum's basement. In addition to his docent duties, he has established a studio in the helmet of some old armor, using the visor as a skylight. From there, he paints and sculpts. Life does present challenges though, because the sharp-eyed upstairs guard is always setting traps with cheese. Norman is able to disable them, and brings the spare parts to his home.

The story develops when one day Norman notices that there is a sculpture competition going on. Using mouse trap parts, he makes his own sculpture and names it punnily trapeese (trap and cheese being the sources) because it appears to be a mouse doing acrobatics holding onto a high wire.

Norman drags his sculpture into the room where the competition is being held, without being seen. Then the fun begins!

The story ends with one final pun. "Good Knight."

The plot is a very rewarding one, creating the sort of inspiration that books about "little engines that could" do. I have always been impressed with friends who could make a lot out of a little. It's a gift I do not have. This book is a worthy example of that principle. You can extend the lesson by discussing with your child how she or he might create something wonderful out of something else, including "junk."

Art lovers will find the illustrations to be a great treat. Mr. Freeman has created wonderful reproductions of works by many major artists, which he sneaks into scenes of Norman in the museum. I was particularly impressed by one Miro, where even the signature is faithfully reproduced in pastels.

You can also use this story to suggest going to an art museum. You can even go around the base of the building to see if you can find any door mice, or holes where they might be hiding. This can help you find arts wherever you go!

However you decide to use this book, I encourage you to renew your artistic license so you can explore the world of created beauty with your children and grandchildren in museums!

Norman the door-mouse welcomes discriminating rodents to view the paintings and sculptures stored in the basement of the Majestic museum. In his spare time, Norman has his own studio in a knight's helmet, which is also a good hiding place from the security guard! He cleverly uses an old mousetrap to create his own wire sculpture of a mouse swinging on a mousetrap, and enters it into a museum competition. There's a lot of visual humor, and Freeman makes the whole tuxedo-ed affair look fun and interesting, and there's a suspenseful subplot involving the guard trying to find Norman. (No animals were injured in the writing of the book.) There's a nice warm simplicity to Freeman's soft but colorful pastel illustrations; they're drawn with such ease that both they and the story may stimulate your own creative energy. Another excellent book from Freeman!

As a children's librarian, I highly recommend this classic tale of kindness by Don Freeman. I purchased this book to send to a very kind and polite student at Brown University! Our world needs to be reminded that random acts of kindness and politeness, like holding a door make life more enjoyable for all. Hooray for all of the door holders throughout the world!

A story of art appreciation and how it's possible for even a little mouse to be an artist. Norman has an important job as the doorman to the Majestic Art Museum where he lets mice in and tours them around the basement of the Art museum where there are many treasures. He acts as security guard, curator and tour guide for his portion of the museum and he takes great care and pride in each artifact. The only thing that causes a stir in the basement is when the sharp-eyed guard from the main museum comes down to set traps for the mice. Norman is clever and he has figured a way to take the cheese from the traps and set them off without hurting a whisker. His home is in the knight's helmet where he has a very comfortable setup and he spends his free time creating artwork. One day he decides to make a sculpture from the old traps and picture hanging wire. When he has finished his creation he is delighted and proud. Early the next morning he see a sign announcing a sculpture contest. Norman is very excited. He runs back in and titles his sculpture "Trapeese". Then he painstakingly carries it up the steps, through the main floor of the museum and puts his sculpture with the others. Norman was proud of his efforts. Once he got back home he sewed some buttons on his jacket and went about the business of being a doorman. Upstairs in the main hall everyone is talking about his sculpture and who had entered it. The judges questioned the guards about who had brought in the sculpture but none of them knew. When the sharp-eyed guard looked closer he figured that one of his mousetraps had been used for the sculpture. Downstairs he went into the basement, where he found Norman's home. Norman was waiting at the door cold and hungry for a party of country mice who were due to arrive at any time. The guard spots Norman who dashes off but is enticed out by a piece of cheese. The guard catches and questions Norman about using his mousetraps for artistic purposes, Norman's response is that "It's just a hobby, just my hobby!". Norman was sure he was being taken to jail. He was very surprised to hear the crowds shouting "Hooray for Trapeese!" The guard too was amazed and rushed to the judges' platform so that Norman could receive his award. When asked what he wanted, Norman indicated seeing the upstairs part of the museum without getting caught would be a good reward. So he was taken on a grand tour of the entire art museum. When Norman returned to the basement, he found the country mice waiting for him and he shared the large piece of cheddar cheese that the kind-hearted guard had given to him. The story ends with Norman warm and snug in his helmet. I just loved this book!

he loves this Hamtaro stuff :)

I was like 26 when I bought this book. I know it's for kids, but I love the Hamtaro cartoon and animation style so got it to get more into this and it worked perfectly. I enjoy the high quality illustrations and all the fun activities through out the book. If I was a kid I would have gone crazy about this one. It's as cool as the cartoons.

I REALLY like this book. It has to be still one of my favorite books. I got alot of hamtaro books and this has to be the best book of Hamtaro I own. The only thing is that I wish they could of included information about the Japanese verison but still a great buy!

And I just love all those colorful pictures!

I am a huge Hamtaro fan. I surf over the web and have lot's of information about the show. So I decided that I should try to start collecting the books a little while ago. One of my first ones was this book, but I didn't expect to learn more about the show with it. It surprised me a little bit. I found out a few more things with the book and learned alittle bit more about the Ham-Hams. I also really enjoyed the little comics in the back. It doesn't have much new things in it like Season 2 of the show or the guest Ham-Hams (Like Hannah in Season 2 in that one episode), but I enjoyed very much. It is a must have for Hamtaro fans.

For those who are fans of Hamtaro, you won't want to miss this book. This has information about all the major ham-hams --- pictures, age, gender, owner(s), star sign, hobbies and more. It also has human info and family trees. You'll also get an episode guide with varying detail, song notes and lyrics for the original opening theme (but not the new second season theme) and dance steps and lyrics for the closing theme. You'll even get to see what Penelope looks like without her yellow blanket on.

A nice bonus in this guide is an original story with the ham-hams sporting a 3D look called "Bijou's Lost Bracelet." There's also several short stories from Ritsuko Kawai (Hamtaro creator) about a group of ham-hams called the Helfpul Hamsters who are a lot like the characters from Hamtaro.

Unfortunately, it seems like Hamtaro has largely gone into hibernation lately. I hope that someday, though, they'll be able to release another book. With two seasons and a 104 episodes (and some specials) aired in the U.S. and Canada, there's a lot more episode and character info they still could cover, even if there never are anymore new episodes of the show.

This book is a lovely way to discuss the life cycle with children and to encourage them to view living and growing old with spirit. Old Pig is a grandparent figure who celebrates life but one day does not get out of bed. He lets the young pig know it is his time to slow down and that life will go on and that his spirit will continue.

I think this must be the best book I have read to help the youngest members of your family deal with death. It is an incredibly positive and loving book.

Young pig and old pig live together, young pig is old pig's grand-daughter. They do their chores together each of them doing something different - constructive and sharing. Until one day Old Pig can't get out of bed.

Later they go for a walk. Old Pig knows she isn't long for the world and wants to look one last time at the beauty of things - the light on the water, the leaves on the trees. Then they go home. Young pig HOlds her tight for the last time.

It is a very beautiful and positive book. The illustrations are very sweet too.

Old Pig is the most touching story of life. I read it to my children, ages 3 and 4 years. My son, who is the older of the two, had questions about what it meant to lose someone you love. However, he quickly turned it around and spoke about life and how much fun it is share to it with others. Later that evening and for many evenings thereafter, I read Old Pig after they went to bed. It is indelibly etched it my heart.

i came across this book in 1996 when a fellow production controller showed me OLD PIG. we were the printer of this book for allen & unwin.

it made the hairs at the back of my neck go all funny the first time i read it. and it still does everytime i reread this achingly beautiful book. i left my hometown, 10 years ago, to work when i was barely nineteen and my grandfather died a few months later- never had the chance to say goodbye. i wished i had the chance to hold my grandfather tight one last time...

Soft illustrations from Australia's best young lit illustrator (Rob Brooks) keep this tale of death from being utterly bleak.

In the book, death is dealt with through the emotions of grief and loss. So incredibly powerful is the simple text, it is hard to be unmoved in the reading. For me to hear the illustrator himself give a reading of the book, while my dearest relative was in the clutches of incurable cancer, was almost too much. For this reason, this is NOT a pick-up-and-read-any-old-time kind of book.

To be sure, there are going to be times when this book is extremely valuable. If a child is suppressing his emotions over a loved one's passing, perhaps this book could be the perfect ice-breaker.

But if the parent feels that his or her child needs to deal with death from another angle besides loss, it might be best to find a book that expresses other philosophical views on death.

These are cute illustrations and a cute story. I would think most children would love it!

This is a very cute book about a pig who wanted to be someone else. At the end of the book the pig realized its okay to be yourself. This book has good morals for kids. It lets them know that who you are is cool. Everyone is different but everyone is special. I enjoyed this book alot.

This is a cute book, especially for the farm animal lover in your life. Miss Rosemary's pig decides that he wants to fly like Gertrude the cow and takes off, landing in the petunias. I could do without the use of the word "nincompoop" - not something that should be heard coming from a toddler, but I just use ninny and move on. It's a neat lesson to learn - don't try to do something or be something you're not. It's more fun to be yourself. It's a very cute book, one that shouldn't be overlooked.

This book sends the message to kids that you cannot be something you aren't. As hard as you wish and try, you still are yourself and you have to learn to accept it. If you are always trying to be like somebody else, no one sees the real you.
George the pig is always trying to be like Gertrude, the multitalented cow. He goes too far and finally realizes (with a little help) that he should act like a pig, not a cow.
I think this is a great book for kids to read with or without a parent. The illustrations are very colorful. My favorite character was Gertrude (the multitalented cow). I would recommend this for anyone to read.

This is a crazy book for all ages. It is about one huge accident that is made by just one pig! One old lady has a crazy pig that can do crazy things. If you read this book you will laugh for the rest of your life. This is a crazier than a fox playing the clarinet!! This is a great book you will love!
By, Ryan

Pigs have wings is one of the best books I have read, because it so funny. The way the characters are many times spaced out and the way they act on their stupidity, mostly the way P.G. Wodehouse makes fun of characters. Pigs have wings, is about competition between two pigs for the fattest pig class. They try to steal each other's pig, and the Empress (the name of the hero's pig) has been the winner of this class for two years in a row. All this is tied with some knotted yet silly love relationships. But the way Wodehouse makes fun of it is so funny that you will laugh untill tears start pouring down.

A great and entertaining read. I highly recommend it. It's one of P.G. Wodehouse's best in my opinion. Life at Blandings castle
is like paradise!

In typical Wodehouse fashion, this is a comical story with many hilarious twists and turns. I found myself laughing aloud in many places. Simply put, if you like Wodehouse and especially the Blandings Castle series, you like this book. It is one of the later "chronicles" of Blandings Castle, but it would be a good read for anyone--even those unfamiliar with Lord Emsworth. This is a great book, and author, for those who enjoy light, comical novels.

P.G. Wodehouse was the 20th century's answer to William Shakespeare reproduced as musical comedy. In Pigs Have Wings, Mr. Wodehouse produced one of his very best efforts.

As usual, the themes involve a satire of romantic love, miscommunications between the sexes, the vapid interests of the titled class, and the silliness of people in general.

As the book opens, Clarence, ninth Earl of Emsworth finds himself faced with a threat to the supremacy of his pig, Empress of Blandings, in the Fat Pigs class at the Shropshire Agricultural Show. Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, Bart, of Matchingham Hall, had already hired away Clarence's pig handler, George Cyril Wellbeloved . . . and Clarence is sure that some new skullduggery will soon follow. As the story develops, we find that it's all too true. Soon both pig camps are doing their best to knobble the other man's pig. With everyone else having a bet on the outcome, many other people are soon engaged in trying to sabotage one pig or the other. It's the most pignapping fun caper you can imagine!

In the background, we have all sorts of people who've become engaged to totally unsuitable people on the rebound from slights they feel from the one they really love. P.G. Wodehouse does a yeoman effort of returning all of those twisted loves to the proper party. The plot will keep you constantly chuckling throughout.

There are quite a few books based on the Empress of Blandings. So if you enjoy this one, go on to the others in the series.

Wodehouse, master of words that he is, shows his wit to be in top form in this wonderfully funny story of Blandings castle. As usual, Lord Emsworth is a bit dazed and obsessing about his pig (now hoping that she'll win first in her division for the third year running at the local agricultural show) and the guests at Blandings are falling hopelessly in love with one another. This is a great book for both those new to Wodehouse and those who have enjoyed his other works. I highly recommend it.

My children adore this very thoroughly illustrated Redwall tale! It gives faces to all of the creatures they have grown to love from reading the Redwall series.

Illustrator Christopher Denise does a superb job of bringing a visual feast of animal characters to life in Brian Jacques' "A Redwall Winter's Tale." Amazingly talented artist.

A traveling group of entertainers arrives at the Redwall Abbey on the last day of Autumn. The travellers put on a big show, and the Redwallers provide a huge feast. When it is time to put the Dibbuns (youngsters) to bed, Mighty Bulbrock Badger tells a bedtime story. Who brings the wintertime snows? Why, the Snow Badger, of course! But is the Snow Badger real, or just a fairy tale told to the Dibbuns? You'll have to read the book to find out. The pictures are wonderful, perfectly complementing the story. Like Brian Jacques' previous picture book The Great Redwall Feast, also illustrated by Christopher Denise, this is a perfect introduction to the Redwall series for younger readers and a great book for all ages.

This short tale is illustrated by Christopher Denise, who also illustrated The Great Redwall Feast. Denise does a wonderful job of capturing the characters and mood of the Redwall
world. In this tale, traveling players visit the abbey and perform at a feast marking the last day of autumn. The dibbuns hear a bedtime tale of the Snow Badger, the lord of winter. Later the Snow Badger visits the abbey grounds with his army of snow hares to bring the first winter's snow. This is a "winter's tale," the kind of tale that might be told around a fireplace on a cold winter's night, and it includes an example of a winter's tale, the tale of the Snow Badger. A winter's tale typically involves some supernatural elements (See Shakespeare's Winter's Tale for another variation on this genre or Isak Dinesen's 7 Gothic Tales.)

I got this book during the christmas season thinking it would be a regular chapter book. This is not a Chapter Book!!!! This only has a few words per page but the illustrations make up for everything. Don't get me wrong though, the story is written very well, very poetically in fact. This is great read, especially for younger people who may have a hard time reading some of Jacques other longer books. Definitely worth it!

Very nice stories. My son was born in Vietnam so I bought a bunch of books with a Vietnam theme for his library. These stories are great, regardless if your child is from Vietnam or not, or adopted or not.

We really like this book because it has a section in the back for "older" readers. We also enjoyed the front part for "children"

Great book for little ones about the Vietnamese New Year. The embroidered illustrations are phenomenal.

My 2 yo loves this book, on the 1 Mouse plans a party page we talk about all the people she will invite to our party and by the end she cheers Happy New Year (in Vietnamese) with me. She was enchanted by Lunar New Year this year, and this book has been a wonderful way to help keep it alive for her. We are not Vietnamese and we love this book.

This is a great book for preschoolers to teach about some of the activities related to the Vietnamese New Year and its celebration. The embroidered illustrations are quite intricate. I highly recommend this simple, yet informative book.

I am in the first grade and I love Tia. She is brave little mouse with a big big dream. Tia has a very nice family and lot's of friends who help her. I took Tia to school and my teacher read it to my class and everyone loved it too. And my cousins loved it and took it to school too.

Tia's story is a reminder of what every parent hopes to instill in their child as they face the many challenges of life. Tia's adventure is full of trials and tribulations that ends with the greatest reward of all- the fulfillment of a dream. This is one book that every parent should have on their child's book shelf.

This is a story of the unlikely achievement of a resouceful and energtic mouse TIA. A fun story, with charming, on-target illustrations, the theme of overcoming great odds to reach your dream is touching and inspiring. Kids love it, and want to read it over and over. As a grandfather, I couldn't help but shed a tear of joy or two as Tia reaches her goal and finds it worth all the trials and tribulations. A good addition to the bookshelf of children's books, one that can be read again and again to a wide range of ages.

"Tia" is a wonderful story about the power of dreams and determination. Its message, while geared for children, is equally salient to adults. "Tia" teaches us the power of inner strength, as well as the incredible ability of external support to drive us even harder toward our goals. Setting goals is an intensely personal determination; however, more often than not, the attainment of those aspirations is due to a combination of internal and external talents. Tia is able to push herself to new heights through internal motivation coupled with familial support and an unexpected helping hand.

This is one of the best children's books that I have read in quite some time. I just could not put it down until I had read all of it. It inspires one to dream and reach for the heavens. "Tia" should be read by all children and their parents.

Funny and adorable! Clever rhymes and cute expressions on this poor, unfortunate piggy who gets lost at the grocery and then confused for everything from soda pop to a ruler. Teaches kids how lots of foods and other items have terms in common with human body parts--rulers have feet, soda bottles have a neck, corn has ears, etc. Illustrations are not very modern, but it's very much worth it anyway!

Love it, love it, love it! I own another Bill Grossman book - MY LITTLE SISTER ATE ONE HARE - and absolutely loved it, so I was looking for other Bill Grossman books when I came upon this one. I couldn't believe the selling price of the book. I said to myself, "It must be a fantastic book because at Used, I couldn't find it no less than $40 anywhere." So, just by risk, I bought the book (and paid a pretty hefty price for paperback), and it is worth every penny. I love this book and my kids can't get enough of it. I highly recommend it if you can afford it, if not, try to find it cheaper, because you are really missing out. I would not recommend paying that high of a price for any paperback children's book, but if you have the money, go ahead. It's a collector's and we've all enjoyed it.

I found this book a number of years ago in a remainder bookstore in Britain. My three year old daughter loved it and, what also counts for a lot, I loved reading it to her as well. Wonderful ideas and beautifully written. I lost the book in a house move and am over the moon to have found a copy again.

This is one of the very best children's books I have found. It was recommended by a book store after I asked for rhyming books for my then 3 year old. 3 years later we are STILL reading it, have read it to all his school classes, recommended it to friends, and it's a big favourite.
Great for vocabulary-building, funny, and wonderful illustrations.

This is one of the best children's books I have ever read. My 4 1/2 year old and I laughed out loud reading it. It is lots of fun to read with alliterative rhymes and cute pictures as well as a very funny story. This is a great children's book!

I bought the book & met the author at a book signing. I kept it in my "back pocket" because it can read as either a compilation of fascinating short stories about early Vegas; or as a can't-put-it-down chronology of an entrepreneur trying to make a living in a rapidly growing, unique city.

If you love Vegas and get a kick out of reading Vegas history, then this is the book for you. The real special aspect of this book is that it is written by a successful dealer who worked during the "Mob" days and also during the more recent "big business" days. Michael Broderick's thoughtful stories run from the sublime through the whole gamut of emotions. I assure you, you'll love them all.

Mikey has produced a book that will entertain and educate the reader that wants to know what 'Old' Vegas was like back in the day! He takes the real and makes it intersting, and puts real people in it to keep everything exactly how it was! (Thanks for not telling EVERYTHING Mikey!!) Couldn't put it down until I was finished. Mikey, Great Job!!!

This book is is a gem. Straight from the street (and heart). Mr. Broderick has succeeded in taking the reader on a delightful journey to the inside of old Las Vegas.

Whether you read this book from cover to cover or just pick it up and flip to the middle...you'll find a terrific collection of short stories about life in old Las Vegas that will leave you wanting more!