HUMEROUS TALE OF A WITCH AND A GROUP OF SMART PIGGIES

books:

	• Piggie Pie! Margie Palatini Clarion Books, 1995 - 32 pages average customer review:based on 44 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

HUMEROUS TALE OF A WITCH AND A GROUP OF SMART PIGGIES

I have to admit that this is one of those books that I probably get more of a kick out of than even the children do. Not only is the story absolutely hilarious, but the art work sort of tickles my fancy. It is good and it is just quirky enough to make it not only funny, but interesting. This is a perfect read aloud book for a group of children.
Gritch the Witch woke up in her usually grouchy, grumpy and foul mood and found she is hungry. After some consideration of her options she decides that she wants something special, something really yummy! This of course means only one thing, "Piggie Pie!" Gritch the Witch checks her cabinet for her recipe book (Old Hag Cookbook), flicks a spider off, and reads the list of ingredients:

1 eye of a fly - no problem
2 shakes of a rattlesnake's rattle - yup, she has it
3 belly hairs of a possum - again, no problem
8 plump piggies - well, good grief we do have a problem here!

After checking the yellow pages in her local phone books she finds an advertisement for Old MacDonald's Farm, which happens to include "piggies!" She has found her pigs. Thus the story really begins.

I do not want to spoil the plot for any of you so suffice to say that Gritch meets her match with a very, very bright bunch of fat little pigs. They plot and plan and come up with the idea of disguises. Each time the witch tries to find the pigs, they are dressed up as chickens, cows, ducks and finally Old MacDonald himself. The word play here is great. The author does a take- off from the original nursery rhyme, mixes it with the Three Little Pigs and ever witch story you ever heard.

Finally, in the end, the witch meets up with a very bedraggled and undernourished Big Bad Wolf who gives her some advice: "Forget about the pigs. They are too tricky. Trust me. I've been chasing three little pigs for days and I'm starving." The witch invites the wolf back to her place to "have him for dinner" and our two "bad guys" go off arm in arm, each feeling they have found the perfect supper. "I always enjoy having a wolf for lunch" says the witch, and the wolf is thinking the same thing, only replaces the word "wolf" with "witch."

The artwork here is simple but extremely detailed. Howard Fine has created one of the ugliest (in a fun way) witches I have seen. All the characters in the book have an almost creepy look to them that the kids seem to delight in and the adult reader will find humorous, if not hilarious. The illustrations are very well executed.

This is a good read and a fun read. It is targeted for those between the ages of 4 and 8. I note that a couple of reviewers have noted that the illustrations upset their preschoolers. I have not encountered that problem, but each parent knows their children and if they feel this would upset them, then hold off another year before reading it to them. Each child develops differently, and like adults, has a different and unique perception of just about everything.

DOn Blankenship
The Ozarks

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We really like this one.

My two nieces and I read this one all the time.

Gritch the Witch needs piggies to make the piggy pie she craves. But pigs are very clever animals (trufax!), and they quickly disguise themselves.

Every time Gritch asks one of the (disguised) animals where the pigs are, they hilariously quack quack, moo moo, and cluck cluck her all over the farm! Eventually she stops before the Old MacDonald, the man himself, for him to look look here, look look there, etc. and tell her the same as everybody else - no piggies!

All her tantrums don't help. She can't have piggy pie :(

Even the Big Bad Wolf sympathizes, while both of them plot, at the end, to eat the other.

Very funny book. Every page, every word and illustration. My nieces (5 and 2.5) even act this one out!

Only thing is that sometimes they get scared of it, occasionally for a week or two at a time. Other times they bring it out to me and request it, but sometimes they're scared and won't have anything to do with it. Kinda like a roller coaster, maybe?

Check this one out at the library, see if it suits your child's temperment, and consider that it might be better meant for an older child.

Also, be aware that Gritch, being a Wicked Witch, isn't a very nice person. Aside from her tantrums, she insults nearly everybody in the book when they give her the bad news - dumb duck, lousy seed spreader, walking milk machine - and threatens them as well. If this sort of thing concerns you, please be aware of it.

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My teenagers still talk about this book

This book was such a favorite of my now 17 year old daughter and 14 year old son! The kids were just sharing fond memories of me reading this book to them when they were little. Listening to them reminisce about me reading this book to them made me decide to order a new copy now to stick in a surprise memory book for my daughter when she goes off to college next year :)

Don't miss a great book to share with your kids!

Piggie Pie! A read great for all ages!

This fractured folktale is about a witch that is craving some `Piggie Pie.' She goes through her pantry and finds she has everything she needs except for that all important ingredient--PIGGIES! At first she is outraged but eventually composes herself and devises a plan. Where can she find a piggy? The zoo? The circus? She finally decides that the best place to secure some pigs would be on a farm. After looking through the yellow pages, she travels to Old MacDonald's farm to grab the missing ingredient. She gives her victims a warning as she writes in the clouds, "Surrender Piggies!" The pigs devise their own plan; they plot to outsmart the witch by dressing up as other farm animals. They fool her by disguising themselves as ducks, cows, chickens, and even old MacDonald. When the big bad wolf happens to come along, he offers advice to the witch and tells her to give up--after all, he remembers those 3 pig brothers! Now, her taste changes from piggie to wolf and she graciously invites him over for `lunch'...
Piggie Pie is a delightful story that incorporates several classic folktales including The Three Little Pigs, Old MacDonald nursery rhyme, the traditional evil witch as the villain, and the famous three little pigs. Due to the structure of this book, students will improve their understanding of the different subcategories of traditional literature. The author includes descriptive language such as repetition, alliteration, expressive language, and affective adjectives that highlight the text and bring the story to life. Such examples include the witch describing her tasty meal options with phrases like "boiled, black, buzzed feet" and "plump, juicy, pink piggies." This whimsical, witty story will capture student's attention and can be used as a model to enhance their understanding of what it means to read like a writer.
Throughout the book, Palatini's text enhances student's vocabulary and contains repetitive phonemes that enrich their growth as a reader. As Cunningham describes, tongue twisters, like ones found in the text, play a crucial role in developing students' phonemic awareness. For example, "eight plump piggies for piggie pie" is a silly and fun phrase that the students will enjoy saying and simultaneously will develop their oral language. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary words, such as curdle, passel, and muttered. Encourage students to use elements of Palatini's writing and transfer her techniques over when creating their own literature.

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must have for child's library

This is a copy for our 3 year old because our 10 year old wants to keep his forever!
What a fun story to read to any child!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Gritch the Witch is grouchy, grumpy, and very hungry. The only thing that could make her happy is something extra special for lunch, and that is: Piggie Pie! Gritch zooms off on her broomstick to find eight plump piggies -- where else? -- on Old MacDonald's Farm. Cleverly disguised pigs impersonate ducks, chickens, a cow, and Old MacDonald himself, as this uproarious, quick-paced story builds to an ironically surprising conclusion. Wacky, hip, and illustrated with bold, bright paintings, "Piggie Pie" adds a new twist to an old fairy-tale scene.

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