A Pile of Pigs - Hardcover

Stirred by a busybody rooster (``Strut-a-doodle doo! You should see what the cows are doing'') and inspired by an old circus poster of acrobats forming a human pyramid, Littlest Pig perseveres until at last he's able to galvanize his reluctant relatives into action. Laboriously, they form a pyramid so tall that, peering over the barn roof just before they all fall down again, Littlest Pig does see the cows, or at least the youngest calf, looking back from the top of their pyramid on the other side of the barn. Colorful names, engaging repetitions, and expert pacing enliven the story, while the grunting, comical labor and cooperation necessary to hoist the pigs uncomfortably into place are hilariously evoked (``Littlest Pig scrambled from shoulder to snout...from pig part to pig part. The bottom pigs moaned. The pyramid swayed back. The pyramid swayed forth...''). Jordan's illustrations, mostly in slightly grimy pig pink shadowed with dark brown, depict a crowd of comically expressive pigs; they are nicely composed, too--as pyramids must be. A simple idea developed with panache--delightful. (Picture book. 3- 7) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This would-be lark from the authors of Two Badd Babies and Six Sleepy Sheep proves disappointing. In a somewhat promising opening, a rooster crows to a pen full of pigs, "You should see what the cows are doing." Little Pig, his interest piqued, rallies a plethora of porcine relatives into attempting a pyramid so they can see over the barn. The aggregation eventually topples--but not before the pigs spot a pyramid of cows, formed so the bovines can spy on the neighboring porkers. The repetitive text, with its shortage of wit and even minimal conflict, seems unlikely to hold kids' interest. Similarly, Jordan's animal assemblages exhibit a certain sameness; his artwork's lackluster coloration adds little zest. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.