Pigs

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (Giant Little Golden Book)

Description coming soon...

Although this book was around when many of today's parents were youngsters, it has remained a steadfast must-have in every toddler's library. For starters, it's a great vocabulary guide that names the many things that go (and some that haven't a prayer of going, but are great fun to imagine anyway). It's also teeming with detail-rich scenes and characters on every page, teaching children the rewards of looking long and closely (such as finding the hidden "Goldbug" in each spread). Along the way it entertains with the silly and slapstick--everything from toothpaste and toothbrush cars to six fire department vehicles that show up to extinguish a ladybug-size fire in a miniature pink convertible. What's most amazing about this book, however, is its longevity. When you purchase it for your fledgling talker, you should consider it an investment. Even 11-, 12-, and 13-year-olds are known to pore over the book nostalgically, cooing at Lowly Worm and eagerly tracking Officer Flossie's book-long chase after that irresponsible, speedster driver in a cowboy hat. (Ages 2 and older) --Gail Hudson

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

"There has obviously been some kind of mistake," writes Alexander T. Wolf from the pig penitentiary where he's doing time for his alleged crimes of 10 years ago. Here is the "real" story of the three little pigs whose houses are huffed and puffed to smithereens... from the wolf's perspective. This poor, much maligned wolf has gotten a bad rap. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, with a sneezy cold, innocently trying to borrow a cup of sugar to make his granny a cake. Is it his fault those ham dinners--rather, pigs--build such flimsy homes? Sheesh.

This 10th-anniversary edition of Jon Scieszka's New York Times Best Book of the Year, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, includes a special, impassioned letter from prisoner A. Wolf himself and a snappy new jacket by Caldecott Honor artist Lane Smith, whose quirky perspectives still color the illustrations throughout. As with The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, the collaborators take a classic story and send it through the wisecracker machine, much to the glee of kids young and old. (Ages 4 to 8 or much, much older) --Emilie Coulter

In this best-selling collaboration between author (and performer) Jon Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith, with music by noted composer Kurt Hoffman, you will hear Alexander T. Wolf tell the story from his point of view. Side one features narration and music, while side two has music alone, so that you can read it out loud by yourself.

Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (Mercy Watson)

Can Mercy Watson outwit . . . Animal Control? The porcine wonder’s on the lam in her latest tongue-in-snout adventure!

Eugenia and Baby Lincoln may live next door to a pig, but that doesn’t stop them from living a gracious life. And the amiable Mercy Watson is equally determined to follow the delightful scent (and delicious taste) of the pansies her thoughtful neighbors are planting to beautify their yard. "Where have all the flowers gone?" shouts Eugenia, who is finally ready to take extreme measures —- and dial Animal Control! Has Mercy’s swine song come at last? Or will her well-pampered instincts keep her in buttered toast?

I Love My New Toy! (Elephant and Piggie)

The books feature two lovable and funny characters: an optimistic (and sometimes reckless) pig and a cautious, pessimistic elephant. Children who sat on their parents' laps to have Pigeon read to them will eagerly take the plunge with these books to start reading on their own. Each book has been vetted by an early learning specialist. These sweet and surprising stories are a much-needed breath of fresh air in the early reader arena. In I Love My New Toy!, Piggie can't wait to show Gerald her brand new toy. But will an accidentally broken toy accidentally break a friendship?

I Will Surprise My Friend! (Elephant and Piggie)

Mo Willems continues his best-selling Elephant and Piggie first reader series. The books feature two lovable and funny characters: an optimistic (and sometimes reckless) pig and a cautious, pessimistic elephant.

Olivia . . . and the Missing Toy

Olivia, like many young pigs, experiences life very intensely. She is utterly obsessed with having her mother make her a red soccer shirt (even though the team color is green), until, of course, she discovers that her favorite toy, her very best toy, is missing, at which point she becomes utterly obsessed with finding it. She looks under the rug, the sofa, and the cat. She shouts accusingly at both her younger brother Ian and her baby brother William, who responds with an unsatisfactory "Wooshee gaga." That night (a dark and stormy one), she hears a horrible sound emanating from behind a closed door, and, in a dramatic scene illuminated by her flaming candelabra and showcased in a fold-out spread, she sees the family dog Perry chewing her favorite toy to bits. As devastating as this is to a passionate young pig, "even Olivia couldn't stay mad forever." She sews up her dismembered toy and falls asleep that very night cozied up with both it and the toy-wrecking Perry. The New Yorker cartoonist and Caldecott Honor artist Ian Falconer (Olivia, 2001) fills his pages with delightful visual stunts, such as the time-lapse drawings of Olivia waiting and waiting and waiting for her mom to sew her soccer shirt and the exaggeratedly scary shadow the toy-eating dog casts on the wall. Olivia fans will rejoice to see their favorite pig being her usual extreme self. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

There Is a Bird On Your Head! (Elephant and Piggie)

In There is a Bird on Your Head!, Gerald discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head- two birds on your head! Can Piggie help her best friend?

What's Wrong, Little Pookie?

POOKIE'S UPSET AND POOKIE'S MOM cannot figure out why. And Pookie isn't helping, either. This familiar scenario is told with Sandra Boynton's signature humor, in both story and art. Caregivers and young children will laugh their way out of their sorrow as Mom and Pookie work things out. Never fear, a happy ending is on the way! Perfect for toddlers having a meltdown, or anyone in a plain old bad
mood, this book will come to the rescue for kids and adults for years to come.

If You Give a Pig a Party (If You Give...)

If you give a pig a party,she's going to ask for someballoons. When you give her the balloons, she'll want to decorate the house. When she's finished, she'll put on her favorite dress. Then she'll call all her friends -- Mouse, Moose, and more.

The little pig from If You Give a Pig a Pancake is back, and this time she wants to throw a great big party! Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond have created another winning story for this beloved character in the tradition of the best-selling If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

When it comes time for the three little wolves to go out into the world and build themselves a house, their mother warns them to beware the big bad pig. But the little wolves' increasingly sturdy dwellings are no match for the persistent porker, who has more up his sleeve than huffing and puffing. It takes a chance encounter with a flamingo pushing a wheelbarrow full of flowers to provide a surprising and satisfying solution to the little wolves' housing crisis.

Eugene Trivizas's hilarious text and Helen Oxenbury's enchanting watercolors have made this delightfully skewed version of the traditional tale a contemporary classic.