The Great Pig Search - booktalk: primary - Review

By Eileen Christelow. Clarion Books, 2001; 32 pages; $15 (PreK-1).

In the sequel to the whimsical The Great Pig Escape (1994), Vermont farmers Bert and Ethel receive a mysterious postcard from Florida bearing only the word: "OINK!" Obsessed with recapturing his pigs, Bert buys bus tickers for a Florida vacation. Observant children will gleefully note the ubiquitous pigs driving taxis, working at the Starlight Motel, sunning at the beach, and even rescuing Bert from drowning. The two farmers remain oblivious as they search fruitlessly for their pigs.

ACTIVITY: Have pig spotters say and write complete sentences that describe "who, what, and where" as they see each pig on the page: "The pig in the pink bathing suit and flippers is wading in the water."

JUDY FREEMAN, children's literature consultant and workshop presenter (BKWSSF@aol.com), is the author of several books including More Books Kids Will Sit Still For (Bowker/Greenwood, 1995).

COPYRIGHT 2001 Scholastic, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group