#tbt: Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith

Image: Wikipedia*

#tbt features Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith. This adorable story was originally published in the U.K. 1983 under the title, The Sheep Pig and was illustrated by Mary Rayner. It won the 1984 Guardian Children's Fiction Award and was published in the U.S. in 1985 retaining the cover and illustrations but changing the name. Babe was the prize at a fair for the person who could guess his weight. Farmer Hogget did so and won him; but he was a sheep farmer and had no use for pigs, so he took Babe home with the intention of raising him for Christmas dinner. Babe missed his mother and litter-mates terribly and is scared in his new environment. Fly, Farmer Hogget's sheep herding dog takes pity on Babe and cares for him along with her puppies. Babe eagerly learns all about farm life and sheep herding; but soon realizes that the sheep can be herded in a more kindly manner.

Dick King-Smith was the pen name for a beloved British children's literature author who wrote over 130 books between 1978 and 2007. He was a farmer for twenty years and many of his books are set on English farms, including his six Sophie books, which are some of my favorites. They chronicle the life of a little girl from age four to eight, who wants to become a Lady Farmer, has no use for her silly older twin brothers and intends to marry Andrew, who lives on the farm down the road. Hilarious!

Babe, the Gallant Pig was adapted for film in 1995.

*Ordinarily, I try to find cover images on the publisher website to link to, but PRH only showed a cover redo, one which I honestly can't stand. I couldn't find my copy to take a pic of and the only place I could find an image of the original was on Wikipedia - of The Sheep Pig - which, I think is a better title, BTW. Why do American publishers feel the need to change titles? Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a better title, IMHO. 

Picture Book Review: Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion. Illustrated by Joyce Wan. unpgd. Beach Lane Books, July, 2017. 9781481449779. (Review from finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Pug and Pig are back! They are not only more adorable than ever but they speak to my eight-year-old heart.* That hilarious cover tells the reader that clearly Pug has a problem with his costume. I laughed out loud at the title page featuring the rotund pair in silhouette with no detail save the glow-in-the-dark bones on the costumes. Ever cheerful Pig loves everything about her costume from those glow-in-the-dark bones to the snug fit and gets a trill from contemplating if people will even know who she is!

Pug is less than delighted. He feels squished in his costume and worries that no one will know who he is. He likes the costume better when it is ripped to shreds all over the yard! Pig now worries he won't have someone to share Halloween with but Pug has an idea. He finds a brilliant solution that will thrill and delight readers young and not-so-young alike.

The palette is decidedly and appropriately darker than Pug and Pig. Wan perfectly conveys Pig's joy and Pug's dismay as well as fun little details in the background, such as a cauldron full of treats standing by the front door and a photo wall of Pug and Pig. Each spread is such a delicious combination of humor and warmth as the two friends work out a mutually beneficial agreement enabling each to enjoy the holiday. 

You NEED to add Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat to your Halloween collection. It's sure to become a read aloud favorite. Read it often and share it widely. 

*I clearly remember detesting my Halloween mask.

Big Pigs by Leslie Helakoski

Big Pigs by Leslie Helakoski. unpgd. Boyds Mills Press, April 1, 2014. 9781620910238. (Finished copy courtesy of the publisher for review.)

Playfully piggish and occasionally alliterative, this is a cute story about three little pigs who are out to prove they are the biggest pigs ever. They squeeze under the fence and make mayhem in the vegetable garden. Once the veggies are all gone, they discover lots of mud for flopping and plopping in the oozy mud. Upon returning home however, Mama pig demands to know who's responsible for all that piggish behavior. The pigs think that they're in trouble until Mama reveals how proud she is of her little pigs.

The illustrations are done in acrylics. The palette is a bit muted. The pigs are definitely of the cartoon variety and each sports a splatter of mud. Should make for some story time fun.