Childrens Books About Pigs

Reading time is one of the best uses of time you can choose to spend with your children. Reading books can not only stimulate their minds and increase their vocabulary, but reading to your child while they are young can foster a love for books in them that can stay with them forever.

One of the best times to spend reading to your child is just before bedtime. There is nothing like a funny bedtime story to finish off a hectic day. Humor is one thing that every family could use a little more of!

I developed a love for Pigs in my college years (figuratively not literally) and started collecting children's books about Pigs "way back then." My collection has grown quite sizeable during the years, so narrowing my list down to ten of my favorites was quite challenging. This list however, will be a great start for the amateur pig lover; I certainly didn't want to overwhelm you right from the start.

Pigs can also be called hogs or swine. They have a snout for a nose, very small eyes and a small tail which, may or may not, be curly. Their thick body is covered with a coarse hair, which is not soft enough to be thought of as fur. They have short stubby legs, with four toes on each foot.

Pigs are actually the cleanest of the barnyard animals, as they eat anything that becomes a mess... and I mean anything. They are foraging animals and have an excellent sense of smell. Unlike the common misnomer "sweat like a pig", pigs do not have any sweat glands and therefore cool themselves by using water or mud during hot weather. Mud is also used to protect their skin from flies and as a source of sunscreen so they won't sunburn. Pigs are very intelligent and can be trained to perform numerous simple tasks as well as tricks.

Some famous pigs are Babe, Wilbur (from Charlotte's Web), and Arnold Ziffel (the son of Fred and Doris Ziffel on Green Acres).

Wendell Fultz's room isn't a mess, it is a total pigsty! Wendell's mother tries to encourage him to clean it up but when it is to no avail she simply lets him experience what it is like to live in a messy room. Soon the pigs show up and make the mess all the worse. Wendell discovers it is better to live in a clean room and only invite the pigs over once in awhile.

This is a great book to teach your children the pitfalls of a messy room. It also gives parents a humorous look at the on going battle of the "clean up your room" war!

Piggybook is a book that examines modern gender-roles in a humorous way.

In the beginning of this book, the mother character, Mrs. Piggott cooks, cleans, irons, and generally waits hand and foot on her spoiled husband, Mr. Piggott, and their sons. They are demanding, unappreciative, and just plain rude. But one day, Mom gets fed up, and Dad and the boys come home to an empty house and a short but to-the-point note: "You are pigs!" In the ensuing days, while Mom presumably takes a much needed vacation, the boys must fend for themselves, and as a result, they end up rooting around for scraps and living like pigs, just as Mom predicted. When Mom finally returns, she finds the home in a state of chaos, and her husband and sons are relieved and grateful to see her. Changes take place in the household--the boys learn chores to help out around the house, and even Dad takes on some of the household duties. And as a result of her new-found time, Mom learns how to fix the car!

This is a must read for every family.

This book is written by both Don and Audrey Wood about the antics of ten marvelous little piggies who romp from fingers to toes in this original fantasy bedtime story. Although the story is cute the highlight of the book are the illustrations done by artist Don Wood. Don Wood's oil paintings explode with magic and will totally engage any reader with the detailed creativity he shows. You simply must experience the pictures for yourself.

This book gives a simple introduction to good manners to use with family, friends, at school, during meals, with pets, on the phone, during games, at parties, and in public places.

Marc Brown and Stephen Krensky use the pigs to demonstrate the use of these good manner skills. A great resource for teaching your children proper manners in all areas.

This book is an excellent book to teach math and money concepts to your children.

Mr. Pig, Mrs. Pig and their piglets must learn to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and think about the way money works to satisfy their big pig appetites.

Just what is Piggie Pie?

Margie Palatini writes about Gritch the witch who wants her piggie pie. She tries to make the pie and discovers she has all the ingredients but the main one, pigs. She goes to Old MacDonald's Farm in search of some pigs, only to find they have tricked her by dressing up as different farm animals. During the story Palatini uses irony, and other fairy tales and nursery rhymes to keep the reader captivated.

In the end the Mr. Wolf offers his pig catching services only to find Gritch happily willing to have "a wolf for lunch."

This is a wonderful book that teaches the perils of vanity. Piggoty Pig thinks she is beautiful, pink, and perfect until the other farm animals call her fat, pink, and bald. To remedy this situation Piggoty finds a wig and parades through the barnyard with pride, until she is unmercifully ridiculed by the others. In the end Piggoty regains her self-esteem as she finds she is just right the way she is.

This book contains 38 limericks about pigs. It starts with a limerick about a pig with a pen, who one would assume is the author himself, and ends with the conclusion about this limerick writing pig. In between is found wonderful silly limericks, perfect for any 4-8 year old to appreciate.

There was a warm pig from Key West.

Of sandcastles, his was the best.

But as soon as he built it,

A wave came to tilt it,

Which dampened that pig from Key West.

"If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want some syrup to go with it. You'll give her some of your favorite maple syrup. She'll probably get all sticky, so she'll want to take a bath." You get the idea. Baths lead to bubbles, bubbles lead to rubber ducks, rubber ducks lead to wanting a trip to the farm. If You Give a Pig a Pancake is a delightful exploration of the scenario "if you give an inch, they'll take a mile." But who could refuse the whims of this adorable piglet?

This is one of my all time favorites... You may think you know the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, but only one person knows the real story. That person is A. Wolf. His tale starts with a birthday cake for his dear old granny, a bad head cold... and a bad reputation. It ends in the Big House: the Pig Pen. What really happened when A. Wolf was at the door? Was it an historic pig out or a Mother Goose frame-up? You decide.

Not to be confused with their cousins, the pigs, a new and different twist is given to the classic three little pig story. This time the story is told with a southwestern flare.

The two little javalinas live in homes built of tumbleweeds and saguaro ribs from a fallen cactus, and soon find themselves running from the hungry coyote, who had hoped to eat them with red chile sauce. They end up at the safety of their wise sister's house who built her home of strong adobe bricks. These rugged characters are simply more than the coyote bargained for.

I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. --George Bernard Shaw