Review by Booklist Review
After kissing their mother good-bye, five little piggies stealthily take over the kitchen. (Their father can be seen working in the backyard.) As in her Pilot Pups (2008) and Hibernation Station (2010), Meadows uses lively rhythmic verse to recount the mess that ensues: Squeeze out sticks of butter, / flour in the bowl. / Carton takes a tumble, / eggs begin to roll. Several times the baking stops when the piggies think they hear their mother returning, but after each false alarm, the disastrous momentum resumes. The tension runs high again when their father enters the kitchen and takes in the chaos, but he quickly lends his help with turning on the oven and cleaning up afterward. Once Mama does return, she is shocked by a spotless house and a birthday surprise. The cartoonlike illustrations, rendered in pen and ink and watercolors in a pastel palette, add more merriment to the jaunty rhymes. Fitting for a parent or teacher read-aloud.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Five little porkers and their father wave Mama off one bright, sunny day as she leaves the house. Daddy goes to cut the grass while his children enthusiastically descend upon the kitchen. Rhyming couplets filled with onomatopoeia tell the tale of the frenetic piglets making a mess plus a pleasant surprise for their mother. Pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations in pastel hues humorously reveal the raucous goings-on. The piggies cheerfully juggle eggs, spill chocolate chips, and let frosting bubble over on the stove as lighthearted chaos ensues. Though most of the batter ends up on the floor and on one another, the five are able to create cookies, a pie, and a cake in celebration of their mother, who returns home to find a clean house, guests, and goodies. Every time the little ones hear a sound outside, a repeated refrain accompanies an illustration depicting the pigs trying to hide the evidence in a frenzy of scurrying about the kitchen. This book would work well as a Mother's Day tale or as a general birthday story. Children will enjoy perusing the pictures to watch the activities of each individual pig.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Five pig children take advantage of Mama's absence to cook up a messy surprise for her birthday. The rhymes, including sound effects ("Swish, swish, oink, oink"), are bouncy: "Squeeze out sticks of butter, / flour in the bowl. / Carton takes a tumble, / eggs begin to roll." Spirited pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations add to the story's all-around exuberance. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Mama pig heads out shopping. Papa pig decides to cut the grass. The five little piglets have a secret plan. "Piggies in the kitchen, / climb up to the top. / Dig through all the cupboards / careful not to drop!" They just get the batter started: "GLUP, GLUP, / OINK, OINKpour another cup. / VROOM, VROOM, VROOM, VROOM / 'Someone's driving up!' " They hide everything they can and try to look inconspicuous. "SNIP, SNAP go the blinds. / 'Is Mama coming NOW?' / 'Nope, it isn't Mama! / It's only Mrs. Cow.' " All the piggies get back to baking. Despite two more false alarms and discovery by Papa, they get all their treats made in plenty of time to surprise their mother with cookies, pie, cakeanda clean kitchen. Happy Birthday, Mama! Meadows' syncopated, onomatopoeic, rhyming text of piggie party planning will get toes a-tapping and prompt participation from storytime audiences. Hoyt's pudgy, expressive piglets rendered in pale watercolors and pen and ink are culinary cuties. Likely to inspire copy-pig messes in a kitchen near you.(Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
