Review by Booklist Review
Full-spread, candy-colored cartoons are an immediate sign to young children that they're in for a fun experience with this book. The titular pig, who only wants a bit of shut-eye, seems to be hampered at every turn by other farmyard denizens, who are making a racket. As he tries to find rest in his mud bath, a cow, a rat, a dog, and several other fellow farm animals pursue such noisy activities as sawing, hammering, and popping balloons. The illustrations clearly show that the barnyard gang is preparing a party, although by the time the Happy birthday! shouts are aimed at the pig, he has found a way to escape the noise. The bright hues and the characters' outsize expressions will make this easy to share in small groups, while the wordplay (each of the animals is a three-letter noun, and each actions is named as a three-letter verb, for example) makes this readily adaptable to a variety of discussions.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this succinctly silly addition to the I Like to Read series, readers meet Pig, whose rotundity and heavy-lidded angst may prompt speculation that he and Garfield were separated at birth. Contrary to the title, Pig actually has two plans. The first-"Pig wants to nap"-is quickly thwarted by his fellow barnyard inhabitants, who are engaged in activities that make sleep impossible ("Cow wants to gab" on her cell phone, "Hen wants to saw," and Cat insists on popping every balloon inflated by two frustrated mice). Pig's second and more successful plan is to sleep submerged in mud, using a straw as a snorkel ("Now Pig can nap"). But the other animals know something special about Pig, and they have yet another plan in store for him. Long's (Soup for One) broad, distinctly cartoony sensibility is in full force. The eye-popping palette, Pig's slow burn, the oblivious supporting cast, and prose with lots of short-but-sweet word sounds ("Pup wants to bop"; "Hog wants to hum") should make this popular with avid and reluctant readers alike. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Pig has a plan to take a nap, but his farm friends all have something else in mind. As the porker lounges in the mud, simple, four-word sentences describe the noisy activities going on around him. "Hen wants to saw"; "Cow wants to gab"; "Rat wants to mix." The bright, cartoonlike illustrations fill in the details as readers see Hen making a table, Cow talking on a cell phone, and Rat baking a cake. One by one the animals are introduced until the farmyard is buzzing with party preparations, and Pig looks more and more tired. He finally finds a creative way to hide in the mud and sleep when his friends unveil a huge Happy Birthday banner. Children will easily guess what the animals are up to in this fun picture book/easy reader. A solid addition to the series.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2012. 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.
