Review by Booklist Review
Pete's a picky little piggy. When Mom serves her four young 'uns heaping bowls of green slop, Dot, Rose, and Gus are in hog heaven. But not Pete. No, Pete won't eat. As his siblings run off and have fun outdoors, Pete faces a plight known to many a kid: the admonishment from a mom to stay until you eat. Time passes, and Mom feels guilty and offers to make Pete a sandwich; in the meantime, Pete's growing curiosity about the slop leads him to take a bite and then another. Turns out, it's pretty good. The next day, Pete even helps to cook the slop. This I Like to Read title presents a kid-recognizable scenario and short sentences with simple dialogue in a large font. The charming pen-and-ink watercolors are cleanly placed on white backgrounds and lend an extra helping of humor to the scenario at hand. Brand-new readers, particularly of the finicky variety, should enjoy this one.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-In this successful addition to the easy-reader series, Pete the pig cannot go out to play until he eats his slop. "'I made a treat,' says Mom./'Here it is-green slop.'/Dot loves the slop./Rose slurps the slop./Gus has all of it./But Pete won't eat." The book's bigger format leaves plenty of room for the uncluttered, colorful cartoon pictures and appropriately placed large font. Short, simple sentences; similar vowel sounds; and repetition add to readers' ability to decode the text. The illustrations are priceless, from Mom's firm stance, arms folded and hovering over her son, to Pete's misery as he sits alone at a table facing the bowl and then watches his friends play soccer outside. Finally, he tastes the slop, discovers that he likes it, and tears of frustration turn to expressions of elation. Young readers will identify with his dilemma.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2013. 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
See review on page 73. (c) Copyright 2014. 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
This charmer of an early reader presents an ironic twist on the tried-and-true picky-eater character by casting him as a pig. Mom has prepared a treat for her four piglets: green slop. Dot, Rose and Gus dig in and head outside to play, but as the title heralds, "Pete won't eat." A battle of wills ensues between Mom and Pete as she insists that he try the slop, but he refuses. "You will stay until you eat," Mom declares, but then the facing page shows her ambivalence about the hard line she's holding as she sits at her home computer and says forlornly, "I hope he tries it." Alas, Pete is one stubborn little pig, and spot illustrations show him determinedly refusing to eat even as his siblings and friends implore him to do so and come out to play. Meanwhile, Mom second guesses herself to the point of tears. "I am a mean mom!" she exclaims in a bit of text that is both humorous and wonderfully humanizing for the maternal sow. When she offers to make Pete a sandwich, he caves and eats up his slop with gusto, proving that the standoff was about power more than it was the slop itself. Throughout, McCully's watercolors are comically expressive and engaging. New readers will eat this up. (Early reader. 5-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
