PIGSTY
Written & Illustrated by Mark Teague
Pages: 32
Ages: Preschool to Grade 2
At first I couldn't remember where we got this book then it came back to me in a flash. It was part of a book order that one of my daughters had way back when they were in grade school.
I chose this book because I could relate to Wendall Fultz's Mom. I use to refer to my daughter's bedroom as a pigsty and I was hoping my messy little girls would learn the same lesson as Wendall.
The story begins when Wendall Fultz arrives home from school on Monday
afternoon.
His mother tells him that his room is turning
into a pigsty and he has to clean it up.
 |
Once in his room, Wendall finds a real pig sitting on his bed, reading a magazine and munching on chips.
Wendall starts to tidy up his room but decides
to take a break.
When Wendall's mother returns to inspect his work the pig hides but the mess is still there. (Try to find the pig's feet under the bed.)
She says, "if you want to live in a pigsty, that's up to you."
Wendall doesn’t mind the pig and the pig doesn’t mind the mess so he decides to just leave it.
Then Tuesday when he returns home from school, he finds a second pig and an even bigger mess.
But that is okay. Wendell has loads of fun with his new friends the pigs.
They play monopoly and leave the pieces on the floor, have pillow fights and use his bed as a trampoline.
That night Wendell finds that "The pigs ....rolled up in his blankets and hogged his pillows, too."
On the following day, Wendall finds hoofprints on his comic books, bites taken out of his baseball cards, and his basketball squished.
Wendall has had enough.
He goes downstairs and begs his mother for help but she says, "Sorry, but your room is your responsibility" and she hands him a broom.
Wendall has had enough.
He goes downstairs and begs his mother for help but she says, "Sorry, but your room is your responsibility" and she hands him a broom.
Wendall finds the mess overwhelming but then decides to organize a cleaning crew.
The pigs help him clean and scrub until Wendell pronounces his room clean.
The pigs help him clean and scrub until Wendell pronounces his room clean.
Happily, Wendall has learned his lesson. He keeps his room clean, except for those evenings when his "friends" visit to play Monopoly.
PIGSTY: ILLUSTRATIONS AND WRITING
This isn’t an original theme but Mark Teague has executed it in his unique style. It reminds me of a time before video games and DVDs - a time when we jumped on the bed and played board games.
MARK CHRISTOPHER TEAGUE BIOGRAPHY
Mark
Teague and his family live in upstate New York. He worked in a bookstore after
college. His job was to set up the books for display. The children's books made
him remember his childhood. As a boy, he had written his own stories and drawn
pictures for them. Working in the bookstore inspired Mark Teague. He soon began
his grown-up career as a writer and illustrator of children's books. Today, he
illustrates his own and other authors' books.
No comments:
Post a Comment