Pigsty: 05/23/10

My local coffee shop has a bookshelf. It's a place where regulars drop off books they've read or pick up books to take home and read. One day while I was enjoying my morning bear claw I saw a copy of Pigsty by Mark Teague. Since children's books are rare on the bookshelf and kids come in frequently, I read the book and left it on the shelf.

Wendell Flutz's room is a mess. It's gotten so bad that his mother has refused to clean it. That's fine with Wendell; he'd rather just leave things as they are. Unfortunately as it gets too messy it gets mistaken for a pigsty and pigs move into his room!

I normally adore Mark Teague's books. He has a lovely retro, 1940s style of illustration. This one though didn't quite work for me. The moral seems too forced and Teague's paintings just can't improve this heavy handed story.

Comments (0)

Comment #1: Tuesday, May, 4, 2010 at 23:31:52

The1stdaughter

This looks wonderful! A great book possibly teaching manners without being too pushy? I love the illustrations too! Thanks for sharing!

Comment #2: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 22:36:33

Pussreboots

The manners are taught by example but are a minor piece of the book. It's really more about the ups and downs of moving to a new town.

Comment #3: Thursday, May, 6, 2010 at 13:39:43

The1stdaughter

Definitely still thinking it sounds very cute and I'm going to have to try and find it. Thank you!

Comment #4: Friday, May 7, 2010 at 18:00:33

Pussreboots

Absolutely. You really can't go wrong with a book illustrated by Mark Teague or written by Cynthia Rylant.