School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-"In Sooey, South Dakota,/in a sloppy, stuffy sty,/there's an itchy ol' straw bed/where the Bed Hogs pile high." Little Runt is squished, squashed, and buried beneath his siblings and his parents and he's had enough. One by one, he kicks each family member out of bed-Rose, "the reigning beauty queen," who has smelly feet; Flo, who drools in her sleep; "big, blue-ribbon Ed," who giggles when he dreams; Mama, who dances while she snoozes; and snoring Papa. However, when Little Runt has the bed all to himself, he realizes that he's cold, scared, and lonesome. He invites everyone to pile back in and then he feels much better. Told in lilting verses, this story will tickle young readers. The hog-wild illustrations expand the laughter generated by the text, and the rosy palette adds warmth to the pages. Each pig exudes personality; Mama sports pearls and glasses and Rose wears a banner reading "Miss USDA." Youngsters may recognize this hog family as cousins to the characters Fine created for Margie Palatini's Piggie Pie! (Houghton, 1995). With large illustrations and a text that is best read aloud, this book is a prize pick for storytimes.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This pun-happy spin on a familiar invective finds poor Little Runt relegated to low pig on the totem pole when it comes to the sleeping arrangements in his family's sty (located in Sooey, S.D.). "Each night the hogs pack into bed-/ they squeeze and groan and grunt," writes debut author DiPucchio. "But underneath the ton of them/ squeals loudmouth Little Runt." It doesn't help matters that Mama dances in her sleep, or that Big Sister Flo not only "drools enough/ to fill a milkin' pail" but also douses Little Runt in the process. Fine's (Piggie Pie!) comical, moonlit paintings plunge readers right into the thick of the big pigs' rosy, supersize girth. In addition to throwing in loony details like sister Rose's pageant-winner sash (it reads "Miss USDA") or Mama's pearls and reading glasses, the artist exaggerates poor Little Runt's squishing and squashing and general misery until it seems almost palpable. Yet the hero refuses to take his situation lying down, and cleverly facilitates each family member's exit from the hay (DiPucchio chronicles each forced departure, countdown-style: "That left 4 hogs in the pile-/ Runt snuggled in and said.../ `Ahhh, much better!' "). The piglet's enjoyment of wide-open spaces proves short-lived, however. Feeling cold and lonely, Little Runt wails for his family members to return and begin the madness all over again. Ages 2-5. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
