Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!

I became a big fan of David McPhail's Pig books after reading his colorful and very funny "Pigs Ahoy." This earlier book again chronicles the age-old theme of man vs. pig with creative rhymes, chaotic scenes, and vivid, imaginative illustrations. Our hero is a 30-something male who may or may not be dreaming his encounter with a gang of messy, loud pigs: McPhail cleverly leaves open the possibility that his house isn't really inhabited by scores of "black pigs, white pigs, Brown and pink pigs, Making-oatmeal-in-the-sink pigs." In any event, these apparently nocturnal pigs are busy riding skateboards, dressing up, playing in a band, and ordering 50 pizzas! McPhail's rhymes are simple but clever, and he throws in an old favorite just for good measure: Pigs from England, Pigs from France, Pigs in just Their underpants. When the young man reads the huge pizza bill, he decides he's had his fill. The pigs beg to stay (they know a good thing when they see it) and he relents, but only if they'll clean up after themselves. Pigs will be pigs, however, and even the cleanup is full of mishaps, messes, and (one suspects) some intentional mischief. Every page of this colorful action-packed book is funny and creative. In one section, McPhail draws gigantic pigs towering over the others, their snouts proud, and their robes loud: The King of Pigs The Piggy Queen- The biggest pigs I've ever seen. On the next two pages, dozens of pigs arrive at the house by ship, train, airplane (from which the pigs parachute), and "pigmobile." I thought that the narrative is not as clever as in "Pigs Ahoy," this is more Three Stooges than Marx Brothers. Still, if you just like zany, uncomplicated stories with outrageous pictures, or if you like pigs, or even if you're kind of like a pig yourself, this will fast become a favorite.

Pig Aplenty, Pig Galore was a great book! It was about a whole bunch of pigs thatinvaded a mans house! The man gets tired of all the pigs and finally yells and shouts "GetOut" then the pigs cry and beg to stay and the man is like fine but you need to sweep andclean the walls. The pigs did anything to stay with the man! When they were done cleaningthey all went upstairs and brushed there tails and teeth! They all went to bed even the manand all night all the man could ever think and dream about is pigs, pigs, and more pigs! Ithink children would enjoy the funniness of this book and also it is a poem that rhymes andthat is pretty neat also!

David McPhail's books have become our all-time favorites! We keep extras at home for gifts, and everybody who reads them falls in love with the pigs. The pictures are wonderful, with something new to discover each time you read the book. Highly recommended!

When the pigs call for a pizza, I start giggling every time I read this to my 10 month old. He loves the pictures and I never tire of the text.

This is one of the best books for children I have read in a long time...the rhymes are clever and flow well, and the pictures are colorful and detailed enough that you find something new every time you look. The three year old who reads it with me has it memorized already and we just bought it yesterday! (Of course, we've read it about 50 times). We have read a lot of books together, and this one will be a favorite for a long time to come.