Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud

You can't help loving this book as you read it aloud to your children. It is adorable. As the family drives down the muddy road, it becomes crowded as animal after animal gets into their way. Everyone tries to get the animals to move, but in the end, it is up to Grandma! Adorable! The one negetive reviewer clearly did not read the book very well, since some of the information decribing the book is incorrect.

A farm family driving their Model T over a single "rud" (at first I thought this was a convenient gimmick, but it's the Maine pronunciation of "rud") is blocked, successively, by groups of pigs, hens, sheep, and bulls. Similarly, each member of the family vacates the Ford, shouting and cajoling to no avail. John Schoenherr's illustrations capture the essence of each animal, and he varies the amount of white space to show the growing people/animal menagerie in the middle of the rud. His compositions, expressive faces, and long-limbed characters recall another favorite illustrator, the great Patricia Polacco. The short conversational rhymes convey the interrupted road trip and a humorous parody of laconic rural dialogue. The repetitive structure breeds an engaging familiarity , and makes this appropriate for young readers too: "Sheep in the rud!" Grandma said. Oh no. Won't do. Gotta shoo. But who? "I'll shoo. That's who." Mama said. And she shooed. And she jeered. And she baa~ed. And she sheered. But the sheep didn't shuffle. Not a tiny little shmuffle. It's Grandma, a shadowed backseat driver until she screams "TIME FOR SUP," who finally clears the rud, although at a muddy price. She's the centerpiece of this colorful tall tale whose repetitive structure and vernacular mirror that of Nancy Van Loon's very popular "Possum Comes A-Knockin. The book is an impressive picture book debut for Lynn Plourde, and adds to the work of Caldecott Medal winner Schoenherr. "Pigs" is deceptively simple; with no clever fonts, commercial or celebrity ties, or other gimmicky distractions, the book is a grand achievement, attained solely on the strength of its writing and illustration.

I LOVE reading this book to my kids, and they love it, too. It's not too long, great illustrations, and I swear I know that grandma. The family is off to town for the day but the farm animals are in the road. One by one, the whole family tries to get them out of the way. Finally granny says, "Shoowee, up to me!" and gets the job done by calling out "Time for sup!" She gets covered in mud by the stampeding animals, but she's off to town anyway. Must be read enthusiastically.

I LOVE reading this book to my kids, and they love it, too. It's not too long, great illustrations, and I swear I know that grandma. The family is off to town for the day but the farm animals are in the road. One by one, the whole family tries to get them out of the way. Finally granny says, "Shoowee, up to me!" and gets the job done by calling out "Time for sup!" She gets covered in mud by the stampeding animals, but she's off to town anyway. Must be read enthusiastically.

My 2-year-old son loves this book! It has a wonderful repetitive rhyme that your child will love. "Pigs in the mud in the middle of the rud. Oh, no. Won't do. Gotta shoo. But who? I'll shoo, that's who, Papa said." My son especially likes when the Grandma says "Ooooooeeee! Up to me!" at the end and saves the day.