Swine Lake

Swine lake, was absolutely wonderful, and it brought back memories of my childhood years. I reccomend it to those who are young at heart. I found it a very tasteful, and enjoyable piece of literature. So read it i say...thankyou

I bought this book for my three year old daughter for Christmas. Although she has nearly a hundred books, she has requested this one every night for three months. She knows most of it verbatim. I think the book's okay, but for her it is something truly special and charming. She enjoys the dilema of the wolf, the grumpy landlady and the diverse characters of the pigs. This is a great story for kids with budding imaginations.

If you like Swine Lake, then go buy all the Marshall books you can find!Thirteen years ago, my then-five-year-old son and I read Miss Nelson Is Missing by James Marshall. At bedtime, he decided it was the better part of valor to put this book in a safely-snapped plastic bag and out of the house entirely, into the garage before he was ready to go to sleep. (So.. OK, maybe I messed up a little and he was a trifle too young for this James Marshall delight at that time.) But as a family we grew to love ALL of the Marshall books, especially the George and Martha ones. Our favorite line quoted often in the family lo these many years after preschool time is, "let's not discuss it-- you'll weigh a ton" as did George and Martha in the short story about Martha being overweight ( mind you, they are both hippopotami!). My son David and I wrote to James Marshall and received a hand-written and illustrated (!) letter from him thirteen years ago which was just delightful. I think now it is time to frame it. We regret his untimely death greatly. Does anyone know what was the cause of death? He was Texan living in New England when we wrote to him from our home in Texas.

I purchased this book as a fan of both Maurice Sendak and ballet. A charming variation of the "big bad wolf" theme, the story left me wanting more (it ends rather abruptly, which is my only complaint), but the illustrations by Sendak are a charm to behold. Sendak's experience in the literary and theatrical worlds (he has designed backgrounds for a number of ballets, including a staging of "The Nutcracker") shows in some of the inside jokes seen in the backgrounds. Marshall's storyline is well-crafted and very amusing. The way the wolf is enamored of the drama of the ballet is excellently depicted, and is quite amusing. A worthy rememberance of such a talented (and lamented) author. I would strongly reccomend this book to help introduce children to ballet and theatre, as well as to be relished by we adults who are already drawn to the classics.

As a Maurice Sendak fan, I immediately purchased a copy of this book for my 28 month old son. I assumed he wouldn't sit still for the long text and some of the big words. I was wrong! He was mesmerized from the first page and has asked for the book every night since.Marshall's story is amusing and a welcome relief to the parent who is tired of reading five word rhyming sentences over and over. The illustrations are a perfect companion to the story. While drawn with a children's story in mind, Sendak's wonderful illustrations contain lots of visual humor that will appeal to adults. I found it a refreshing change of pace. This book will definitely encourage a love of reading and help young ones stretch their growing vocabularies.