Zeke Pippin

The picaresque tale of Zeke Pippin is stuffed to the gills with playful, musical lingo, manic plot-turns, and characters whose voices are intuitive and uproarious to read out loud. Read in the spirit in which it's written, kids of any age will dig this rollocking roller-coaster tale, and yes, you might just increase your vocabulary doing so!

Do you want to read an exciting, thrilling story that will make you want to annoy your parents by begging them to buy you a harmonica? Well, in the story Zeke Pippen, Zeke finds a harmonica. He gets good at playing it but every time he plays for his family they start to clap, then fall asleep! Zeke gets tired of their rudeness so he decides to run away. He travels by river on a raft. On the way Zeke takes a nap and he has a dream about his family flooking the house in tears. When he woke up he noticed that he was crying and thought that he should go home so he did. On the way he met some unpleasant dogs that lie and say they would help him. But once they got on shore they started looking at and stealing all his stuff. Then they took him to their hideout. But to find out the rest read it yourself! And I know what you are thinking awwww...I really wanted to learn more! But you have to read it on your own. That's just they way things are. Hasn't your mother taught you that? Oh, and before I forget that I'm not done I have to finish so stay in your seat! I like this book because it has lots of exciting parts and once you read it you never get tired of reading it. You may have had that happen with some other books. I recommend this book to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders or people that just like funny and intense books.

There was a time in my life where I practically had "Zeke Pippin" memorized, start to finish, so enormously popular was it with my young son and daughter. Even to this day, William Steig's superbly offbeat text (he describes harmonica-playing as "zeezling and zoozling" and when a character nods off, he later "nods back on again") is something to behold. Steig resolutely refuses to talk down to kids. He throws in the occasional weird word, odd phrase, or elaborately worded paragraph just to keep kids (and their parents) on their toes. The enviable result is that his book--both this and others--is utterly memorable and stands apart from the masses of touchy-feely children's books out there.Zeke Pippin is a pig whose life is changed by a harmonica he finds. After numerous adventures, narrow escapes, and a great number of lovingly-detailed meals and snacks (he is, after all, a pig), Zeke Pippin becomes a hero in his town and a friend to sick children. This combination of Horatio Alger pluck and Robert Louis Stevenson excitement is winning and rewards frequent reading. Steig's inimitable illustrations are just as terrific as the text. He manages to convey more with just a few watercolor tints and a wobbly black line than other artists do with a great deal more equipment (and less talent). Rewarding time and time again.

If you normally find yourself nodding off while reading picture books to your kids, try Zeke Pippin. My sons love the part where Zeke "zeezles and zoozles" on his "supernatural mouth organ" and the language keeps them (and me!) on our toes.