The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall

The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City

Jodi Kendall, Author

Harper Collins, Fiction, Oct. 3, 2017

Suitable for Ages: 8-11

Themes: Pigs, Animals, City Life, Gymnastics, Belonging, Family Relationships

Book Synopsis: Little pig. Big city. Lots of trouble. Josie Shilling feels invisible. Her family is too big, their cramped city house is too small, and her parents are always distracted.

Then, on Thanksgiving Day, her older brother, Tom, brings home a pink, squirmy bundle wrapped in an old football jersey — a piglet he rescued from a nearby farm. Her name is Hamlet.

The minute Josie holds Hamlet, she feels an instant connection. But there’s no room for Hamlet in the crowded Shilling household. And who ever heard of keeping a pig in the city? So it’s up to Josie to find her a forever home.

But taking care of Hamlet makes Josie feel special when she usually feels overlooked in a family with five children. And there’s something about Hamlet that reminds Josie of herself.

Why I like this book:

Move over Wilbur, Hamlet’s going to steal your heart. Jodi Kendall’s debut novel is a heartwarming and rollicking story about the unlikely bond between a girl and a piglet runt.  Her story is loosely based on her childhood experience of owning a pet pig and finding it a home.

Hamlet arrives in time to boost eleven-year-old Josie’s self-esteem and give her purpose. At home she feels unnoticed. At gymnastics Josie feels like a freakish giant when all she wants to be is a really great gymnast. Josie’s bond with Hamlet boosts her spirit and helps her find courage and determination.

Readers will enjoy hanging out with Josie, Hamlet and all the Shillings. There are her friends, Lucy from gymnastics, and the Three Stoops gang, who work together to create a plan for finding Hamlet a home. The clock is ticking, Hamlet is growing, and Josie and her friends have until New Year’s Day to find a home for Hamlet.

There is heart, connection, humor and unexpected plot twists. After all, Hamlet is a one smart pig who learns quickly to use a litter box, fetch a flying Frisbee, open the fridge door, and climb the bunk-bed ladder. Although this pig causes a lot of mayhem, he unites Josie’s family during some challenging times. Readers will cheer for Hamlet!  Verdict: It’s a winner!

Fans of this piglet story will be delighted to know that there will be a sequel in the fall of 2018. Visit Jodi Kendall on her website.

Resources:  The author has included a curriculum guide on her website for activities and classroom discussions.

Jodi Kendall grew up in the Midwest with her family of seven and their household of countless pets, including hamsters, ducks, dogs, rabbits, an iguana, and, yes . . . even a farm pig!  You can find Jodi typing away at home in New York City, where she’s still an animal lover at heart. Jodi holds an MFA from the University of Arizona and is an active member of SCBWI. Visit Jodi at her website.

Greg Pattridge is hosting Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Author Shannon Messenger has been on a whirlwind tour promoting her sixth book, Nightfall, in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, which was released November 7. Thank you Greg for keeping the MMGM family together!

Pizza Mouse by Miachael Garland — PPBF

Pizza Mouse

Michael Garland, Author and Illustrator

Holiday House, Fiction, Sep. 5, 2017

Series: I Like to Read

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Mice, City life, Food

Opening: No one likes mice.

Synopsis: Life is a challenge for a city mouse. There are daily dangers and he has to survive dogs, cats, owls, and people. But when the whiskered hero of this story uncovers one of the greatest treats New York City has to offer a forager―a discarded slice of pepperoni pizza―the danger is all worth it! Now it’s up to the tiny Pizza Mouse to get the gigantic slice safely home to his family.

Why I like this book:

Michael Garland has written and illustrated a humorous book with very simple text and an engaging plot for children learning to read on their own. This city mouse narrates his story with a little bit of attitude and a lot of determination. After all, he has a family depending upon him for dinner. Mouse’s expressions are priceless. Garland’s digital illustrations are very expressive and a visual feast for children — messy trash spilling out of the can, running from a man with a broom, and darting the myriad of feet in the subway station. This story is fun and full of action as Mouse scurries about the big city. Garland’s early reader is inspired by the viral “pizza Rate” YouTube video.

Garland has published other early reader books, Big and Little Are Best Friends, Fish Had a Wish, Car Goes Far, Tugboat, and Lost Dog, which are appealing and create a positive experience or kids in preschool and kindergarten. Visit Michael Garland at his website.

Resources: Visit the Holiday House website for flashcards and activities.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit her website. 

Before Morning by Joyce Sidman

Before Morning

Joyce Sidman, Author and Poet

Beth Krommes, Illustrator

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Fiction, Oct. 4, 2016

Suitable for Ages: 4-7

Themes: City and town life, A child’s wish, Snow, Rhyme

Book Jacket Synopsis: There are planes to fly and buses to catch, but a small child wishes for a different sort of day. As clouds gather and heavy flakes fall, her invocation rises above the sleeping city. A too-busy world falls silent, and a family revels in the freedom and peace that snow brings.

Why I like this book:

Joyce Sidman’s breathtaking book is pure poetry for children and the young at heart. The text is spare and there are many wordless pages. It is a quiet story to curl up with, read slowly and study the detail on each page. There are busy scenes of people walking in parks, striding past shops, pushing strollers and riding buses. There are children arriving home from school, families eating together, and parents leaving for work. And there is a child who wishes for snow. Beth Krommes’ beautiful scratch-board artwork is a feast for the eyes.  The words and artwork perfectly support the theme.

Resources:  Make sure you read the author’s thought-provoking comment “On Wishes and Invocations” at the end of the book. Ask children what they wish for. Do their words have power?

Joyce Sidman won a Newbery Honor for her Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. She is today’s foremost nature poet for children. Two of her other books are Caldecott Honor books. She won the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children for her award-winning body of work.

Beth Krommes is the Caldecott-winning artist of The House in the Night and other beautiful picture books, including Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow, and Blue on Blue.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.