The piggies in this book aren't going to the market or facing a wolf, but they are wonderfully imaginative and fun! Woods' oil paintings are mesmerizing with their extensive use of coloring and shading to create a soft glow around every picture. Each page has depictions of stilly piggies resting on a child's outstretched fingers; one piggy is in a top hat, one has his nose buried in the book, two are just toddlers, one is dressed as a fairy, another dressed as a basketball player, two are clowns, and one is just plain hungry! The pictures build on one another, as the previously introduced piggies are still present on each page, continuing with their actions. The sentences are short - just enough to explain the pictures, which are the real focus -and will be great practice for beginning readers.
The child's hands on every page are life-size and realistic, further encouraging your little one to mimic them as a creative way of teaching and reinforcing counting. The hands move positions and go through experiences your own little one's hands should recognize, like being in the hot sun, wearing mittens in the cold, soaking in a bubble bath, or being covered in mud! Your child will want to take some time studying each picture, since so much is going on with all the piggies. Odds are, this book will get their imagination flowing full force and they will wonder if some fun little piggies will dance on their own fingers before bedtime.
My five-year-old friend Molly said this book is "fun" and she likes to look at what all the different pigs were doing each page. Her favorite was the fat little piggy on the thumb, which pretty much ate the whole time. She thought it was funny that he was oblivious to everything going on around him, and just kept right on munching away. I was proud of her for noticing, however, that he ate healthy foods, like bananas, berries, watermelon, apples, and grapes.
--Audra