Kirkus Reviews

The fourth in the early-reader Pig in a Wig series. This time the pig in a wig finds herself conducting an orchestra. Humor is the order of the day as the various animals-raccoon, dog, bird, cow, cat-assemble to play the instruments. At first, the pig is alone on the bandstand, but her musical friends soon join in on a wide assortment of instruments: banjo, bells, bass, trombone, bugle, kazoo, and drum. When a little, tuba-playing mouse joins in with a squeak, the whole band goes crazy! It's not clear why all the animals are unnerved by the mouse, but they certainly are. Feeling more like a choppy phonics textbook than a story, the book doesn't give readers enough to make it worth the work to read. While each traditional sound word ("buzz," "jingle") could be decoded by beginning readers, Virján includes so many nonsense words (including "tootle," "brup," "tish," and "bwap") in her text-often they are the only words on a page-that young readers may lose interest along the way. Parents and teachers who will be called upon to help young readers sound out the "words" will quickly tire of the chore. Followers of the series will enjoy another go-around with this familiar character, but the plot does not hold up to its predecessors. Muted giggles but no standing ovation for this orchestra. (Early reader. 3-6)

ALA Booklist (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

A Pig in a Wig returns with "a twang, a tootle," and a full animal band of fun. Strong visuals welcome the reader on the cover, with Pig in a Wig's arms and cymbals held high, and then the story opens with the Pig in a Wig Band set to play their first concert, until mouse comes along, tuba in tow, and scares Elephant. Bold digital coloring over charcoal sketches combines with instrument sounds that will have little ones stomping their feet with "a tish, a tootle, a bwap, and a boom." The endpapers contribute, too, repeating images of a tuba with one tiny mouse popping out of the bell with a mischievous smile. The fourth Pig in a Wig adventure works well for one-on-one reading and also as a read-aloud, thanks to the dark outlines and easy-to-read font. An entertaining new addition to a popular series.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

The Pig in a Wig and her animal friends prepare to play in a band. But when Mouse startles Elephant, the "story needs...to get back on track." Abrupt ending aside, the rhyming narrative's rhythm and onomatopoeia match the energetic plot at each turn. Digitally painted charcoal sketches provide visual clues to aid in decoding and add humor through the characters' facial expressions.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Virján-s wig-wearing pig returns in her fourth picture book, a noisy outing that gets underway after the pig builds a bandstand and attracts an outfit of instrument-playing animals. As in the previous books, there-s raucousness to spare in Virján-s punchy rhymes (-This story also needs a twang, a tootle, a ping, a boom,/ a brup, a jingle, and a doom-doom-doom-), and children can easily match up the various instruments with the sounds they make, from the -tish- of an elephant-s cymbals to the -bwap- of a monkey-s trombone. The Pig on a Wig Band-s music gets temporarily disrupted when a mouse with a (tiny) tuba frightens an elephant, but it isn-t long before they are up, running, and attracting applause. It-s good, boisterous, musical fun. Ages 4-8. Agent: Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary. (Jan.)

School Library Journal (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 1The pig in a wig is back in this latest installment of the early reader series featuring the porcine protagonist with a red beehive hairdo. The industrious porker is building an outdoor stage while animal musician friends gather for a performance by the Pig in a Wig Band. During rehearsal, a mouse comes along with his French horn, and there's "a startle, a jump, an EEK, and a SHRIEK!" and the band is suddenly in disarray. Pig in a Wig insists that the story must get back on track. Order is restored, and all's well that ends well, with an appreciative audience clapping for the band. Colorful illustrations with a heavy black outline and text in a large, black serif font will be accessible for young readers. Rhythm and rhyme are maintained throughout. The climax and resolution will reassure beginning readers, who will likely want an encore. VERDICT Another solid choice for early reader shelves.Ramarie Beaver, Plano Public Library System, TX