ALA Booklist (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

In this Green Light Reader, Big Pig and Little Pig are hot. They each decide to make a pool--but in a different way. When Big Pig grabs for a shovel, Little Pig goes for an earthmover. So it goes, with one pig doing the job manually, the other mechanically. New readers will like the dichotomy, but most of the book's charm resides in the pigs. As McPhail reveals in a note, he loves to draws pigs, and it shows. Pretty simple; pretty cute.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2001)

"'I am hot....I am going to make a pool,' said Big Pig. 'Me, too,' said Little Pig." McPhail's keen sense of humor shines in this short tale. Comic illustrations contrast Big Pig's efforts to dig a hole and stay cool with Little Pig's command of the same activity. Simple word repetition coupled with an amusing premise make for an easy narrative accessible to beginning readers.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-Two appealing offerings for beginning readers. One hot day, Big Pig and Little Pig both decide to build their own pools. Although Big Pig likes to do things on a small scale (using a shovel to dig) and Little Pig likes to accomplish tasks on a grander scale (excavating with a bulldozer), they are still great friends. McPhail's signature illustrations fill each page as he once again successfully manages to transfer human emotions to his lovable cartoon pigs. Well-chosen vocabulary and repetition of words make this story a suitable choice for those just learning to read. In Tiger, a little girl comes across a variety of animals before finding her lost cat. Ernst illustrates the story with appealing cartoons in pastel colors. Her uncomplicated artwork invites children to make the connection between the words and the pictures, giving them plenty to look at while providing effective visual reinforcement for the appropriately simple text.-Rachel Fox, Port Washington Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.