Bright with spring greens and yellows, this attractive book introduces pigs through simple sentences and many colorful pictures. Beginning with the basic vocabulary (sow, boar, piglet), and breeds (Chester White, Berkshire, Gloucester Old Spot), Gibbons introduces children to the history of pigs, the reasons they were bred from wild boars, and their physical characteristics and behavior. Along the way, the book dispels common myths about porkers. Smelly? No! Dirty? No! Sloppy? Not a chance! Read this book to a school class, and by the end, all the kids will be clamoring for pigs as pets. Gibbons' 100th book and one of her most satisfying. (Reviewed March 15, 1999)

Gibbons provides basic information about pigs' intelligence, behavior, physical attributes, and life cycle, dispelling some familiar misconceptions. She also lists common breeds and explores the typical uses of domestic pigs, from keeping them as pets or showing them at a county fair, to raising them for butchering or tanning. Labeled, multipaneled watercolor illustrations accentuate the straightforward text.

Gibbons's 100th book is devoted to presenting swine in a positive light; she quickly demystifies the stereotypes that cast pigs as smelly, dirty, greedy, and dull. Descended and domesticated from the wild boar, pigs come in hundreds of varieties, colors, shapes, and sizes; in simple language, the book outlines their characteristics, breeds, intelligence, communication, habits, and uses. The author distinguishes the various terms—hog, swine, gilt, sow, boar—while also explaining the act of wallowing in mud. The bulk of the text is characteristically factual, but Gibbons allows herself an opinion or two: "They are cute and lovable with their curly tails, their flat pink snouts and their noisy squeals and grunts." Pen-and-watercolor drawings show sprightly pigs and a plethora of pink-cheeked children in tranquil farm scenes. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8)

PreS-Gr 3-Basic information about hogs is presented in a simple, straightforward style. Although the author notes that "Most pigs are raised to go to market..." the text emphasizes the other more cheerful possibilities for swine-as a loved pet or country-fair show animal. A final page offers facts and trivia about these creatures. The book offers sufficient background for browsers and young pig lovers but not enough for report writers. Paneled, full-color, cartoon watercolors illustrate the text. The popularity of Charlotte's Web and the movie Babe have made pigs a topic of interest for more than just the homework crowd. This title should be purchased wherever Gibbons's other books or easy animal titles are in demand.-Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.