This week I’m reviewing a book in the “Watch Animals Grow” series. It should be no surprise (since it’s National Pork Month, after all) that I read the “Piglets” book, by Colleen Sexton.
This book is in the Blastoff! Readers series, which has 5 levels of difficulty. This is a level 1 book, suitable for ages 4 and up. Even though this is an “easy reader,” I was a little disappointed with the way piglets were portrayed in this book.
She talks about piglets living on a farm, but then this is the type of picture that she uses to illustrate the “farm.” Not to mention that this particular photo looks pretty fake, but this is not the kind of farm environment that pigs live in. Even pigs that are kept outside don’t live on grass pastures with daisies. The pig’s normal tendency is to root around and dig up dirt with it’s snout. A group of piglets would have this grass torn up by the end of the day!
She talks about what piglets eat and what they do all day long. This part was fine, she had the diet right, and piglets do chase and bite each other, just like kittens or puppies do.
But, since most pigs are kept inside, they don’t roll in the mud to keep cool. Farmers provide excellent ventilation and air conditioning to keep the piglets cool!
This book had lots of photos of cute piglets, and it is certainly easy to read and understand. But it really doesn’t accurately portray the way pigs and piglets live. It’s pretty misleading, actually, with all the photos of piglets outside in the grass.
I have to say, this is the first agriculture book that I’ve reviewed here that I do not recommend. If all you’re looking for is a book with cute piglets, this is your book. If you’re looking for an accurate description of how pigs and piglets live, this isn’t it.
{Affiliate links were used in this post. All photos are from the book Watch Animals Grow: Piglets.}
In response to your Twitter question — I have no kids and have never read to any, but when my mom was reading books of this level or similar to me as a little kid, she went out of her way to pick books with stories we’d talk about afterwards (i.e. with morals or teaching intentions) and well-done art (photos were OK, but painted illustrations were better). The Serendipity series by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James was a mainstay of bedtime stories in my house. The few I remember that dealt with farms/farm animals were not at all representative of realistic farms, but then again the animals could talk and learn lessons, so there was no expectation of or attempt at realism.
If I were to read to little kids of that age, I would likely tend towards those types of books; something vividly illustrated that focused on good life messages like “be nice to people who are different” rather than focusing on the detail that fat ponies and blind puppies don’t realistically play together on a farm everyday. If I wanted to teach little kids of that age about realistic farm life, better to take them to see the animals directly since those things are engaging and hands-on. I’ve never encountered little kids who are very engaged by non-fiction, regardless the amount of photos or the simplicity of the text.
Hi!
Today is actually the 60th anniversary of “Charlotte’s Web.”
I remember reading it as a kid and loving it. Of course, by the time I was old enough to read there was also a cartoon musical adaptation of the book.
We need more books like that!
Will
The Social Silo
http://www.thesocialsilo.com
Will – I had no idea it was just the anniversary of “Charlotte’s Web”! How cool!
Kerry, thanks for your comment. I don’t have kids either, which is why I asked if parents are looking for cute pictures or accurate information. I would imagine it would depend on the age of the child, and I certainly appreciate your perspective of stories that incorporate morals and teaching intentions!