Grunt - Softcover

Richardson, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099434075 ISBN 13: 9780099434078

Publisher: Red Fox, 2002

Synopsis

He's got crinkly crumply ears, a tiddly widdly button of a snout and absolutely no tail at all. And worst of all - a teeny tiny grunt. He is Wee-skin-and-bones, and not at all like his beautiful brothers and sisters. He decides the only thing to do is run away and lose himself in the forest. Things look pretty bleak until he meets a wise old boar who has a wonderful secret - the secret of being happy - inside-out.

About this title

About the Author:

John Richardson is the illustrator of several children's books, including the BUDGIE books by the Dutchess of york (S&S) and his own TEN BEARS GO MARCHING: A POP-UP BOOK (Hyperion). This is his first book for Clarion. He lives in England.

From Publishers Weekly:

The piglet protagonist of this tale of self-esteem is, outwardly, unimpressive: Wee-skin-and-bones has "crinkly-crumply" ears, a "tiddly-widdly button of a snout" and "absolutely no tail at all," and he can manage only a "teeny-tiny" grunt. Ignored by his father and teased by his more comely siblings, he runs away to the forest. There he's taken in by a kindly wild boar who personifies the power of a positive outlook: "I'm a bristly old scruff on the outside, but inside... Oooo... I'm a beauty!" The piglet revels in spending time with someone who values his company, yet he misses his kin; fortunately, his worried mother and siblings come to find him. Richardson's (illustrator of the Budgie books) watercolors are warmly and whimsically detailed, but the mood is constantly sunny despite the piglet's changing emotions. His surroundings look utterly welcoming, even the barnyard where he feels so rejected and the big dark forest where he feels scared and lonely. And when reunited with Wee-skin-and-bones, the piglet's mother "smother[s] her baby in a whole shower of kisses," but neither the father who previously "didn't seem to notice him at all" nor the unkind brothers and sisters ever articulate any kind of regret or affection. The newfound sense of family connection closes the book on a false note. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Red Fox
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0099434075
• ISBN 13: 9780099434078
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32