Ten Dirty Pigs, Ten Clean Pigs

In two rhyming stories printed back to back, pigs from one to ten take baths to get squeaky clean and then invite readers to turn the book around and upside-down to follow the pigs as they get dirty again.

PreSchool-"One dirty pig gets into the tub," then two, then three, and up to ten pigs, who rinse, brush, clean, scrub, splash, and finally emerge as "the cleanest pigs in town." Readers then flip the book upside down, turn it over, and begin again with "One clean pig gets out of the bath," and after that go on to two, three, then up to ten pigs who dry, powder, dress, go out, and finally jump into a mud puddle to become dirty once again. The acrylic paintings are colorful and humorous; corals and golds predominate on the "dirty" side and blues and greens on the "clean" one. The pigs are smiling, stylized, smooth-skinned creatures, cylindrical in shape with impossibly flexible limbs; they are a little too cute for words (or for some adults) in their polka-dotted shower caps, spectacles, and terry-cloth robes. Both the illustrations and rhyming pig count are pleasant, though not dynamic, but the familiar actions and the turn-around format make this useful for preschool storytime, and appealing to very young children, who always enjoy a good splash.
Marian Drabkin, Richmond Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.