Review - Garth Pig Steals the Show

Garth Pig Steals the Show (The Pig Family)
by Mary Rayner
Date: 1993
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: Open Library

Mary Rayner's fun-loving pig family is back. This time the talented porkers have started a band. But who will play the bass? On the very day of their concert, a hairy horn blower sticks her long, pointed nose through the door and volunteers to play. Watercolor and ink illustrations.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is another fun and funny picture book about the Pig family. In this story, the family forms a band, and they're going to play at a charity concert. But since the piglets are all so little, their band needs more bass and less treble, so the family puts an ad in the paper for someone who can play a deeper-sounding instrument. On the night of the concert, a sousaphone player shows up... and proceeds to try to make off with one of the piglets! It's the wily wolf, of course (she's made a number of appearances in these books, and she always gets away...).

Some of the lines in this are laugh-out-loud funny. I don't know why Mr. and Mrs. Pig are so oblivious when it comes to this wolf-lady, but I'm glad they are because it sets up some hilarious situations. (Don't worry, though. Nobody actually gets eaten.)

I don't remember this one from my childhood, but it was great fun to read even as an adult. Highly recommended... if you can find a copy!

Quotable moment:

"It's a sousaphone," said the lady. "The biggest, deepest tuba there is. I saw your ad."

"Wonderful! But do you know we can't pay you? It's for charity. You'd be helping pigs."

"I'll do it for free. It's a chance I wouldn't miss for anything," said the lady. "Nothing I like better than a helping of pig."

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5