A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea

by Michael Ian Black, Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)

Overview

Could anything possibly be more fun than a pig parade!? You wouldn't think so. But you'd be wrong. A pig parade is a terrible idea. Pigs hate to march, refuse to wear the uniforms, don't care about floats, and insist on playing country music ballads. Those are just some of the reasons. And trust me, this hysterical book has plenty more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416979227
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/07/2010
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.64(w) x 12.34(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	AD970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michael Ian Black is a writer, comedian, and actor who has created and starred in many television series, including Michael and Michael Have Issues, Stella, and The State. He also starred in the NBC television show Ed and on VH1’s I Love The... series. He wrote the screenplay for the film Run, Fatboy, Run and wrote and directed the film Wedding Daze. Michael regularly tours the country as a stand-up comedian and is the bestselling author of the book My Custom Van (and 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face) and the children’s books Chicken Cheeks, The Purple Kangaroo, A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea, I’m Bored, Naked!, and Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop. Michael lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Kevin Hawkes is the illustrator of more than thirty-five acclaimed picture books and chapter books including Library Lion, Weslandia, and Chicken Cheeks. His vibrant colors, unusual perspectives, and sense of humor are hallmarks of his work. He lives with his wife and children in Southern Maine.

Editorial Reviews

Black's pitch-perfect porcine parody sets off at a brisk pace. "Like most children, you have probably thought to yourself at one time or another, I bet a pig parade would be a lot of fun." Hawkes (who illustrated Black's Chicken Cheeks) supplies a picture of pigs dashing forth in spruce uniforms, playing instruments, as fireworks explode behind them. "The only problem is," Black continues, "a pig parade is a terrible idea." A double-page spread shows why; no parade anywhere--just a trio of porkers "snuffling" around, one with chewing gum stuck to its snout. Skewering stuffy types who belabor the obvious, Black points out that real pigs show no willingness to march, won't wear majorette uniforms, and won't hold big balloons ("Because while pig hooves are good for digging up wild mushrooms, when it comes to holding giant parade balloons, they are simply not up to the job"). The Monty Pythonesque premise delivers laugh after laugh, while Hawkes's portraits of pigs chewing on their band hats, tromping on their horns, and floating into outer space with parade balloons will win over readers of all ages. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

* "If this book’s arch-toned text wasn’t flat-out funny enough, Hawkes’ deliciously down-and-dirty art takes the concept to a whole other level.... Horror will mix with hysterical laughter when kids (and adults) get ahold of this one." -BOOKLIST, STARRED review

* "Black's pitch-perfect porcine parody sets off at a brisk pace.... The Monty Pythonesque premise delivers laugh after laugh, while Hawkes's portraits of pigs chewing on their band hats, tromping on their horns, and floating into outer space with parade balloons will win over readers of all ages." - PW, STARRED review

"The winner of the Most Absurd Picture Book of the Year Award, if there were one, would have to go to 'A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea,' written by Michael Ian Black and drawn by Kevin Hawkes. The joke is in the comically drawn-out contrast between the cute marching pigs of our imagination and the realistically sticky, glistening-nosed, frowning hogs."--New York Times Book Review

* "The tongue-in-cheek tone of the text coupled with the large-scale illustrations and generous trim size make this a surefire storyhour read-aloud that will elicit laughter and cheers of delight."–- SLJ , STARRED review

From the Publisher

"I bet a pig parade would be a lot of fun." Black admits that it sounds like it at first. But then he goes on to tell us why, in mock serious but wildly funny statements, this is a terrible idea. First of all, forget about them ever marching in "perfect formation." Pigs prefer to snuffle. And they refuse to wear jaunty uniforms, or care about any floats but root beer. As for asking them to play marching music, forget that. And their hooves cannot hold on to the giant balloons. Black repeats the "terrible idea" phrase for emphasis. "A panda bear parade, on the other hand, would be fantastic!" he asserts. Perhaps.... The amusing negative declarations give Hawkes a chance to display in acrylics a multitude of naturalistic pigs making all sorts of mischief across the large pages. A couple of porkers, one in a festive hat, enjoy a mud puddle. Another sad fellow sits on a smashed trombone while chewing on some sheet music. We are finally convinced of the title statement, while the final scene of a festive, horn-tooting, uniform-wearing band of pandas led by a prancing major offers a jolly alternative. The ideal marching pig on the front-end page is replaced on the rear by a jaunty marching panda, perhaps promising future fun. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

K-Gr 3—An omniscient narrator explains why a pig parade is not the great idea that one might think it is. Who knew? These barnyard animals hate to march (preferring, inappropriately, to snuffle); flat out refuse to wear majorette uniforms; don't care about building floats ("the only floats pigs care about are root beer floats"); and prefer sad country music ballads to "good, spirited marching band music." Bold, full-color acrylic illustrations, painterly in their texture, hilariously extend the wacky premise with witty details (bungee cords secure the pigs' ill-fitting majorette uniforms) and varied perspectives (a pig snout snuffles for leftovers in a larger-than-life close-up). The story's conclusion, that "a panda bear parade, on the other hand, would be fantastic," is just as silly and arbitrary. The tongue-in-cheek tone of the text coupled with the large-scale illustrations and generous trim size make this a surefire storyhour read-aloud that will elicit laughter and cheers of delight.—Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT

School Library Journal

"Like most children you have probably thought to yourself at one time or another, I bet a pig parade would be a lot of fun." After all, "pig parade" is even fun to say...but did you know that pigs hate to march? They would rather snuffle, which doesn't lend itself to parading. Pigs won't wear uniforms. Hard to say why; maybe they think uniforms unflattering, which is just foolish. Pigs care nothing for floats (except those involving root beer), and their trotters can't hold the lines for giant balloons. To top it off, pigs prefer sad, slow country ballads to peppy marching-band music. Maybe a panda parade, then...? Black and Hawkes reteam to good effect for a second sly and silly animal-centered tale (Chicken Cheeks, 2009). Black's deadpan wit might not be to all tastes, but sophisticated young audiences will hoot at the interplay of illustration and text. Hawkes's acrylic paintings, most full-bleed, of realistic porkers munching on majorette uniforms and noodling with instruments are nothing short of spectacular. A preposterous, porcine pleasure. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

…the winner of the Most Absurd Picture Book of the Year Award, if there were one, would have to go to A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea,…The joke is in the comically drawn-out contrast between the cute marching pigs of our imagination and the realistically sticky, glistening-nosed, frowning hogs. Black's deadpan narration sets the tone.
—The New York Times

Lisa Von Drasek