Little Oink: (Animal Books for Toddlers, Board Book for Toddlers)

Little Oink wants to keep a clean space, but his parents want him to be a respectable pig and be messy. This book was just what we needed because we have read Little Pea and Little Hoot dozens of times, and our little son never tires of hearing about them. The pictures really help the toddler set understand what's going on, yet I can see even older kids enjoying the story (our son is 2-1/2). The great thing about this series is that they are actual stories and something happens with a beginning, middle, and end. However, they're not too long for bedtime and are a far cry from the simplistic list-type books that we frequently run into for toddlers. GREAT book.

She is a favorite of ours. The kids love the stories and the humor makes it fun for you to read too.

If you have read "Little Hoot" and liked it, you will love this book too. As a matter of fact, it has the same rhyme and the exact same writing technique...for me it is a little boring to read the two in a row but my daughter loves it.

Little Oink is a bit different than most other pigs his age. While he enjoys playing with his pig pals, he also manages to find a way to remain neat and virtually stain free. He loves digging for those sooey-t truffles, but prefers wielding a trowel to soiling his snout. Little Oink happily partakes from the community trough in the mess hall - he's the only piglet with utensils and a checkered napkin. Little Oink's parents insist that he must learn to make a proper mess so that he can grow up to be a respectable pig. Each night he is forced to don grubby clothes and make a proper mess of his room. Little Oink mumbles and grumbles, but he dutifully unmakes his bed and unfolds his clothes. He reluctantly drags in fresh mud and tosses toys willy-nilly from his toybox. Only after a proper mess has been made will his parents allow him to run off to play his favorite game. Definitely it is the obvious humorous twist that will have children laughing uproariously. The very idea that adults would make a kid dirty up his room put huge smiles on the face of every child in our reading group. Great concept, but it is the many clever details lurking in the background that make this book so terribly clever. Jen Corace takes such care with her illustrations, working to make each one just so. Overall, extremely well done and a pleasure to read. As Little Pea has earned a place of honor on our bookshelf, so will Little Oink. I'm always thrilled to find picture books that I enjoy as much as my children. This is a series of books that I could read over and over again - and we certainly will.

Great reverse psychology....very clever. Just like the other books by this author..all are a must have in a child's library.