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Summary
Summary
Farmer Greenstalk and his family have the darnedest luck. Broken-down tractors, kites stuck in trees--they're always having problems! It's a good thing they have such helpful farm animals on hand.
This time around, the pigs want to pitch in, and boy, do they ever! The Greenstalks soon find, though, that life might just be a little easier without their help...
Pigs to the Rescue is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Author Notes
John Himmelman was born in Kittery, Maine. He received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1981. He wrote Talester the Lizard while taking a course in writing and illustrating children's books and it became his first published book. To pay the bills, he worked as a cook and then as a carpenter, working on his books at night. It took about six years before he could make a full time living writing and illustrating children's books.
He has written and illustrated over 70 children's books, many with nature-related themes. His books include Discovering Moths, Discovering Amphibians, Guide to Night Singing Insects of the Northeast, and Cricket Radio: Tuning In To the Night-Singing Insects.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this follow-up to Chickens to the Rescue, this time it's the pigs who "help" the Greenstalk family with a week's worth of problems. Wearing swimsuits and expressions of fierce determination, they water Mrs. Greenstalk's flowers (a kiddie pool is involved). When the rooster has a sore throat, they snort and squeal with abandon, and they inadvertently tear Jeffrey's treed kite to pieces following a particularly acrobatic rescue. In a twist ending, the Greenstalks find that a new crew of animals has caught the rescue bug. It's a one-joke book, yes, but Himmelman's expressively comedic illustrations keep it as funny as ever. Ages 4-8. (May.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Whenever the Greenstalks have a problem on their family farm (e.g., a garden hose leaks), it's "pigs to the rescue" (the porcine helpers nearly drown Mrs. Greenstalk while watering her garden). The story reads like a joke with a protracted setup--and readers won't see the punch line coming. The cartoony art features amusing reaction shots of the "rescued." (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In this sequel to Chickens to the Rescue (2006), eight excitable pigs mount overachieving rescue missions to cope with minor problems at the farm. Does the rooster have a sore throat? Pigs to the rescue! Eight pigs, perched on the barn roof, wake the farm at daybreak with oinks, squeals, and snorts. Emily broke her shoelace? Pigs to the rescue! The weirdly costumed swine lasso her and tie her up, mummy style. Written with a minimum of fuss and illustrated with comic delight, this picture book from the To the Rescue series offers plenty of laughs for the read-aloud crowd.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-During a week of minor mishaps at the Greenstalk farm, the pigs pick up where Chickens to the Rescue (Holt, 2006) left off. The porkers solve each problem with great aplomb. From tilling the field to substituting for the ailing rooster, they create a bit of chaos with each solution. When Sunday rolls around and the cat spills her milk, the Greenstalks hold their breath that the pigs won't come to the rescue. All seems safe and quiet, until readers turn to the last page, where the cows are rushing in with bottles and pans and dishes of milk. Watercolor cartoons extend the humor and complete the story. The well-balanced compositions and excellent use of white space bring an explosion of action, and details provide additional humor. Alone or in groups, preschoolers in particular will enjoy this barnyard comedy.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Chickens aren't the only helpful livestock on the Greenstalk family farm (Chickens to the Rescue, 2006). When Farmer Greenstalk's tractor breaks down, it's "Pigs to the rescue!" "Um, thank you, I think," says Farmer Greenstalk, as he looks at the giant hole the pigs have dug. Mrs. Greenstalk's hose springs a leak while she's watering her flowers. Jeffrey's kite gets stuck in a tree. Caleb the rooster gets a sore throat. Though they have the best of intentions, the pigs aren't as successful at providing solutions as were the farm fowl: The fields and the flowers get trampled, the kite ends up in pieces and little could be more annoying than having a herd of pigs instead of an alarm clock! Himmelman's second visit to the farm is just as frenetically fun as the first. The swine saviors swing into action and seem oblivious to the disasters they leave in their porky wake. There's plenty of detail in the watercolor cartoon illustrations for lap sitters to giggle over, leavened with a good dose of slapstick for the crowds. (Picture book. 2-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
