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Jun 21, 2009

Bonnie rated it:

Anthony Browne: named the UK’s Children’s Laureate in June, 2009.

I love this book – and so did the kids in the many classes I have read it to. Usually, we would read it twice – straightaway – because it isn’t only the printed word, but the illustrations that add depth and texture to this richly layered picture book.

No getting around it: the males in the Piggott family are chauvinistic pigs. Dad and the two boys consider it their right to make demands upon the only femal More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Nov 29, 2011

Melissa rated it:

Anthony Browne plays with traditional gender roles and stereotypical pig symbols throughout this story, starting with the cover. The framed image on the cover shows a woman, who we assume is the mother, carrying her husband and two sons on her back. The three men are all smiling, while the mother looks disgruntled. This image alone symbolizes the traditional gender roles that woman take in a family, where they are the backbone of the family because they are the care givers. The pig symbol is f More...

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Nov 29, 2011

Nicole rated it:

Anthony Browne has again made a picturebook that questions the status quo, challenges societies stereotypes and makes readers question gender roles that still plague our contemporary lives. What I love about Browne's books is that he pushes the genre of childrens literature into uncharted waters, never underestimating the young readers he writes his books for. Piggybook is the story of a young family who discover that they have been taking advantage of the sole female in the house, by expecting More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 29, 2011

Maria rated it:

This picture book by Anthony Browne shocks audiences by presenting the stereotypes of a mother, a dad and their two sons. It hits back home because I have a husband and two sons. It was impossible not to feel like the Mrs. Piggott of the story because I do al the things that the book shows. However, since I went back to work, I do not cook, clean the house or do the laundry any more. My husband is taking care of all of that, the boys included. I liked that Mrs. Piggott revered against the s More...

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Nov 29, 2011

Lindsay rated it:

I couldn't help but laugh while reading this book as I pictured my mother trying to discourage me from dating as a teenager by claiming that "all men are pigs!" Clearly Mrs. Piggot is also a scorned woman as you can see by the cover of this story in which she is symbolically carrying her family the way she carries the load of responsibilities at home. As usual, Browne has incorporated many symbols into his work to enhance whatever social issue he is aiming to highlight. In this story h More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 24, 2011

Anna rated it:

This book is about the Piggott family – Mr. Piggott, Mrs. Piggott, and their sons Simon and Patrick. Poor Mrs. Piggott is lumbered with having to do all of the housework and clearing up after the rest of her family before going to work, every single day, until one day she decides to take a stand!
This is an absolutely fantastic and very cleverly illustrated picture book, which would be enjoyed and appreciated by children in KS1 or lower KS2 – I actually worked with a class of year 3 childre More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 20, 2011

Meghan rated it:

Piggybook made me a little angry but for some reason I really enjoyed it. The illustration on the front cover shows a very sad woman with three smiling boys on her back. Upon reading the story, I found that the reason the woman looks upset is because her husband and her two sons were treating her terribly. She made their food, cleaned their cloths, cleaned the house, and worked. After being abused by her family, Mrs. Piggott leaves her family with a note the says three simple words "Yo More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Katie rated it:

Piggy book is about a family of 2 boys, a father and a mother. The boys in the family treat their mother like a maid. The boys and father tell the mother to hurry up with all the meals. When she is not cooking and when the boys and father are gone during the day the mother cleans the house, does the laundry and goes to work. One day the mother decides she has had enough when she doesn't come home and leaves a note calling them pigs. The boys don't know what to do with themselves and really More...

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Nov 19, 2011

Spencer rated it:

This is just another brilliant story done by Browne about a mother going through the emotional abuse of a male dominated family. His use of pigs as a metaphor for the way the male characters behave in the story was so genius. I like how Browne starting gradually incoporating objects in the story into pigs. Then once mom left the the human characters turned into pigs with all the stereotypical traits of a pig.

This a great story of how in some families in the world the mom does More...

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Oct 30, 2011

Ross rated it:

Piggybook by Anthony Browne is a book about a family of two boys, a father and a mother. The father and the two boys in the family treat poor Mrs. Piggott (the mother) like a maid and she is burdened with having to do all of the housework before going to work every day. One day the mother decides she has had enough when she doesn't come home and leaves a note calling them pigs. The men in the house are left to take care of themselves and eventually, turn into pigs (literally). The mother return More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 30, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

The back cover of this book restates the most powerful sentence in this book: "You are pigs." This single line produces an immediate feeling of shock and laughter as the reader experiences the pent up frustration of a hard working parent and wife and her quiet protest to be supported and appreciated. Every reader can relate to this book, whether they have felt overworked and unappreciated, or slothful and ungrateful; this book is sure to cause some personal reflection. Browne's clev More...

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Nov 15, 2009

Stacy rated it:

Having their every need attended to seems to be the only concern of the men and boys in the Piggott family. Mrs. Piggott never even shows her face -- she's always bent over the stove, the ironing board or the washing machine. Finally, fed up with her servant status, she flees, leaving only a note that says "You are pigs." And truly, the males have been transformed into hogs who struggle to forage for their own food and never clean up after themselves. When Mrs. Piggott returns to the f More...

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Mar 21, 2011

Samantha rated it:

Anthony Browne yielded a fantastic design in Piggybook! The mix of illustration types (bordered, not bordered, double page full bleed, size changes, cutouts and continuous narration) and playful attention to detail (pig designs on the wallpaper, pig face reflections on ordinary items) make each page unique and add a sly piece of humor to the work. The story itself leads the reader to see how Mom and all of her hard work for her family is taken for granted by her husband and sons. As the story pr More...

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Nov 30, 2011

Natalie rated it:

An unappreciated housewife feels it's time to leave her family behind to see what life is like without her. The husband and his son's are drawn to be pigs. They act like pigs, so they may as well look like pigs. A powerful message about how women may/may not have been treated back in the day when women stayed home and tended to the house and kids. Vivid, realistic drawings that capture feeling and make a point. Anthony Browne depicts the characters perfectly, as he illustrates changes in the who More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Karly rated it:

I thought this was a cute book, it reminds me of my house when my brother and I were younger. My mom has always been the one to make dinner, do laundry and clean up the house. Whenever she is gone we found ourselves having to do a lot more for ourselves than when she was home. As my brother and I grew up we began do things for ourselves and help out a lot more around the house but when we were younger it was a lot like this book. I think the pictures in the book were very colorful and bright for More...

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Aug 31, 2010

Shannan added it

I was first introduced to Piggybook in a workshop I took from Frank Serafini. He used the book to investigate illustrations. This was the first time I thought about study a book through its illustrations. The illustrations in this book "enhance' the story. The story's problem is that the mother is underappreciated and the illustrations enhance this through graphically the children and the father turning thorughout the book into pigs. This is contrasted at the end of the story with the mothe More...

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Nov 29, 2011

Tiffany rated it:

Wow! Where to start with this book? I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Unfortunately, the story reminded me a lot of my childhood. My mom did everything for all of us, although she never left! I can see that Browne was trying to show what society thinks of women as wives and mothers.

The illustrations were my favorite part of the book, by far! Just by "noticing" things on the cover, I saw that the woman was the only one who wasn't smiling and she looked like she More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 19, 2009

Farah rated it:

Buat yang pernah baca buku-bukunya Anthony Browne, pasti sadar kalo ilustrasinya banyakan gambar monyet atau hewan-hewan lain daripada gambar manusianya. Terutama di buku yang satu lagi, Zoo.

Tapi di buku ini, gambar manusianya cukup banyak, walopun ujung-ujungnya jadi babi juga hahaha

Buku ini menceritakan tentang (oh no! Am about to write the spoilers here!!)... tunggu dulu. Mari kita main tebak-tebakan dulu. Perhatikan cover bukunya.
Pada cover buku tersebut, digam More...

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Nov 19, 2008

Cherina rated it:

Summary: A father and his two sons do not appreciate their wife/mother. The mother works endlessly cleaning up after men, cleaning the house, and then (on top of that) going to her job. Finally, the mother gets fed up and leaves. The men are left to take care of themselves and eventually, turn into pigs (literally). The mother returns and the men learn their lesson. They appreciate the mother more and even help her around the house.

Uses: read aloud to grades k through 4; inde More...

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Mar 11, 2011

Esmeralda rated it:

The illustrations give the storyline of an under valued family member a surrealist feel. The mother, fed up with doing all the work leaves the house. She leaves a terse note: You are pigs. This is a teachable moment where the character does something counter productive to real change. Rather than discuss, she withdraws. Her absence does make a difference but the moral of the story would be more poignant with additional dialogue.

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Oct 17, 2011

Chelsea rated it:

I thought this was a great book for beginner readers! There were simple pictures to go along with the words, just in case the reader may not be able to understand everything that is going on. I enjoyed seeing multiple pictures on some of the pages because it helped to break up the story. I think this book also teaches a great lesson in that no family member should ever be taken for granted.

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Nov 29, 2009

Denise rated it:

The Piggy Book is one that any hard working mother would identify with. It's a story that helps children and husbands appreciate all their monther and wife does to make life the way it is for them. The ending however, seems to be just thrown in as an afterthought...Not sure about the ending. It could have been left out and I would have been happy with it just the same.

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Jun 25, 2008

Joan rated it:

Too true to life for many women, I'm afraid, who are still the only ones considered for the job of housework in a totally capable family of lazies. Mom does all the housework as the hubby and sons wait to be fed and cared for. "Hurry up with the meal, old girl"--indeed! Not surprisingly, she leaves, with a note: "You are pigs." And oh, how they turned around their behavior! If only it were that simple in situations like that!
I know of women who are working away More...

1 comment like

Jan 26, 2012

alana rated it:

While I'm not sure my Japanese kids got the full gist of the male chauvinist pigs story, they did really get excited to spot all the hidden pigs in the illustrations. It's a very cute book with lively drawings. As a woman, I clearly dig on the message of respecting mom.

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May 12, 2011

Ben rated it:

PHENOMENAL story time book about gender roles in families and everyone pulling their own. Not super preachy, because the art and concept and wording are so wierd and so cool! I can't wait to try this one out. Gotta teach kids to not take their moms for granted!

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Jan 11, 2009

Sandra rated it:

I have worn this book out on my family!!! You just have to see this one I am going to leave it up to you to find out what it is all about... I really have worn the binding off it... it if funnier than all. If you can't find it call me! It is worth it!

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Dec 28, 2009

Huda Felimban rated it:

رفقا بالقوارير
حتى لا تكونو خنازير
!
أحببت تعليق إحدى القارئات حين قالت
"ينبغي لكل زوجين قراءته قبل زواجهما"
:)

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Jan 01, 2009

Kim rated it:

Cana brought this home from the library the other day -- what a delightful surprise! Every overworked, underappreciated Mom needs to read this to her family. Better yet, have Dad do it instead.

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Oct 02, 2011

Wendy rated it:

Browne offers a surreal view into the daily life of an under-appreciated mother and her family of messy and demanding boys.

"You are pigs."

When Mum leaves, this surrealism takes over and encapsulates the story, bringing nightmarish snouts and trotters to the fore. Browne is a genius when it comes to representing everyday issues in a way that will appeal to children, and leave a lasting imprint on them. The message is very clear, but the packaging is imaginative a

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Jan 01, 2009

Cana rated it:

Mommy says: Fantastic! Every overworked, underappreciated Mom needs to read this book to her family! Better yet, make Dad do it.

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