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The Good Little Bad Little Pig
Peter's wish comes true when he gets a little pet pig who is sometimes good and sometimes bad, but no matter how dirty, messy, noisy, or stubborn his unusual pet is, she is always perfect in Peter's eyes.
24 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1938
About the author
Margaret Wise Brown
397 books1,262 followersMargaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Even though she died nearly 70 years ago, her books still sell very well.
Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.
She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.
She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.
Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.
Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.
She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.
She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.
Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 15, 2015
The farmer read the letter, and then he went out to the pigpen and looked at the five little pigs. Three little pigs were fast asleep. "Those," said the farmer, "are good little pigs." And one little pig was jumping all around. "That," said the farmer, "is a bad little pig."
And then he heard a little pig squeak, and then he heard a little pig squeal. But when he looked there was just one little gray-pink pig standing in an old tin pan in the corner of the pen. "That," said the farmer, "is a good little bad little pig." So the farmer sent the pig to the little boy.
A little boy wants a pig as a pet. His mother is shocked.
"What!" said Peter's mother. "You want a dirty little bad little pig?" She was very surprised.
You should see an illustration of the mother, it's very cute.
ANYWAY. Peter explains to his mom that he doesn't want a dirty little bad little pig. He wants a good little bad little pig. So he and his mom write a letter to the farmer, who promptly delivers.
Then we are taken on a rollicking look at what the pig does that is good, and what the pig does that is bad.
...
Let me explain to you why I liked this book so much - it's because calling animals "bad" and "stupid" is an affectionate thing for me and my family members.
"You're stupid!" I explain to a small, fluffy animal as I pet it. "I measured your badness levels, and they are unnaturally high."
Just yesterday I was out with a beloved family member, and we saw a man walking two dogs. One dog - the little one - was turning around and around in circles on the leash as the man and the well-behaved big dog waited for the light to change. "That dog is bad." My relative said, affectionately. Then we watched the little dog get pulled across the street by its owner, fighting the leash every step of the way, until halfway across the street it decided to sprint forward, pulling its owner off-balance. "That dog is extremely bad. And stupid." I remarked.
Now. Anyone listening to us might THINK that we are criticizing the dog, but actually these kind of comments are made with a great tolerant affection.
So. Calling a pet pig "bad" over and over again in this book, while making it obvious that the little boy loves the pig is something that is right up my alley and will be easily understood and loved by any family member.
Sometimes you have two animals, and one is bad and one is good. But both are stupid. In this book, the pig is half bad and half good, so the boy and all the other characters can alternate between labeling the pig "bad" and "good."
It was highly entertaining.
The book is written by Margaret Wise Brown, whom adult readers might remember as the author of the classic Goodnight Moon. Illustrations are by Dan Yaccarino, which is why I said Caroline recommended this to me, although I believe she was recommending him as an author, not an illustrator. Nevertheless, he illustrates this book with some cute and funky illustrations. My favorite is the one where the mom is surprised.
Tl;dr - If you like good little bad little animals, and a fun story about a pet that sometimes behaves and sometimes misbehaves, this is right up your alley. Also, many children dream of owning a pet pig as a result of watching movies like Babe and Gordy and watching or reading Charlotte's Web. This book might feed their happy thoughts of pig ownership. Originally published in 1939.
Ages 3-6
Not available in Spanish.
And then he heard a little pig squeak, and then he heard a little pig squeal. But when he looked there was just one little gray-pink pig standing in an old tin pan in the corner of the pen. "That," said the farmer, "is a good little bad little pig." So the farmer sent the pig to the little boy.
A little boy wants a pig as a pet. His mother is shocked.
"What!" said Peter's mother. "You want a dirty little bad little pig?" She was very surprised.
You should see an illustration of the mother, it's very cute.
ANYWAY. Peter explains to his mom that he doesn't want a dirty little bad little pig. He wants a good little bad little pig. So he and his mom write a letter to the farmer, who promptly delivers.
Then we are taken on a rollicking look at what the pig does that is good, and what the pig does that is bad.
...
Let me explain to you why I liked this book so much - it's because calling animals "bad" and "stupid" is an affectionate thing for me and my family members.
"You're stupid!" I explain to a small, fluffy animal as I pet it. "I measured your badness levels, and they are unnaturally high."
Just yesterday I was out with a beloved family member, and we saw a man walking two dogs. One dog - the little one - was turning around and around in circles on the leash as the man and the well-behaved big dog waited for the light to change. "That dog is bad." My relative said, affectionately. Then we watched the little dog get pulled across the street by its owner, fighting the leash every step of the way, until halfway across the street it decided to sprint forward, pulling its owner off-balance. "That dog is extremely bad. And stupid." I remarked.
Now. Anyone listening to us might THINK that we are criticizing the dog, but actually these kind of comments are made with a great tolerant affection.
So. Calling a pet pig "bad" over and over again in this book, while making it obvious that the little boy loves the pig is something that is right up my alley and will be easily understood and loved by any family member.
Sometimes you have two animals, and one is bad and one is good. But both are stupid. In this book, the pig is half bad and half good, so the boy and all the other characters can alternate between labeling the pig "bad" and "good."
It was highly entertaining.
The book is written by Margaret Wise Brown, whom adult readers might remember as the author of the classic Goodnight Moon. Illustrations are by Dan Yaccarino, which is why I said Caroline recommended this to me, although I believe she was recommending him as an author, not an illustrator. Nevertheless, he illustrates this book with some cute and funky illustrations. My favorite is the one where the mom is surprised.
Tl;dr - If you like good little bad little animals, and a fun story about a pet that sometimes behaves and sometimes misbehaves, this is right up your alley. Also, many children dream of owning a pet pig as a result of watching movies like Babe and Gordy and watching or reading Charlotte's Web. This book might feed their happy thoughts of pig ownership. Originally published in 1939.
Ages 3-6
Not available in Spanish.
August 31, 2011
While reading this book, the first thing i noticed was the constant repetition that the story had. It kept repeating good little bad little pig. This book was a good read and is definitely for older kids or adults to read to the younger generations. There were parts of this book where the sentences didn't seem written with correct grammar so it wasn't very fun to read.
On the more positive side, the illustrations were great! The colors made the pictures pop and the expressions that were on the humans faces as well as animals were well represented. I thought it was a great idea that the letter the mother wrote to the farmer rhymed. That is a great way for the child to point out which words rhyme and sound the same. It turns out to be a great learning technique for the kids.
On the more positive side, the illustrations were great! The colors made the pictures pop and the expressions that were on the humans faces as well as animals were well represented. I thought it was a great idea that the letter the mother wrote to the farmer rhymed. That is a great way for the child to point out which words rhyme and sound the same. It turns out to be a great learning technique for the kids.
June 21, 2014
something feels wrong with the writing. It doesn't flow like a typical margaret wise brown.
January 31, 2015
The Good Little Bad Little Pig by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Loretta Schauer is a story about a boy Peter who decides he wants a new pig but it can't be too good or too bad. However, his mother isn't so sure about this idea, yet she allows Peter to write a message to a local farmers asking for a pig. When Peter gets the pig it isn't very good. It makes a mess all over the house, doesn't have manners, and doesn't listen. However, the pig is perfect in the eyes of Peter.
The illustrations in the story play such a vital part in making the story be as good as it is. The pictures develop as the story does but they are always so bright and cheery no matter what the scene is. At the beginning of the book Peter comes in the door with a big smile on his face because he wants the pig, but right away the readers see the moms face turn into a look of confusion showing the facial expressions of the characters are important to the story. I really like when Peter is writing the letter to the farmer, the illustrations are of him dreaming of pigs but they look like pictures of pigs that a child would draw. As the pig comes into the picture, the drawings becoming a little more cluttered and crazy to represent the chaos surrounding having a pig in the house. As this happens, the parents both always seem to have the same look on their faces that represent the uncertainty of the situation.
I really like that the words in this story are there to add meaning instead of being there to just be read. Every time Peter says, "good little, bad little pig" the words "good" and "big" are always bolded and larger to put an emphasis on what Peter really wants. When Peter writes the message to the farmer, I like how it is shown in handwriting that looks like a kid wrote it instead of the regular text. I think this makes it more personable. I think it is more visually appealing that the author has the words broken up into different sections on some of the pages surrounding different illustrations. It is more fun to read it that way because it seems like the words are doing what the pictures represent. I think it is also important that the author made the words/sounds that the pig makes very bolded and kind of twisty because it shows the movement of the words to resemble how it would sound to ones ear.
The illustrations in the story play such a vital part in making the story be as good as it is. The pictures develop as the story does but they are always so bright and cheery no matter what the scene is. At the beginning of the book Peter comes in the door with a big smile on his face because he wants the pig, but right away the readers see the moms face turn into a look of confusion showing the facial expressions of the characters are important to the story. I really like when Peter is writing the letter to the farmer, the illustrations are of him dreaming of pigs but they look like pictures of pigs that a child would draw. As the pig comes into the picture, the drawings becoming a little more cluttered and crazy to represent the chaos surrounding having a pig in the house. As this happens, the parents both always seem to have the same look on their faces that represent the uncertainty of the situation.
I really like that the words in this story are there to add meaning instead of being there to just be read. Every time Peter says, "good little, bad little pig" the words "good" and "big" are always bolded and larger to put an emphasis on what Peter really wants. When Peter writes the message to the farmer, I like how it is shown in handwriting that looks like a kid wrote it instead of the regular text. I think this makes it more personable. I think it is more visually appealing that the author has the words broken up into different sections on some of the pages surrounding different illustrations. It is more fun to read it that way because it seems like the words are doing what the pictures represent. I think it is also important that the author made the words/sounds that the pig makes very bolded and kind of twisty because it shows the movement of the words to resemble how it would sound to ones ear.
May 15, 2015
I opened this book with a little trepidation – I do not seem to love Margaret Wise Brown’s books as much as my children do – but was very pleasantly surprised to find that, actually, I love it!
The story is simple and charming – Peter wants a pet pig and Peter gets what Peter wants (I am very jealous, my parents never let me have a goat when I asked for one…). The little pig is the perfect mix of mischievous and well behaved to elicit smiles, groans and giggles all the way through the story.
Nobody can ever stay angry with it for long and this is captured beautifully by the illustrations which are bold and bright and friendly. There is lots to look at and talk about without the pages being crowded and the little pig in question is positively adorable. I am utterly in love with its sweet little face.
Luckily, Tori and Arthur love this book as much as I do, so it has become a regular bed time story ever since it landed on the doorstep.
They love to join in with the noises as the piglet tries to escape bath-time and scoffs up its food and they both have favourite bits where we have to stop and talk about everything in the pictures before turning the page.
Sometimes we read it twice in a row because we enjoy it so much the first time that we want to do it again and I don’t think you can ask for more than that from any book!
The story is simple and charming – Peter wants a pet pig and Peter gets what Peter wants (I am very jealous, my parents never let me have a goat when I asked for one…). The little pig is the perfect mix of mischievous and well behaved to elicit smiles, groans and giggles all the way through the story.
Nobody can ever stay angry with it for long and this is captured beautifully by the illustrations which are bold and bright and friendly. There is lots to look at and talk about without the pages being crowded and the little pig in question is positively adorable. I am utterly in love with its sweet little face.
Luckily, Tori and Arthur love this book as much as I do, so it has become a regular bed time story ever since it landed on the doorstep.
They love to join in with the noises as the piglet tries to escape bath-time and scoffs up its food and they both have favourite bits where we have to stop and talk about everything in the pictures before turning the page.
Sometimes we read it twice in a row because we enjoy it so much the first time that we want to do it again and I don’t think you can ask for more than that from any book!
December 13, 2016
Text-to-Teaching:
After completing the book a response activity would be students writing and illustrating and time where they experienced or were faced with a difficult situation that was either good or bad. Student will illustrate a picture of that particular situation. In additions the student will write a paragraph to explain their picture. After students are done, I would ask them based on the situation they chose and the outcome, could they or would they have done anything different and why. I would ask some students to share theirs, and get feedback from other students to see if they feel that particular situation could have been handled differently. I would explain, as it did in the book somewhat that sometime the pig was good, sometimes it was not; but he was the best pig the boy could have asked for. We want to make sure were are doing our best (schoolwork, listening to parent, etc.)
After completing the book a response activity would be students writing and illustrating and time where they experienced or were faced with a difficult situation that was either good or bad. Student will illustrate a picture of that particular situation. In additions the student will write a paragraph to explain their picture. After students are done, I would ask them based on the situation they chose and the outcome, could they or would they have done anything different and why. I would ask some students to share theirs, and get feedback from other students to see if they feel that particular situation could have been handled differently. I would explain, as it did in the book somewhat that sometime the pig was good, sometimes it was not; but he was the best pig the boy could have asked for. We want to make sure were are doing our best (schoolwork, listening to parent, etc.)
August 17, 2010
Even with the seemingly dated pictures I think most kids will like this. After all, most kids, if not all, have dreamed of asking their parent for a not-so-normal pet and having them say "Sure! Let's go!".
Peter asks his Mother for a pet pig, one that's a good little bad little pig and after pindering this for a second, finds the request acceptable and proceeds to writing a farmer a letter for said "good little bad little" pig.
Mr. Farmer happens to find just such a pig and packages him up and sends him along. With what looked to me like a postal worker by the way which I found interesting. The pig ended up being just what the boy wanted, the Mother asked for, and the farmer found, a good little bad little pig.
The novelty of a kid getting a pig will go a long way with most kids, Julia included.
Peter asks his Mother for a pet pig, one that's a good little bad little pig and after pindering this for a second, finds the request acceptable and proceeds to writing a farmer a letter for said "good little bad little" pig.
Mr. Farmer happens to find just such a pig and packages him up and sends him along. With what looked to me like a postal worker by the way which I found interesting. The pig ended up being just what the boy wanted, the Mother asked for, and the farmer found, a good little bad little pig.
The novelty of a kid getting a pig will go a long way with most kids, Julia included.
February 6, 2015
There is no perfect pet; Peter knows that when he asks for a pet pig, one that is a little good as well as a little bad. And that is what he gets. Gradually, his family comes around and realizes that in spite of those habits which are "bad" and annoying, this little pig is just the right pet. This is another endearing story from well known and appreciated author Margaret Wise Brown relayed in her gently writing style.
June 29, 2011
This book is very popular at my house - I think because it teaches that things can be both good and bad. The good little bad little pig is sometimes good and sometimes bad, but he's the very best pig any boy ever had. A pretty good thing to hear if you are two and being sometimes good and sometimes bad cycles rapidly in the same ten minute span.
July 6, 2014
The Good Little Bad Little Pig is a completely odd story about a pig is not good, but not bad, but at least has the luck to be adopted into a very retro looking house by a nice boy. He is given food and a bath which is probably a better fate than the one that would have resulted on the farm. This book is kind of sing-songy, in a decent read-aloud sort of way.
August 14, 2011
This fell a little flat with my boys. No laughing, no discussing the story, no asking for me to read it again. It's cute and all, but just not engaging. My 5-year-old would now like to get a pig, but "only a good pig, not a bad pig".
April 1, 2007
A great read with cute illustrations. The facial expressions on the GLBL pig crack me up. Definitely tends to the part of me that has always wanted a pet pig in place of a dog.
July 10, 2008
The illustrations are cute & more engaging than the story.
April 21, 2010
What type of boy wants a good little, bad little pet? I found this book a bit too contrived and forced with its message of realizing and accepting the good-bad characteristics of anyone/thing/animal.
December 3, 2015
This is my favorite Margaret Wise Brown story. It was read many, many times in our home. It's been some time since we've read it, but seeing it still makes me smile.
November 29, 2014
Amé las ilustraciones. El cerdito bueno y malo es adorable.
June 29, 2025
Welcome to Margaret Wise Brown week. No, nothing established other than the fact that I have seven MWB books checked out from my local library. And I recently read Goodnight June which featured a fictional friendship between a children's bookstore owner and MWB.
For my first read, I selected this cute little piggy tale. I couldn't resist. My early years were funded by life on a pig farm. It was a family farm, so we all worked together to grow crops and care for our pigs.
Every once in awhile we even had a special little pet pig -- none ever allowed in the house, though.
This sweet classic tale features a boy named Peter. He decides to get a pig for a pet and has some stipulations:
Farmer, Farmer
I want a pig
Not too little
And not too big
Not too good
And not too bad
The very best pig
That the mother pig had.
Peter
Did the farmer deliver? What happened after Peter brought his special good little bad little pig home? You will want to read this one for yourself and find out. This modern reissue is illustrated by Loretta Schauer and stars "the best little pig a boy could ever have." 🐷
For my first read, I selected this cute little piggy tale. I couldn't resist. My early years were funded by life on a pig farm. It was a family farm, so we all worked together to grow crops and care for our pigs.
Every once in awhile we even had a special little pet pig -- none ever allowed in the house, though.
This sweet classic tale features a boy named Peter. He decides to get a pig for a pet and has some stipulations:
Farmer, Farmer
I want a pig
Not too little
And not too big
Not too good
And not too bad
The very best pig
That the mother pig had.
Peter
Did the farmer deliver? What happened after Peter brought his special good little bad little pig home? You will want to read this one for yourself and find out. This modern reissue is illustrated by Loretta Schauer and stars "the best little pig a boy could ever have." 🐷
January 31, 2019
Frankly, I expected more from Margaret Wise Brown. After her breakout "Goodnight Moon", this flaccid offering leaves much to be desired. The story begins with some entitled coastal elite wanting a "good little bad little" pig, as if the reader is supposed to have even the foggiest clue what that's supposed to be. (You find out on the last page that apparently it's a pig that is sometimes good, and sometimes bad. Now that's deep. Glad I rummaged through this trashcan of a book to be rewarded with that nugget.) Some poor, hardworking farmer actually gives this kid a pig for free upon receiving his atrociously punctuated, hand-scrawled request: "please give me a not to [sic] good pig and a not too bad pig blah blah blah" (which, mind you, is *not* what the book finally reveals a "good little bad little" pig to actually be).
The only thing this pig does "wrong" in the book is hesitate before crossing a busy street, making a cop and some shitty type A's wait in their cars. Boo-fuckin-hoo. Meanwhile, the "good" thing he does is finally cross the fucking street. That, and drinking milk out of a saucer earns him praise from the boy's grandmother. As you can see, some serious non-stop action and some deep moral lessons in this one, folks.
The only thing this pig does "wrong" in the book is hesitate before crossing a busy street, making a cop and some shitty type A's wait in their cars. Boo-fuckin-hoo. Meanwhile, the "good" thing he does is finally cross the fucking street. That, and drinking milk out of a saucer earns him praise from the boy's grandmother. As you can see, some serious non-stop action and some deep moral lessons in this one, folks.
October 12, 2020
In the book, a little boy named Peter asks his parents for a pig who is a good little, bad little pig. Once they get the pig from the farmer the pig proves that they are a good little, bad little pig through a series of events. In the story, Peter has to take care of his pig, and whenever someone claims that his pig was either a "good pig" or a "bad pig" he claims that his pig is not good or bad but rather a "good little, bad little pig". Something that I like about this book was how determined Peter was to say that his pig wasn't good or bad but both. This can be said for children as some people believe that children are either good kids or bad kids by how they act in school, but all children can be both good and bad as it just depends on what they are doing at the moment. I think this would be a good book to use in the classroom when students are acting out in order to be seen as bad kids because others have labeled them as bad kids. This can help those children understand that they aren't bad kids no matter who says they are.
July 13, 2022
A little boy wants a pig that is both good and bad.
"And so it was that Peter got just what he wanted — a good little bad little pig. Sometimes the little pig was good, and sometimes he was bad, but he was the very best pig any boy ever had."
The Midcentury Modern inspired illustrations by Dan Yaccarino are fabulous.
"And so it was that Peter got just what he wanted — a good little bad little pig. Sometimes the little pig was good, and sometimes he was bad, but he was the very best pig any boy ever had."
The Midcentury Modern inspired illustrations by Dan Yaccarino are fabulous.
August 25, 2017
Character education is just as important as any of the academics taught in the classroom, in my opinion. It is important for youth to know that, no matter what, they can always strive to do better and that they will have someone there for them. The Good Little, Bad Little, Pig would make a great introduction for character lessons.
August 25, 2017
Love this book! Though it may seem it is just about a pet pig, the lesson behind it is great. There is no such thing as a bad child (or pig), just bad choices that we can come back from. Our mistakes do not define us.
December 31, 2018
This was "blah" for both me and my little one. It lacked in every way. Plot: fell flat. Values/morals: none. Silliness/fun: not really. There is nothing concerning or objectionable; it just didn't contain any merit to make me want to keep the book or reread it.
May 29, 2017
A little boy who owns a pig and the pig is either good or does something bad.
This is a good book for children who have pets because they will be able to relate to the boy in the book.
This is a good book for children who have pets because they will be able to relate to the boy in the book.
June 15, 2017
The pictures in this book are adorable
February 11, 2019
It was funny because the little pig came and when he jumped out he made a big mess
May 7, 2019
Unusual little story about a pet piglet who can be both good and bad-behaved, like any pet (or kid)!
October 17, 2019
A boy wants a pet pig but he doesn't want one that behaves to good or bad. Can he find what he wants? Preschool and up
December 10, 2019
Fine enough, but since in our home and school we talk about actions being good or bad and not the people (or animals) themselves, the language was uncomfortable for me.
July 22, 2021
Can't go wrong with Margaret Wise Brown. This is a fun repetition book. Makes a good call and response Storytime title.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews