Little Oink

Rosenthal, A.K. (2009). Little Oink. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

9780811866552

Appetizer: Little Oink is a happy little pig, but there's one part of his day that he doesn't like. He hates having to make a mess. While all the other animals spend a portion of their day cleaning, Oink wishes to join them.

Rosenthal has an amazing ability to play with expectation and perspective. In this picturebook, making a mess is not fun and cleaning is. What more could a preschool teacher/babysitter/parent want to share with kids?

*Spoiler for the ending* I especially liked that Little Oink if finally able to clean as he likes when he plays house. Not only does it show that Oink can still realize his dream, but also, it challenges the gender stereotype that the girl is supposed to be the one to clean. Yayz! Challenge away, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Challenge away!

Dinner Conversation:

"And now comes the story of Little Oink.
Little Oink was a neat little pig. He liked a lot of things."

"But there was one thing Little Oink did not like: Mess up time. Because that's what you have to do when you're a pig."

"All my friends get to clean their rooms. Why can't I? asked Little Oink?"

To Go with the Meal:

A fun read aloud, I'd probably share this book from time to time at the end of the day when it comes time to clean the classroom before going home.

Another option is to use this at home. When Little Oink goes through the process of un-cleaning his room (unmaking his bed, unfolding clothes, throwing his towel on the floor, etc.), a young reader can clean all the places and things Little Oink can only dream of cleaning.

There is also a page where Little Oink must take his toys out of his toy box. The page counts all of his toys, but does so out of order. A teacher could discuss how numbers can be spelled out (ten instead of 10) and have a wee little child count the toys for themselves.

Tasty Rating: !!!! ( )

This is one of my 2.5 year old's favorite books. He starts cackling with laughter as soon as he picks it up, in anticipation of the page where Little Oink puts on a dirty stained t-shirt. Oh, the hilarity of it all.

Ok people, take Little Hoot, replace him with a pig (appropriately named Little Oink), mix in pig stereotypes and viola - you have Little Oink. Another Every Kid character who likes to play with his friends and enjoys school. With the exception that Little Oink is very tidy, so of course the "one thing that Little Oink did not like" was mess up time. That's right, you heard me, it's time to make a mess!

"All my friends get to clean their rooms. Why can't I?" asked Little Oink.

His parents point out that he's a pig and pigs make messes. Since his parents love him and want him to grow up to be a respectable pig he must "learn how to make a proper mess."

"Mess up your room, put on some dirty clothes,
and then you can go out and play," said Mama Pig.
"Do I have to?" Little Oink snorted.
"Yes, you have to," they retorted.

We then watch as Little Oink empties his drawers, unmakes his bed, and even drags mud into his room. He asks his parents if he can go out and play, but they tell him that the room isn't a total pigsty just yet. So he throws his toys out of the toy box (you guessed it, more counting), and is finally allowed to go out and play is favorite game - house.
Yes, this is a Little Hoot clone, but the illustrations are fun and there is more word play. On a page that pictures Little Oink digging, the text reads he "dug playing with his pig pals." The picture of him at school while eating lunch - "He savored his days at school". This continues throughout the book. Yes, a lot of this is going to go over your child's head, but it's a fun touch. I did like the page where Little Oink imagines his friends getting to clean up their rooms: his bird friend arranges leaves and a mouse pushes a bar of soap bigger than he is. There's a lot on this page that your child can look at and talk about. The parents are spectacularly messy and children find it funny. Watching Little Oink play house and tidy up his tree house is cute but even the kids find the final line a bit much:

And they all lived hap-pig-ly ever after

Verdict:
Not my favorite of the three, the only reason I own it is because I bought a box set. That being said, there is a lot in the illustrations for children to enjoy and being able to make predictions based on patterns and past experience is an important reading skill. Younger kids will miss out on some of the corny word play - it's a great way to build vocabulary, but you will spend time explaining things. There is a lot less white space in this book, and I find that I miss it. I have the board book and the pages are packed with stuff, but the normal hardback doesn't feel as crowded. I give it three stars, it's ok, but Little Pea and Little Hoot are better. ( )

A fun story of a piglet who prefers to be neat and whose parents insist that he get messy. This would be a fast way to talk about stereotypes!

See my review on

Reading Rumpus ( )