All for Me and None for All

by Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Overview

A book about sharing for one and all! Gruntly is a hog—a ball hog, a snack hog, a treasure hog! He doesn’t share his toys with his pals and, in fact, helps himself to theirs! And when Gruntly finds out about Saturday’s treasure hunt, he can’t wait for the first clue so that he may be the one to find the treasure and keep it . . . all for himself.

From the delightful duo that created Tacky the Penguin and Hooway for Wodney Wat, Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger deliver another playful and delightfully illustrated tale about the dangers of going hog-wild and show, in the end, that sharing just might have its own rewards!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544668386
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,165,371
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Helen Lester has written many hilarious and popular picture books, including the Tacky the Penguin series and Hooway for Wodney Wat. She lives in New York. www.helenlester.com

Lynn Munsinger has illustrated more than ninety books for children, many written by her frequent collaborator, Helen Lester. She lives in Vermont.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The winning duo Lester and Munsinger have done it again. The snappy text is laugh-aloud funny and incorporates a message that the intended audience often needs to hear."—Booklist starred review

"Team Lester/Munsinger are a success because they are simple, direct and elementally charming."—Kirkus

"Lester's prose is dashed with humor throughout, as is Munsinger's characteristically emotive artwork."—Publishers Weekly "The message is forthright, but the delivery, as always, is subtle and nuanced, and loads of fun."—School Library Journal

"This playful approach to important lessons in sharing and listening is a sure winner for classrooms and families alike."—Bulletin

Editorial Reviews

"The winning duo Lester and Munsinger have done it again. The snappy text is laugh-aloud funny and incorporates a message that the intended audience often needs to hear."—Booklist, starred review "Team Lester/Munsinger are a success because they are simple, direct and elementally charming."—Kirkus "Lester's prose is dashed with humor throughout, as is Munsinger's characteristically emotive artwork."—Publishers Weekly "The message is forthright, but the delivery, as always, is subtle and nuanced, and loads of fun."—School Library Journal "This playful approach to important lessons in sharing and listening is a sure winner for classrooms and families alike."—Bulletin —

From the Publisher

Putting exaggeration to comedic use, the creators of Tacky the Penguin and Wodney Wat introduce a greedy pig named Gruntly who doesn’t just refuse to share his toys with his friends, “he helped himself to theirs.” (Gruntly even nabs fleece from Woolworth the sheep and feathers from Cluck the chicken to make a pillow for himself.) On a treasure hunt, Gruntly is so determined to get to the prize first that he dashes off without listening to (or reading) the end of the rhyming clues, and repeatedly ends up in the wrong spot. It’s a fairly ordinary story about greediness, and the message is slightly muddled by the emphasis on Gruntly’s impatience as well as some plot contrivances (Gruntly is only able to continue in the treasure hunt because his friends leave the second and third clues lying around). However, Lester’s prose is dashed with humor throughout, as is Munsinger’s characteristically emotive artwork, and the duo sidesteps an overly sweet finale, as Gruntly tweaks the titular mantra just slightly: “Alllllllllmost all for me. But some for all!” Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2—Gruntly is a badly behaved piglet who not only refuses to share his toys with the rest of his barnyard friends, but also actually helps himself to their belongings. "'What a HOG!' snorted Hampshire, Berkshire, and Yorky. 'He bestows new meaning upon the word,' wise Woolworth said wisely." When the Parks Department invites all of the youngsters to a treasure hunt, aggressive Gruntly jumps the gun and takes off without hearing the end of the crucial first clue. In his greed to take all, he heads in the wrong direction. Eventually, he makes his way through the progressive clues, well after the others have made the rounds and collected their "treasures." At first disgruntled to learn that the prizes were NOT gold, silver, or diamond, but trail mix instead, he chastises his fellow hunters about not saving some for him. Then he finds a bag with his name on it and realizes that no one had "snatched it. Or grabbed it. Or tried a nibble. Or a gobble. Or HOGGED it." He is so touched by their consideration that he actually offers to share a bit with them. In typical fashion, Lester and Munsinger's animal characters display all-too-human expressions and behavior. The pen-and-ink and watercolor artwork is colorful and spot-on, extending the action and humor in the text and conveying the emotions to a tee. The message is forthright, but the delivery, as always, is subtle and nuanced, and loads of fun.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Gruntly is a literal and metaphorical hog who serves as his own comeuppance in this gentle, if spirited, admonition. "If there was a something, he wanted it all. All for himself." And not just all the toys and stuff; he wants the wool off Woolworth's back, the feathers out of Cluck's tail (" 'Cluck,' Cluck said...She was a chicken of few words"). Comes the day of the treasure hunt, and Gruntly has visions of gold and silver dancing in his big, selfish head. He also has too much greedy energy running through his system to pay attention to the clues and so is thwarted in his quest for world domination of treasure. Cluck of Few Words provides the necessary minimum for Gruntly to get his rightful share. Gruntly is stunned by "his companions' kindness and generosity," and becomes a changed pig, a better pig. Team Lester/Munsinger are a success because they are simple, direct and elementally charming. Lester is all for the droll use of language--"then Cluck got down on her knees (or whatever chickens get down on")--while Munsinger is majestic in the use of body language, and her piggy perp is always more a clown than a creep. Given a name like Gruntly, there's little to expect but greed, but this pig flies to higher ground. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews